Very lame miniature Shetland , anyone recognise symptoms?

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Maggiemay0

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My 3 year old miniature Shetland has been very lame for 3/4 months. Several vets have done several checks, ie bloods, x-ray of feet etc and no one has been able to recognise what might be the problem. The next stage would be Liverpool hospital which unfortunately will be thousands of pounds and out of our limit.

His front feet are close together, his back feet are spread apart, he turns on the spot with his front feet and moves his back feet around to turn. He walks forward very tentatively placing his feet with his head nodding.

He doesn't appear to be in pain the vet said but he does lay down frequently and lay his head back.

I have a video, I don't know if I would be able to email it to anyone who may be able to help.

Obviously the next stage would be put him to sleep, but I am desperately looking for someone who may be able to recognise the symptoms first and then we could try to help him before we consider this final option.
 
Welcome to the forum.

If he is lying down a lot and walking tentatively I suspect he is in pain. Has laminitis been 100% ruled out?
 
Welcome. I would need to see a picture and video to give an answer. They are notorious for lami but in general they really don't get lame so this is strange indeed. Have the vets exrayed further up the leg into the shoulder? The sounds of it is that he has maybe got an injury that has now healed in a bad shape. Has he been with larger ponies?
 
He doesn't appear to be lame on any particular foot but stands with front two together and reluctant to move front feet, they are cold and no digital pulse so neither the vet, farrier or the latest equine vet think that it's Laminitis, however, I have now put him on a laminitis diet to make sure for the past 3 days only, so too soon to tell if it's helping. The current vet is showing Liverpool the video of him today to discuss whether they think his shoulder needs x-Raying or nerve blocks as he thinks it is the front left shoulder but not sure. I just am finding it very worrying that no one who has seen him recognises his symptoms and worried that the next stage will be very expensive once we find out what's wrong.
 
He appears to be lame all over but the vet thinks Shoulder maybe at the front. She is considering nerve blocking next or X ray shoulder, she is sending video to Liverpool today as she is not really sure which direction to go in . Thanks for your help
 
Hi thanks for your help. He has not been with larger ponies only another miniature. But our field is very steep hill and muddy and lots if trees so it could be an injury but it came on very slowly first with a slight limp and jut got gradually worse. He was clearly in pain every time I liked his feet up as he would open his mouth really wide for 10 mins after . I am happy to put a video up but not sure how this works, can I add it here somewhere? Thank you
 
That broke my heart :( Poor little thing. He is obviously in a lot of pain. I am no vet, but you need to get to the bottom of this asap. I am assuming he is getting pain relief?
 
Yes I am desperately trying to help him, as I feel the same way and feel helpless. He first has Bute in September and has since had 3 x 10 day courses of anti inflammatory and painkiller.
 
He looks very sore and seems to not want to move at all has the vet given you any bute for him? just because he has no digital pulse it does not mean his not got laminitis the feet don't have to be warm either infact often with lami they can feel very cold, I would be inclined to get his feet nerve blocked and maybe an xray to rule them out first.
 
Maggiemay0 said:
Yes I am desperately trying to help him, as I feel the same way and feel helpless. He first has Bute in September and has since had 3 x 10 day courses of anti inflammatory and painkiller.
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Has he been like that since september? Sorry but if you cant afford to get further diagnostic vet care to get to the bottom of the problem I would have him pts its not fair on him his in too much pain to be left like that.
 
Having seen the video, im pretty sure it is pain coming from the chest/shoulder/back and there is a hell of a lot of pain going on. I would not be letting it stay this way, im not sure why a vet has not been quicker to suggest xrays of that area. Id not be happy with this pony staying like this for much longer. I would be getting it xrayed AND a chiro type person out and see whats going on before the weekend is up, and if you can't then i would let him go. And i mean that in the best way possible. Its gone on long enough.
 
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I'd have put him down a long time ago, and am surprised a vet hasn't encouraged you to if he has been like this since September. You are not helpless you can stop his pain!
 
Have neurological causes been excluded? Varkie has a lot of experience with mini Shetlands so I hope she sees your video. x
 
amandap said:
Have neurological causes been excluded? Varkie has a lot of experience with mini Shetlands so I hope she sees your video. x
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I have literally just had the same though after watching again and consulting a very experienced mini person. And it really actually does look neurological!
 
He is now on a diet for Laminitis just in case, I have heard that you can get it without any other symptoms, I was hoping it was this. The Bute didn't seem to help but as it was in powder form, I never really thought enough got into him. So he has had Loxicom 3 times which is easier to give to him but doesn't seem to make a difference either. The Equine Vet who was here yesterday doesn't think he is in constant pain.

Yes, He can lift his head up and around to the sides. On pressing around his left shoulder joint, he does react and he tries to bite me so it is looking like it may be shoulder. I am still awaiting to hear from the vet, she showed the video to Liverpool university Hospital to see what to do next but it will either be X ray or nerve blocks. I don't know why the other vet didn't x ray his shoulder, it wasn't clear to him where the problem was, which is why I have now changed vet. We thought it was his feet so he XRayed the feet.

So if it were a neurological condition, what would be the options to correct it? Is it correctable?

Thank you for your professional advice. It may obviously be the only option to put him to sleep but I am following professional vetenary advice at the moment and will go down that route when instructed. If there is treatment they can offer at the new local 'state of the art' surgery then this will be done, going to Liverpool is the last resort and probably out of the equation.
 
If it were neurological no there isn't usually a lot that can be done.

It seems to have taken a long time to get to this point following veterinary advice, on what evidence does the vet not think that pony isn't in pain?? and what do they think is going on if it isn't? If biting you it potentially is. To be frank if I had a pony like that which I wasn't able to get a diagnosis for within the month (and ensure it appropriate analgesia in the meantime) there is no way I would keep it alive after that time looking like that and I think it cruel to do so.
 
Oh bless him, that was really hard to watch.
I can understand that you feel helpless but I really think if the vets can't get to the bottom of it by now, he is in so much pain and has little quality of life, the kindest thing to do would be pts.
 
I actually don't think it is feet - certainly not front feet - the way he is loading the fronts as he moves forward. If he was foot lame he would be raising his head to minimise weight on each front foot as they land. I would be asking about investigating skeletal fractures etc in and around the wither/scapula area, or maybe even his pelvis, but TBH you are looking at either very very invasive treatment with not a great prognosis, and/or mega bucks. Much kinder to have PTS before he had suffered 4 months of this surely?
 
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