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  Discussion on Need Help with Lameness
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New Member:
ngossage

Posted on Monday, Jan 22, 2007 - 2:32 pm:

Hello, Dr. O & horseadvice friends! I’m a new member, but have been reading the very helpful and educational discussions for a long time. I have an undiagnosed lameness I would like your help with. (I've read the articles on diagnosis & overview of lameness, hock disease, navicular, navicular bone fracture, coffin disease, and back pain). Grab a cup of coffee or tea, since this is a long one.

My horse (Bobcat) is an accident-prone 7 yr old un-raced TB gelding. He was a big pet until 4, very lightly ridden, and I bought him at age 5. When he’s sound, he gets ridden 4 days a week for 30-45 minutes, and has never jumped higher than 2’6”.

Last May, he suffered a puncture to the inside of the left hind splint bone, which resulted in a fracture. After a few weeks off, he was cleared to go back to light work by the vet. I noticed that he was uncomfortable, cranky and not sound trotting left. He took short little steps and put his head & neck up like he was trying to get away from something (wanted to canter, and he never volunteers for that) and tried to get off the left front. Trotting right was fine. I got off, and tried him a few more times that week, with the same result and called the vet. She said to give him a few more weeks off. I gave him another 4 weeks, got back on, and had the same results. When the vet came out to recheck him, he was perfectly sound on the lunge line. Got back on (after she left), and he was unsound (the things I’ve learned throughout this!). Gave him a few more weeks off, then had the head vet of the practice out to see him. She performed flexion tests, neurological tests, and saw him go in hand, and under saddle. She thought it was his left front (had a positive reaction to hoof testers). She said we could perform a block, but since his lameness was intermittent, she said we wouldn’t know if the block had made him sound or he decided to go sound. Treated for a bruise for 2 weeks. One afternoon, I received a call from the farm that he wasn’t right. I had the vet out, and ultrasound revealed torn deep digital flexor tendon (superficial was fine), and a strained outer branch of the suspensory. He was cold hosed, hand-grazed, and hand-walked while on stall rest for 3 months with a gradual return to turnout (and increased amounts of hand-walking/jogging-whew!). When the vet cleared me to get back on, I noticed the same symptoms at the trot as back in May, short little steps, head/neck up, wanting to canter, and cranky trotting left. Called the vet back out. Upon flexion, she said his stifles should be injected. Since I couldn’t afford it after all the ultrasounds and vet checks, I opted for a 10,000mg glucosamine joint supplement to see if that would help (RecoveryEQ). After 2 weeks of mostly walking, with very limited trotting, he was still displaying the same symptoms. He does not get any better with more work in a session.

I decided it was time for a second opinion, and called one of the lameness expert vets in our area. When flexed behind, he was very cranky, pinned his ears, and swished his tail. The vet said he wasn’t lame, but very uncomfortable, and told me he had DJD in the lower 2 joints of his hocks and recommended injecting. It made me a little leary, so I opted for the IM injections of Adequan. The vet told me to make him work through the uncomfortableness when trotting. The first day after an injection, he would be a little hitchy/uncomfortable for a few steps trotting left, then was fine, trotting right he was great. Days 2-4 after the injection he was back to the same old uncomfortableness trotting left and was happier trotting right. I called the vet back at the end of the month, and he said we needed to inject the hocks directly. So I hauled him to the clinic, where he performed another series of flexion tests, and there was much improvement (no ear pinning/tail swishing and much more willing to trot forward). He also did a neuro test since Bobcat had tripped and fallen down walking to me in the pasture a few days prior. Everything was fine there. We took xrays of his hocks, and he said they looked good. Small spur on the right, but he wasn’t concerned about it, and said it wasn’t enough to be bothering him or causing the lameness (no sign of OCD). He injected the hocks, and we went home. He did not mention blocking the joint, which I now realize was an error, and should have been done to confirm the area of lameness. Day 10 post injection, I noticed a big difference. A few hitchy steps trotting left, and then he felt super! Days 10-16 he was great. Day 17 we were out for an easy, walking only hour trail ride. Day 18, he was very uncomfortable trotting left, pinning his ears, swishing his tail, and taking those short steps again. Trotting right he was better. He seems worse on the left turns and straight-away thereafter, and is stiff-necked through all turns. Called the vet the next day, and left a message with receptionist about what was happening. Called a few more times during the week (have yet to hear back). He got worse during the week, lameness is now occurring both ways and continues to be worse on the left turn. (We have good footing in our ring-mix of sand/bluestone.)

As an aside, I’ve also noticed that his back has DrOpped. A knowledgeable horse person who'd never seen him before was stunned when I told her he was 7. She said his DrOpped back was one of a much older horse.

Also want to mention that Bobcat has always tripped (has fallen 2x that I know of-fell with me 2 years ago, and then a few weeks ago walking to me), His feet are in balance and he is shod in the front/trimmed behind regularly.

I plan on calling the vet again tomorrow. I think another exam with a series of blocks is in order, but would like to know where to start. I’m wondering if navicular should be an avenue to consider? I will have my farrier run the hoof testers on him when he’s out this week (esp center third of the frog) and we’ll do the frog wedge test.

