What would you do? Lameness related.

J

Jesstickle

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My horse was intermittently lame for a few days about six weeks ago. Vet looked at him and he was sound, my friend the vet looked at him on a lame day and the only thing she could suggest was a suspensory branch.. He had two weeks box rest, two weeks turnout out and then I rode him in walk for a couple of weeks. He was sound for all of this. Nitty chased him round on Friday and he was lame but sound again by Saturday.

The vet can't really advise anything apart from to ride him until he is lame to nerve block and work up. My other option is to turn him away.

I am really torn. I don't want to ride him and make him lame, it seems wrong somehow but equally I'd like to know what is going on.

But then the other half of me says 'what's the point of knowing'. They're going to prescribe lots of rest as it's soft tissue so why the need to know which particular ligament or tendon, they're all treated pretty much the same anyway? He'll either come right with rest or he won't. Part of me is tempted to just leave him mooching for 3 or 6 months and see what happens. Obviously if he goes lame in the field I'll try and rush him in to the vet to get an answer.

If it he were yours, what would you do?
 
Could you turn him out and have the vets aware that if he goes lame again you would like him worked up at short notice.
 
My mare was intermittently lame before her shoulder injury forced her retirement. It was only very slight and was relatively infrequent. I blamed it on her pastern being ever so slightly upright on that foreleg and it used to thicken if she did a lot of concussive work. I used to paddock rest her for a couple of weeks and usually it came right by itself. Looking back though, in the light of her shoulder injury, she did injure that shoulder many years ago when she stood on her reins. She was sound on the flat but couldn't jump (very odd) and then after resting her from jumping for nine months she was suddnly able to jump again. The day before her catestrophic shoulder injury in the field she was stiff on that leg so I decided not to ride her. The next day I found her in the field on three legs. Don't know the point of these musings really, but it is more to say, if BH's lameness is mild and intermittent then I would just turn him away for a while and then bring him slowly back into work. I don't like the thought of making them lame just so you can diagnose the cause. Many horses have a weakness that flares up every now and again, and there is usually very little vets can do about it.
 
I think I would turn him away, tbh. I wouldn't be comfortable with trying to make him come up lame for a work up and diagnosis - as you say, the diagnosis is unlikely to change the treatment...

Not cool though :(
 
I had a mare on loan who was completely sound for 2 yrs but had suffered with arthritis earlier on in her life (she was 18) and then she made herself lame in the field one day, stressing when one of the others came in. She'd be fine a couple of days later but every time one of the others were taken out, she'd canter up and down and make herself lame again, so she ended up going back to be retired and she seems to be pretty sound now, but is brought into a stable every time her field mate is ridden, so she cant do any damage!
 
Scan? I know its not always a clear diagnosis but it might shed some light on what it is & give you an idea how long to turn away for.
 
Thanks all I've just seen my lovely vet and I'm pretty sure I'm just going to leave him pottering about the field. I was toying with turning away anywho as have nitty to get going so not the end of the world by any stretch. Hopefully he'll be right by the time I pick him up again. I'm glad my plan doesn't sound too barmy at least! :)
 
If he was mine I would get my physio to look at him, then if nothing showed up turn away but it could just be muscle related and easily sorted.
 
If it were me I'd get a trusted back person to have a look at him to check they can't see anything obviously wrong and if not turn him away for a few months and see what happens. You could do more harm than good by triggering the lameness and if you were thinking about it anyway there's nothing to lose.
 
I agree with JFTD, turn away for a for a few months and then see how he is. A friend had her horse on box rest for tendon, came sound started riding then went lawe again, tendon. Vet said box rest owner went he has just spent 9 months he is not doing it again and has turnt away.....8 months later he is sound as a pound.

X
 
Having had £10,000 in vets bils (thank the lord for insurance!) to come to the conlusion of there's nothing to do but bute/rest when needed I would go with the field rest option. Is there somewhere he can be turned out 24/7? (i.e. I think you should send him to me t be pampered ;) )
 
Id do a little walking ridden work and turnout and plan to scan it.
Is rather know so am sure the treatment is right rather than rest him the potentially have the correct treatment delayed.
 
I'd give thermal imaging a try. I'm not sure how accurate it is but its affordable and can highlight where a problem is.
 
Will look into thermal imaging and will definitely get the physio to have a look see.

He can live out all summer no probs. He's out at night already, not that he likes it the spoilt lump!
 
blucanoo1990 said:
Id do a little walking ridden work and turnout and plan to scan it.
Is rather know so am sure the treatment is right rather than rest him the potentially have the correct treatment delayed.
Click to expand...

I think I would prefer to do this as well.....but I do like to know what is wrong, even if the end result is field rest!
 
blucanoo1990 said:
Id do a little walking ridden work and turnout and plan to scan it.
Is rather know so am sure the treatment is right rather than rest him the potentially have the correct treatment delayed.
Click to expand...

Scan what though? It would literally be his whole leg! As the vet repeatedly tells me, they don't really know where to start without nerveblocks or some visible sign :confused:

Such a nightmare!
 
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