Very obvious lameness - no heat or swelling.

[emilykerr747]

Hello!

I’m looking for any advice or stories with anyone who may have experienced something similar.

My 6 year old TB has been intermittently lame for the last month. Some days he’d be lame and next week he’d be sound, no real heat or swelling to be found. Did not seem to be related to work levels.

The vet came out on the 8th of Aug and did a lameness exam. Passed all flexion tests but did notice he looked a little off on the left leg on the lunge for 2 steps out of about 8 circles so she deemed him to be sound as he may have miss stepped. He then had some time off, I tried to ride him twice during the next 3 weeks but was lame only when going into trot.

Lunging him he looked sound on the but lame on the left leg when ridden. I tried to ride 5 days ago but he was mildly lame on the left leg. Since then, the lameness has gotten a lot worse and is now very obviously seen when not ridden on the lunge. However there is no heat or swelling to be found anywhere in the leg. No reaction to hoof testers. I’m totally perplexed!

The vet has referred him for a lameness work up at the hospital so will hopefully get some answers soon but I can’t stop thinking about what the cause could be! I’m hoping they can see him soon before he decides to go sound again so we can get to the bottom of it.

He had pulled off the right shoe on the sound leg a few days before so he may have overloaded the left leg, making the lameness worse while trying to compensate before I found him. I have a video of him yesterday on the lunge which was sent to the vet but unfortunately cannot post it!

The only thing the farrier did note today was a bit of a lump further down, inside of cannon bone area on the left leg but he had no reaction to having it touched or squeezed. Although I’m just not sure that it warrants the level of lameness.

Any advice or experiences would be helpful while I anxiously wait!

 

[emilylou]

I'd put my money on foot balance and get all four feet XR'd. Poor mediolateral foot balance can cause this

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Agree with above or could be bad bruising.

 

[emilykerr747]

Agree with above or could be bad bruising.

Thanks for your replies!

I’ve looked back through my camera roll and found a video where I lunged him on the 22nd of Aug and he looks sound, but I then tried to ride him and he was slightly lame in trot on left leg. At this point he had shoes and half 3D pads on his front feet (has had these on since May with no issues).

Another video on thursday (29th) where I rode him and someone video’d and he had a slightly head bob in trot on left leg. At this point he had the pads removed and was in just normal shoes.

The final video I took last night (2nd Sep) where he was in normal shoes (had lost his right but was very very lame on the left.

It seems as though the lameness is getting worse suddenly over the last 2 weeks. Would a bruise show this way?

 

[ester]

Hoof issue until proved otherwise, needs nerve blocks first and to check not bilateral.
Why did he have pads on?

 

[emilykerr747]

Hoof issue until proved otherwise, needs nerve blocks first and to check not bilateral.
Why did he have pads on?

Yes he’s in the process now of being booked in for a lameness work up so will hopefully get that soon. He had the pads just to reposition the frog to try encourage some heel growth as he had under run heels.

He was x-rayed back in Nov 23 due to an unrelated intermittent lameness issue on his right front that went on for a month (turned out to be an abscess). It didn’t show up on the balance x-rays though. The rays showed a NPA at the time and a slightly mediolateral imbalance on the left.

I’ve moved yards since and have a new farrier so maybe it could be hoof balance related.

 

[ester]

That’s what I sort of presumed, my own experience was that externally the heels improved but internally the soft tissues still weren’t doing their job in shoes and didn’t solve the lameness long term.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

My guess is pretty much like Ester the feet are still not right.

In my experience I used pads on one of mine as he was feeling the ground with shoes on, they worked for a while and then they didn't and really my only option was to remove them and I did a complete barefoot rehab.

His barefoot now and is 20 just hacks out feet are much better he feels the stones but fine on all other ground.

I would get nerve blocks and x rays done but I would guess its the feet that are still the issue.

 

[emilykerr747]

That’s what I sort of presumed, my own experience was that externally the heels improved but internally the soft tissues still weren’t doing their job in shoes and didn’t solve the lameness long term.

That’s interesting. Do you know what the vet would likely recommend for helping the internal structures?

I was planning to take him barefoot and just give his feet some time to reset. He’s a TB so has thin soles but he’s had his backs off for 3 weeks now and doing well. Would barefoot be a good solution or back to remedial shoeing?

 

[ester]

I’m a barefoot fan for long term improvement , shoes came off at 19 6 month rehab and stayed sound for the next 10 years (full work until he was 26 and then it was the back end rather than the front ) .