Sudden severe hind limb lameness, any ideas?

[Uniique]

Hi i brought my 11hh pony in from the field yesterday and popped him in the stable. Scoob is normally turned out with another, who is on box rest so i turned him out on his own. Around 4pm i had a call to say he had stepped through the fence to join his neighbours. He did not damage the fence, simply pulled a staple in the tension wire out. I was told they had not fough and where fine. After he had been in the stable 20 mins i noticed that he was incredbily miserable and suddenly reluctant to move. Concenred i brought him out of the stable and found he could suddenly barely move! I walked him up and down the yard for a few opinions and to asses whats going on. It is very difficult to pinpoint the leg or area of lameness, he is very lame, around 8/ 10ths. He is hobbling severly, and it appears to most likely be his off hind (altho we reached no conclusive descion). The pain and stiffness appeared to ease with walking. I buted him to make him comfortable for the night.
This morning i arrived to find him much the same, no worse. There is no heat, pain or injury anywhere!! He is barefoot and i picked out all his feet and checked them over, no puncture or anything. He is a real trooper and i have never seen him like this in the 5 years i have owned him. He has never really been lame and carries on through everything. I turned him out today in a flat field with some haylage as he appears to be much more comfortable walking, and standing still makes him far worse.
My other horse is due at the vets on Thursday, so monitoring his condition twice a day.
Any ideas?
Thanks
Sam

 

[cptrayes]

Did they see him "step through"? Sounds like he got a leg caught on the way to me and has wrenched something deep inside the stifle/hip where you can't feel the heat and swelling. Have you tried pulling a well fixed staple out of a fence post yourself? It can take some effort. I hope he's better in a day or two.

 

[Bettyboo222]

Mine did the exact same on Wednesday, called emergency vet. Turns out her arthiritis had flared up with the cold ( I didn't know she had arthiritis)

 

[Uniique]

Hi both
Thanks for you replies.
Scoob has spent his whole life a 'houdini' used to ALKWAYS be out of his field. Im hoping like you have mentioned that it is a simple pull or tweak and that with a few days rest i will see and improvment. No one witnessed this, however tension is designed to break under pressure to prevent a horse getting stuck or doing severe injury. The fencing tends to 'twang' and snap, and he didnt pull the whole fence lose though it is likely it may be stifle/ hip area.
Will watch for a few days, call vet if he gets worse, consult vet on thrus at the very latest and see how he goes. He is 10 with no athritus probs in the last 5 years so finergs crossed it looks severe and its infact straight foward x

 

[Bettyboo222]

Hope its nothing serious for you

 

[Nari]

If he's that lame I'd get the vet now & I wouldn't bute until the vet had seen him.

 

[Uniique]

Hiya
I have not called the vet out yet for a few simple reasons. There is nothing, to indicate the sight of pain, not even with flexions etc. If i where to call the vet (on a weekend) the only way foward would be to go down the route of xrays & mri's etc. It is possible (as he did climb through the fence) that he has twisted or 'tweaked' something and calling the evt out on the weekend would be unnessecary. He is weight bearing on all limbs and whilst in discomfort, when i turned him out under supervision for a little walking he is freely moving around. If he is still this bad i will ring my vet over the phone and ask his opinion as i am scheduled ot be at the vets on Thursday anyway. He is 'comfortbale' with bute.
If he where to get worse, or he is not weight bearing i would call the vet out in a moment without a doubt.

 

[quirky]

Could he be starting with laminitis? Have you pinch tested his hoof?

 

[Uniique]

No i havent got any hoof testers. He is slightly over weight (he has been his whole life) he is ona scoop of fibre cubes, only on day time turn out. He has no heat in the feet (no always there i know), no laminitic stance. In my knowledege of him and the years i have owned him i do not think it is laminitis.
But thanks you for your suggestion, much appreciated x

 

[dozzie]

Hiya
I have not called the vet out yet for a few simple reasons. There is nothing, to indicate the sight of pain, not even with flexions etc. If i where to call the vet (on a weekend) the only way foward would be to go down the route of xrays & mri's etc. It is possible (as he did climb through the fence) that he has twisted or 'tweaked' something and calling the evt out on the weekend would be unnessecary. He is weight bearing on all limbs and whilst in discomfort, when i turned him out under supervision for a little walking he is freely moving around. If he is still this bad i will ring my vet over the phone and ask his opinion as i am scheduled ot be at the vets on Thursday anyway. He is 'comfortbale' with bute.
If he where to get worse, or he is not weight bearing i would call the vet out in a moment without a doubt.

Sounds like he may have tweaked something and only time and rest will tell.Hope he improves. And what would the vet advise?? Probably the same as you have done already, although maybe a few days box rest, and then reassess if things dont improve. I would wait too. Bad as this may sound, as he is weightbearing and walking, i would also give a bit of bute to get him through the weekend then off the bute to reassess once i dont have to pay for an emergency call out.

I might be tempted to treat as suspected laminitis too. We have just had a lot of rain here and the grass has shot through so could have triggered a reaction. Not saying that is what it is but it doesnt harm to be a bit careful.

 

[quirky]

If they have laminitis in the back hoof only, they don't tend to exhibit the classic laminitic stance.

As Dozie said, I would treat as a laminitic until the vet had ruled it out.

 

[Black_Horse_White]

My horse came in like that 2 months ago. It was laminitis in his hinds. He too had never had it before and did not have the typical stance. Luckily he is now sound on no painkillers. I would keep you pony off the grass on a deep bed, until you can get the vet to check him out. Better safe than sorry.

 

[Uniique]

Thank you for all your messages. He is no worse but no better today. However this morning he walked out of the stable with a very strange action. with his near fore (the opposite to the one we thought the lameness was in) he is massively over reaching and exaggerating the action in this leg, so much so that he is knocking into the front leg. he does not genrall overeach so this is very unusual. After the messages on laminitis i think i will call the vet for advice tomo before i turn him out. Will keep updated many thanks x x x

 

[kim s]

yeah im thinkin stifle hip area but me being a drama queen i would ring the vet for my boy straight away an also now the pony s had some bute the true picture is hidden if an when the vet comes hope he s ok poor little fella