Udate on lameness....and what to expect at vets

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251libby

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Jazz went lame about a month ago, very slight lameness in back left, you couldn't see anything on a straight line but when ridden I could feel something was not right.
So gave her a week off and had my fingers crossed that she had just pulled something.
Got back on after a week and she still wasn't right, so phoned vet who just gave me a phone consultation as the lameness was so minor, he percribed two weeks off work and a weeks worth of danilon, followed by light riding. When started the riding she still didn't feel right so I lunged her, she normally tracks up or over tracks and on one rein she was just under tracking so I knew something was wrong rather than me just worrying over nothing. The farrier was due up that week so I got her to have a look, cant see anything out vof the ordinary and def not lami. So vet came out yesterday, had her trotted up, nothing, did another hoof test, nothing, flexions, nothing, lunged on soft surface could see difference in gait from other rein, lunged on hard surface weirdly better than soft but you could still see it. He had a real good look at her legs and noticed a small amount of swelling in her hock but no heat. Apparently when a lame horse trots they drop their hip a little and she doesn't do this....so.........any ideas as to what it could be???? ATM vet is thinking either hock or back.
She's going to the vets 2 weeks on thurs for xrays and a proper look and she may have to stay over night if they don't find anything on day 1, so what shall I expect going to the vets??? and is there anyway I can prepare her for it or make it a better experience? and do I need to take anything??
Sorry for babling on and for all the questions, I like to have things clear in my head!!!
Any help or simular experiences please
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My mare is just back from a lameness workup at an equine hospital. You should phone the hospital to see what they recommend you bring. Mine suggested just a rug for night time and of course the passport. They had all sorts of feed stocked, so I didn't need to bring anything there. But your hospital maybe different.

To make it better experience for you, make sure you contact your insurance company and let them know that you're going for a lameness workup, that you have all the appropriate forms filled out. Mine wanted to know in advance about scintigraphy or MRIs.

When I arrived at the hosp they did all the usual flexion tests, trotting on hard ground and soft, straight line and lunged. They did an x-ray, palpated the stifle, and then decided that they should do the bone scan. She had to stay for 48 hours after that. Then they did more x-rays, nerve blocks and then an ultrasound.

In my girl's case they believe that the problem is a possibly torn ligament, but the diagnostics they did they couldn't see that far in, and the only way to really see is to do key-hole surgery.

So I'd say expect to have your insurance company involved. Expect to maybe not have a conclusive answer. Expect to have lots of tests done. Expect to be frustrated. Sorry, can't give you a better answer than that. I feel that between my own vet and the vets at the hospital have been fantastic, and have done every possible thing to figure out what the problem is. But at the end of the day, the remedy is probably going to be box rest and some time turned away. After that who knows. And for how long, we don't really know either.

Good luck
 
Mmmm, have you had a good physio look at her? May be worth that before the expense of a hospital visit etc.

As for preparing her - horses cope far better than we expect them to, so I wouldn't worry too much.

Have you informed your insurance company? If not, do so, so that they are in the 'loop' as it were.
 
Sorry to hear of your trouble.

If you're insured definately tell the insurance company now.

Send her with: a lightweight stable rug, plus whatever she would normally wear in the stable; headcollar and leadrope; tack in case they need to ride her; feed if she has anything out of the ordinary. The horspital should have labels to put on everything.

You'll need your passport, and if you're going the insurance route you'll need the company name and the claim number.

Hugs hun. I know the feeling only too well.
 
Thanks for relplies, the insurence company are in the loop, I have kept them updated at every little thing and rang them on the day that she went lame, so I think I'm ok there. I am going to stick compeatlty to vets advice and that way if he advises a physio it's covered by insurence, rather than me just getting them out. The vet is sure it's the hock as there was swelling there but he mentoion back but couldn't see an immediate problem.
Thank you Puccipony, it's the first time in the almost 5 years that I've had her that anything gone wrong. So I just want to prepare myself and do things the right way. I'm worried it could be the start of arthritus.
 
MrsMozart thank you.
Ooh bloody hell passport I probably would have forgot that! It's a good thing I live quite close to horsepital so if anythings forgotten I can rush back and get it. I've got two weeks to get sorted aswel so if I start now I should be ok. I'll put all your things on my list. Thank you again. The longer it goes on the less you think that it is something minor, she tries so hard aswel, yesterday she was really trying to trot correctly
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The vet is sure it's the hock as there was swelling there but he mentoion back but couldn't see an immediate problem

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It would make sense that the back is sore if the horse is compensating for pain in a limb. Good luck with the horspital.
 
Sounds like PSD. You want him to nerve block her first and then depending on the results either have scans or xrays.

Good luck and fingers crossed it is something minor.
 
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