Sorry for such a long post. Suggestions on avenues to pursue are greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Jan 23, 2007 - 7:49 am:

Welcome Nicole,
Though the problems to the left suggest the left side, I do not find any dependable localizing information in the post concerning your current lameness and in fact there seems to be still confusion whether it is a front or back lameness.

So start at the very beginning and follow the logical path described in the localizing lameness article.
DrO
New Member:
ngossage

Posted on Tuesday, Jan 23, 2007 - 1:49 pm:

Thank you, Dr. O. I called the practice again this morning, and made an appt to take him back out to the clinic on Friday (we're seeing a different vet). I'll let you know what we find out.
Nicole
New Member:
ngossage

Posted on Thursday, Jan 25, 2007 - 4:40 pm:

Afternoon. My farrier was out today and applied the hoof testers all over both of Bobcat's front feet. No reaction whatsoever. When jogged in hand and on the lunge, Bobcat has been and remains sound. The minute you add the saddle, whether on the lunge or being ridden is when he is lame (I'm 5'5" and 125 pounds, so I'm not killing his back when I get on.). I'm taking my tack tomorrow and will insist on riding him for the vet in the 20 degree weather. Any thoughts as to why the lameness only appears under saddle? Will post tomorrow afternoon after we're home and have defrosted.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Jan 26, 2007 - 6:25 am:

Though I try to avoid open questions like "what might?" and "could it be?" because any particular answer is likely to have no bearing on a particular case, I have seen several odd lameness cases where irritated skin from a hard to see skin problem made the tack painful.
DrO
New Member:
ngossage

Posted on Friday, Jan 26, 2007 - 12:48 pm:

I'm home and defrosted. I lunged Bobcat this morning for a few minutes both directions with the saddle on, and he looked good. He also looked good running around in the field trying to avoid being caught this morning-beautiful lead changes. Nary a funny step while on the lunge. I got on, and he only took 2 funny steps to the left the entire time. Decided to cancel our appt since there wouldn't be any lameness for the vet to see. Will ride him for a longer period tomorrow (40 degrees!) and see how he goes.
Member:
ngossage

Posted on Tuesday, May 8, 2007 - 10:12 am:

Bobcat's lameness has reappeared after 2 1/2 months of soundness. He's been receiving an Adequan shot every 4 weeks and a daily glucosamine, HA supplement (Nimble Supreme).

Four days after his last Adequan shot (in April) at the end of our 35 minute session (first 10 minutes are walking) he started taking the strange hitchy steps again and putting his head up in the air. We've only really started cantering the end of March and April, so I thought maybe it was the increased work. He did it again the next 2 times, and then the hitchiness presented itself at the beginning of trotting. I let him canter to see if that helped and it did the first 3 times it happened. When I rode him on Saturday, he was much worse and did not warm up out of it. I gave him his Adequan shot on Sunday (a week early) to see if that would help and have had him on 2 grams of bute the last 6 days. I rode him yesterday and the hitchy steps are now to the right and left and he does not warm out of it and is pinning his ears.

I've been playing phone tag with my regular vet the last week, and am supposed to hear back from her today. My regular vet does not have a clinic, so I made an appt to take him back out to the clinic where I took him for his hock injections on Dec 29. The vet I spoke to yesterday said he can't say anything without seeing the horse, but it doesn't sound like it's the arthritis, since it's only been 4 months since the injections and the horse has been in light work. Will post again Thursday afternoon with the findings. Wish us luck that they find out what's going on without costing a fortune and that it's something fixable.
Member:
ngossage

Posted on Thursday, May 10, 2007 - 4:39 pm:

Back from our vet appt. The vet had me walk him up/down the jog path, then trot up/down several times. Everything looked good. Then we went to the roundpen to see him on the lunge line, and again, he looked good. Added the tack, and I got on. He showed the vet what he's been doing, taking those little hopping steps, not wanting to go forward. The vet said he thought he knew the problem and we took him to the barn. He checked his back, and Bobcat was very, very sore on his spine (kissing spine was mentioned, but he did not feel radiographs were in order at this point). He did a chiropractic adjustment which was neat to watch. He then showed me that my saddle did not fit (brand new of course) I knew my old one didn't fit back in January, so I switched to a friend's dressage saddle, which he loved and was sound while using. I now have a wide tree saddle and he's presenting with the hoppy, hitchy steps again - coincidence? Apparently not. The vet had me put my hand in under the pommel and pushed down-owch! He said Bobcat was very nice to only be hopping and not bucking while I was riding him in that saddle. Problem solved! Now just have to find a saddle that fits (and he has to go on a diet)! Vet said to see how he does in a saddle that fits him properly, and that he may/may not need another adjustment. I'm to continue with our carrot stretches and not let him cheat, and to tickle his belly to get him to raise his back (vet said it's hard for Bobcat to do this)
Member:
mrose

Posted on Thursday, May 10, 2007 - 7:49 pm:

Glad you got to the bottom of this and it's so easy to fix...at least from a medical point of view.
Member:
ngossage

Posted on Friday, May 11, 2007 - 8:34 am:

Thanks, Sara. Me too! We've been struggling with this for a year and I'm so glad I found a vet that was able to figure it out!
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