Ultra sound query

[Saxon]

Just a quick Q. Can a horse's skin be too thick to ultra sound through? A friend's HW cob has been lame and the vet has been unable to pinpoint the cause through X rays and nerve blocking. She attempted to do an ultra sound but said that she couldn't see anything due to the skin being too thick.
Is this possible? I can't help feeling that my friend's being fobbed off but would be interested to know otherwise!

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Couldn't say for sure on a cob as I work with the complete opposite end of the spectrum.

If the hair isn't clipped off then yes it won't scan properly - either you won't see anything or you will get a fuzzy image that doesn't give you a concrete diagnosis.

Personally I can't see why it wouldn't work properly on a cob with vet-clipped legs.

 

[Saxon]

She does have a lot of hair on her legs and they were clipped. Maybe the vet just meant that the image was fuzzy as you've explained, thanks for clearing that up!

 

[glenruby]

Yes, cobs are much much more difficult to scan than a thoroughbred. In some cases no amount of soaking the skin etc will allow a vet to get a diagnostic picture.