Unexplained Lameness

luce1

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Hi all,

I haven’t posted for a while and not sure what I am looking for really LOL maybe just other similar stories from others? Perhaps some positive vibes?!

My advanced dressage horse came up lame last Tuesday… no heat or no swelling… farrier checked feet, all ok. Gave him a few days rest. After a few days, he was no better, vet called. Some history - He was diagnosed with slight arthritic changes to his right fore pastern in 2012 and was medicated in steroids nearly 19 months ago and I was thinking perhaps he needed to have that joint re medicated as usually the vets say it only lasts a year.. however they nerve blocked out the foot and he was still lame… Carried on with the nerve blocks, next the fetlock, still lame. Next was tendon and ligaments… however still lame.. The vet came back the next day to scan anyway and did notice that the fibers in the high suspensory weren’t as good on the right fore (where he is lame) as the left fore. However as he didn’t nerve block out to the suspensory, the vet referred him to see a specialist at Liphook next week. I asked the vet if you scanned a number of horses, could they have one tendon/ligament weaker than the other and she said yes it is possible and you wouldn’t even notice any lameness..
I have full faith in the team at Liphook and am looking forward to hopefully getting to the bottom of the issue…

Am just a bit stressed with it all as Regionals are in Feb, however I have prepared for the worst and appreciate he may need a lot of time off and we won’t be going in Feb…

Thanks all
 
I had slightly similar to this where my horse had old injury to foot and was mri then medicated with steroid jab..a year later he went lame and was reacting in suspensory area...the lameness was also different in that when schooling he was short always on outside leg and it felt like you couldnt control the outside fore....like he was falling out through it (I hope this is making sense). The vet said that this was typical for suspensory and that often with the old injury they put their foot down slower causing a bit of strain to suspensory...he went for lameness workout and we ended up remedicating the original injury and the suspensory did then settle down very quickly. I hope this helps and good luck!!
 
I had slightly similar to this where my horse had old injury to foot and was mri then medicated with steroid jab..a year later he went lame and was reacting in suspensory area...the lameness was also different in that when schooling he was short always on outside leg and it felt like you couldnt control the outside fore....like he was falling out through it (I hope this is making sense). The vet said that this was typical for suspensory and that often with the old injury they put their foot down slower causing a bit of strain to suspensory...he went for lameness workout and we ended up remedicating the original injury and the suspensory did then settle down very quickly. I hope this helps and good luck!!

Thats interesting to know thanks for that! Did your horse have any nerve blocks at all? I hope they dont find it to be the pastern again as that is already excluded on my insurance LOL and it sounds like the trip to Liphook is going to be ££££££!! My horse doesnt seem to be blocking out to either the foot or the suspensory which is why he has been referred...
 
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