Birker2020
Well-Known Member
My mare started getting a bit uncomfortable in October last year and had history of coffin joint arthritis. She hadn’t been medicated for many years so after a thorough vet assessment (non ridden) which showed minimal lameness both her fetlock and coffin joint were medicated. A month later she had both the fetlock and coffin joint done on the near fore. Following her medication the vet advised I shoe her in the Avanti PLR horseshoe and she has had about four shoeing’s five weeks apart with this. The Avanti PLR blurb says: In addition to balancing the shoe around the coffin bone, the AVANTI shoe incorporates an optimized leverage reduction design that will help reduce excessive strain and forces on many of the tendon, ligament, and soft tissue structures in & around the coffin joint. I think the vets idea of putting her in this shoe was to support the coffin joint.
She remained sound for a month or so and then one day around 3rd week in December when inexplicably lame. She had ‘got loose from staff’ on that day but I was told nothing untoward had happened, which I tend to believe as when she gets loose on the yard she just tends to mooch off at walk, so I thought it must have been a coincidence. She messes around quite a lot in her field, the horse in the field next to her often sets her off and they will run alongside either side of the fence which isn't ideal. Anyway her lameness has never really gone away. I haven't ridden her again as bringing her in from the field she would look slightly lame, it was very obvious in trot in hand.
On the last visit from the farrier which was around 23rd December I trotted her up for him to show her the lameness. He thought she would be better off in the pads again so we are trying those again when he is due to shoe her in a couple of weeks.
I haven’t involved the vet again as she is not hopping lame. She got loose from me the other day and took herself off down the field and came bombing up fly bucking and galloping so she doesn’t help herself. She is on 1.5 bute a day which isn’t a lot for her 690KG 17hh size. This week she has seemed a lot better in her movement so tomorrow I am going to get on for the first time since before Xmas and just take her for ¼ mile down the lane and see how she is. If she is lame I will see if the pads make any difference and I have physio booked in for 2nd week in March so will see what that throws up. I also think a firmer ground will be beneficial, so when the field starts drying up a bit it will help, if she is pulling her feet through mud it can't be doing her neck anygood.
I really don't want to involve my vet, last time he was on about all sorts of things from tendon splitting (she has an old suspensory branch injury) to pin firing
, I know he means well but that is not really having her best interests at heart imho. He has more chance of winning the lottery than getting near her with a scalpel, I wouldn't even consider it for one second. This stemmed from a conversation with him about the troublesome suspensory branch. The suspensory branch which has caused on and off issues for years (has calcification) but I really can't see how this was an issue when he I spoke to him at the October and November coffin joint medication sessions. It isn't swollen or even warm or tender to touch or squeeze and the check ligament injury that healed so well at the early part of last year is not a contender either. In the past both the vet and the physio have suggested that her lameness 'issues' may actually be stemming from her neck (she has arthritis in her neck which can sometimes cause front limb lameness) in which case there is nothing to be done, I am not having her neck medicated.
I do feel a bit guilty not calling the vet but only because most people might do. I can't see the point, I really don't think anything will be gleamed unless she has countless nerve blocks, scans and x-rays in search of something that probably can't be fixed. I won't have pts as it isn't her time yet, she is otherwise healthy, enjoys life, can get up and down and rolls, lies in the stable, eats like a pig although she is a good weight, is cheeky, fun and most of all happy. She doesn't have laminitis which was another thing I thought of.
She remained sound for a month or so and then one day around 3rd week in December when inexplicably lame. She had ‘got loose from staff’ on that day but I was told nothing untoward had happened, which I tend to believe as when she gets loose on the yard she just tends to mooch off at walk, so I thought it must have been a coincidence. She messes around quite a lot in her field, the horse in the field next to her often sets her off and they will run alongside either side of the fence which isn't ideal. Anyway her lameness has never really gone away. I haven't ridden her again as bringing her in from the field she would look slightly lame, it was very obvious in trot in hand.
On the last visit from the farrier which was around 23rd December I trotted her up for him to show her the lameness. He thought she would be better off in the pads again so we are trying those again when he is due to shoe her in a couple of weeks.
I haven’t involved the vet again as she is not hopping lame. She got loose from me the other day and took herself off down the field and came bombing up fly bucking and galloping so she doesn’t help herself. She is on 1.5 bute a day which isn’t a lot for her 690KG 17hh size. This week she has seemed a lot better in her movement so tomorrow I am going to get on for the first time since before Xmas and just take her for ¼ mile down the lane and see how she is. If she is lame I will see if the pads make any difference and I have physio booked in for 2nd week in March so will see what that throws up. I also think a firmer ground will be beneficial, so when the field starts drying up a bit it will help, if she is pulling her feet through mud it can't be doing her neck anygood.
I really don't want to involve my vet, last time he was on about all sorts of things from tendon splitting (she has an old suspensory branch injury) to pin firing
, I know he means well but that is not really having her best interests at heart imho. He has more chance of winning the lottery than getting near her with a scalpel, I wouldn't even consider it for one second. This stemmed from a conversation with him about the troublesome suspensory branch. The suspensory branch which has caused on and off issues for years (has calcification) but I really can't see how this was an issue when he I spoke to him at the October and November coffin joint medication sessions. It isn't swollen or even warm or tender to touch or squeeze and the check ligament injury that healed so well at the early part of last year is not a contender either. In the past both the vet and the physio have suggested that her lameness 'issues' may actually be stemming from her neck (she has arthritis in her neck which can sometimes cause front limb lameness) in which case there is nothing to be done, I am not having her neck medicated.I do feel a bit guilty not calling the vet but only because most people might do. I can't see the point, I really don't think anything will be gleamed unless she has countless nerve blocks, scans and x-rays in search of something that probably can't be fixed. I won't have pts as it isn't her time yet, she is otherwise healthy, enjoys life, can get up and down and rolls, lies in the stable, eats like a pig although she is a good weight, is cheeky, fun and most of all happy. She doesn't have laminitis which was another thing I thought of.
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