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Discussion on Valgal deformity due to inutero positioning
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New Member:
Denise43
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Posted on Tuesday, May 25, 2004 - 7:58 am:
Hi Dr. O and members
Last week our filly was born. At birth her front leg was deflected and had to be repositioned for delivery. All went well but that same leg has a valgal deformity, tipping inward. She is 7 days old today and it hasn't affected her mobility at all. I know I maybe overly concerned but we had a foal years ago with leg issues and I don't want to wait too long before correcting the problem if need be. I consulted my vet and she said just boost the mare's nutrition and exercise and she would straighten on her own. How long should I wait if there is no significant changes? How long before permanent damage is done? When this happens due to a positioning issue and not a genetic one, do they normally correct themselves on their own? Would a simple splint speed of the process and be advisable?
Thank you, Denise
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - 8:41 am:
Hello Denise,
The fact that the leg was malpositioned at birth does not rule out a genetic component. Perhaps the deformity resulted in the dystocia and not the other way around.
There is not enough information in your post to answer your questions about treatment and prognosis. The location, degree of deformity, and most important the actual cause of the deformity are all critical for answering your questions. You can read about these factors and how they effect your foal's outcome in the article associated with this forum, select Angular Limb Deformities in Foals from the navigation bar above.
DrO
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Member:
Denise43
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Posted on Saturday, May 29, 2004 - 7:35 am:
I got a second & 3rd opinion on our foal's condition and it was advised that we splint the leg for a few hours a day and limit exercise. We have done this for two days and already we are seeing an improvement. This is definately not a genetic component, just a postioning one. I am glad I got a different opinion because the first vet said something entirely different, but she had not seen the foal in person. I just wanted to post an update so if this happens to someone else they know the outcome.
Denise
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Member:
Dres
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Posted on Saturday, May 29, 2004 - 10:00 am:
what a cutie...
Ann
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Member:
Pbauer
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Posted on Saturday, May 29, 2004 - 11:59 am:
I'll second that, Ann.
Tonya
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Member:
Oscarvv
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Posted on Saturday, May 29, 2004 - 2:56 pm:
Very cute!
I am curious how it is possible to tell if an angular limb deformity is or is not genetic in nature?
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Thursday, Jun 3, 2004 - 8:02 am:
The degree of deformity in the picture does not look bad and I would expect to self correct even without the splints.
DrO
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