The 'do i/dont i call the vet' dilemma

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BBP

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Last night the pony was lame. Ask him to move forwards from a halt and he would go onto the toe of his left hind, get stuck there and then hop off lame, after a few strides his walk would become more normal but very stiff looking. No heat, swelling or tenderness anywhere so I wondered if it might be back or pelvis. This morning he isn't doing the toe thing, is happy to move forwards but I'm not convinced he's right. If the vet comes she won't see what I saw yesterday. I'm going to keep him in on a fenced bit of yard today out of the claggy mud (ridge and furrow clay fields so ridges are firm but furrows are ankle deep and holding) and debate what to do next. I can't even ice him as no obvious sign of the cause. Pointless post really... unless you can tell me what you might do in a similar position?
 
It almost sounds like his stifle is catching. I would leave turned out in a big field - if it is stifle related then exercise is good - but turn out alone if possible or with a quiet companion so he doesn't run around like mad. Give him a day or two and see if he comes right. If he did lock his stifle (may have done it properly in the field) then he will be stiff and sore in it for a few days. If he's still not right in a few days then get the vet then.
 
Sounds a bit like a locking stifle to me too - if not full on lock then catching (as said by mynutmeg above)
I'd be phoning the vet and asking their advice about it though - gentle excercise is usually a good thing, but I'd want to get it confirmed by them as far as possible first.

Vet or not is always a difficult one cos people have different levels of what they think is acceptable to ask their horse to put up with before calling in backup - but vets don't charge for telephone consults and usually they can give you a good idea of if you should worry or not yet without seeing the horse.

Hopefully your chap is easily sorted :)
 
mynutmeg said:
It almost sounds like his stifle is catching. I would leave turned out in a big field - if it is stifle related then exercise is good - but turn out alone if possible or with a quiet companion so he doesn't run around like mad. Give him a day or two and see if he comes right. If he did lock his stifle (may have done it properly in the field) then he will be stiff and sore in it for a few days. If he's still not right in a few days then get the vet then.
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Sound advice! I am all for waiting and seeing if they get better on their own if they aren't in any obvious pain, often these things just disappear XX
 
Thank you. My sisters horse has locked his stifle a lot before and this didn't look the same, which is why I'm a little unsure. (Having re read my description that is how it sounds but it didn't look stifle related to me (but I am no vet). I will leave him off the mud until I have had a chat with my vet just I case the mud could make it worse then come back in my lunch break and turn out if required. I'm not usually a vet out straight away person, but then he is never normally sick or sorry!
 
Could be an abcess, my mare got one, no swelling twnderness etc but she looked like she had beoekn her leg, I have a video somewhere, search nikkinkia on youtube and you will see it under stella lame or something like that.

We didn't know until it blew out at the coronet band we had pulled the shoe and everything looking for something in the foot and were on the verge of calling the vet when it blew.
 
It does look similar in terms of the toe. I had wondered about an abcess, but unlike your mare after a few strides it eased off and he was much improved again today with no sign of anything draining.
 
If one of my horses presented doing that I would call the vet at once could be anything from a Poisined foot to a fracture .
 
Maybe my attitude stems from my fathers, from the days when we didn't call a vet for every tweak and small cut. Vets were only called when things were dire.

Other than the toe she was eating drinking no temp and perfectly happy even when th foot was pinched with the nippers. She was given 24 hrs box rest from onset of lameness and the shoe removed and pop sound as a pound. Calling the vet would have cost me probably about 100 quid minimum when I could have dealt with it myself.

Sometimes I think we are just too hasty in calling vets and that our own horsey first aid and sense has deserted us due to this. I remember in pony club being taught how to bandage and treat things for myself and having vets come and show us bandage wrapping and changing. My vets are told to give me a stack of bandages if my horse has a cut drastic enough to required their attention, once they have done the initial I do the rest myself.

Maybe just the way I was brought up with horses, but hey ho agree or disagree up to you.
 
Black Beastie said:
Maybe my attitude stems from my fathers, from the days when we didn't call a vet for every tweak and small cut. Vets were only called when things were dire.

Other than the toe she was eating drinking no temp and perfectly happy even when th foot was pinched with the nippers. She was given 24 hrs box rest from onset of lameness and the shoe removed and pop sound as a pound. Calling the vet would have cost me probably about 100 quid minimum when I could have dealt with it myself.

Sometimes I think we are just too hasty in calling vets and that our own horsey first aid and sense has deserted us due to this. I remember in pony club being taught how to bandage and treat things for myself and having vets come and show us bandage wrapping and changing. My vets are told to give me a stack of bandages if my horse has a cut drastic enough to required their attention, once they have done the initial I do the rest myself.

Maybe just the way I was brought up with horses, but hey ho agree or disagree up to you.
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I agree with all of this! Can I say a but though - we cannot tell from our computer chair how experienced the owner is nor can we see how bad the horse is.

OP, if you cannot feel any heat in the leg and the animal is eating, personally I would give it till Monday to see what happens. Don't turn it out in a large field as it could be anything! Box rest and walk out for a nibble of grass down a driveway in hand a couple of times a day. If you come to the conclusion that it could be in the foot (have you felt for a pulse down there?) then if he/she is due for farrier that is who I would call out to take a look for an abscess. Vet will do exactly the same job but will cost a lot more - your choice really and whether you trust your farrier! Personally, I have a fantastic farrier that does vet remedial work so it's a no brainer!
 
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