This is an archived Horseadvice.com Discussion. The parent article and menus are available on the navigation menu below:
HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Lameness » Diseases of the Upper Rear Limb » Overview of Diseases of the Hock (Tarsus) »
  Discussion on Frog walking horse??? Help
Author Message
Member:
fahren

Posted on Tuesday, Jan 1, 2008 - 3:03 pm:

My 5y/o Belgian Warmblood gelding Calypso is presenting with a very curious hind end lameness. He has arthritis in his left hock and we had it injected for the first time a few months ago with just the steroid as it is well on its way to fusing and the vet wanted to help it along. His right hock had never been an issue. After the injection he moved much better, though I would still say he was not quite right in the beginning and sometimes more of a work out, but the vet had said to work through this and to use him as normal which included 6 days/wk mostly flat and some jumping. About 3-4 wks ago he stopped offering his lead changes, resisted turning to the right and going deep to a fence and seamed more wonky on his right side. A week after that when I went to watch his ride (he is at a trainers) he was very weird at the end of the ride. While standing he has his left hind more under him and his right hind slightly extended to the side and not under his body. His legs looked like a parallelogram. I took him up to the barn and my husband noticed him rotating his hind right from the inside out in almost a rolling manner and on the cross ties he was standing in the same manor. We could not discern heat or swelling. Our assumption was that he had been overcompensating for his week left hock and his right hock was sore. I called the vet to have him diagnose and inject the right hock if necessary. The appointment was set almost 10 days out so Calypso was given that time off and turned out during the day like normal. When the vet came he has me lounge him and he was off at the trot. He also noted a overall hind end weakness and stifle weakness a lack of bloom (muscle and coat condition) for the type of work program he was in. He thought Calypso to be quasi neurological (epsm) although he navigated tight turns and backing up(which he does not like as a general rule) fine. He had me turn him lose to watch him trot some more, then that was the extent of the exam. He started him on a course of Estrogen to help strengthen his stifles and x-rayed and injected his right hock (which had one small non interfering spur and reduced joint space) He did the cortisone only again in the opinion that this hock would eventually fuse also. He directed me to add 1 cup of cocosoya oil and 7,000 iu Vit E, and Chromium and magnesium to his diet (12%fat 12%protein 10 lbs/day) We started to change his grain over to a 5% fat low carb (less than 10%nsc) grain from the same company, until the cocosoya come in he is on 8oz of cool calories a day and he is on the Vit E. He is also on BL solution. he also said that even if off he needed to stay in a consistent work program. Today was his first day back to light flat work after the injections. He was off at the walk, watching from behind he was tracking straight with his left hind while his right hind was being brought forward and towards the center of his body, landing between 9 and 7 (on a clock face) and rotating to 4 before full weight was applied. He did this consistently it looked really odd like his leg was going to break or something. At the trot he looked NQR but tracked more straight. At rest he was standing a bit like a parallelogram out to the right. I hand walked him for the trainer and we were stumped, could not feel heat anywhere, and thought this could be stemming from anywhere his hoof to his stifle to his hip to his back. His rolling/rotating of his hind leg was very exaggerated. There is no hitch or hold up of any kind in his gate. The vet was called, but they are closed today and we did not think it an emergency. Help! any suggestions or thoughts? Dr. O or anyone else that this sound familiar to?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Jan 2, 2008 - 7:45 am:

It sounds very familiar Zoe. According to your post, your veterinarian seems to have some vague notions of something being wrong but I see no objective evidence for a firm diagnosis. We have articles on localizing and diagnosing lameness, diagnosing incoordination, and diagnosing EPSM which is a muscle disease. A search on the term should bring up the article.

I should say I do not know of any support for using estrogen injections to strengthen the stifles a notion we seem to be getting a lot of lately. Estrogen should have the effect of loosening ligaments.
DrO
Member:
scooter

Posted on Wednesday, Jan 2, 2008 - 8:10 am:

Hi Zoe, One of my horses has something very similar, Has been like that since he was broke out. One day he had a mild gas colic so I gave him some banamine, that afternoon I rode him and it was the first time he didn't "frog walk" on his rt rear. That got me thinking it had to be some sort of pain somewhere, he did flex bad on his Rt. stifle. so I have always thought it was a weak stifle....which he does have.

The "frog walking" was caused by poor trimming, his toes were way too long in back, he did not hoof test sore in his rear hooves, but I think the poor trimming was making him compensate, which in turn aggravated the "weak stifle" When we figured this out...quite by accident. We started out by squaring his back toes, helped immediately,. Now if I am diligent about keeping his breakover back the "frog walking" stays in check. When he gets even a little too long it returns. Not saying this is your horses problem, but it helped mine immensely.
Home Page | Top of Page | Join Us!
Horseadvice.com is a BBB Accredited Business. Click for the BBB Business Review of this Horse Training in Stokesdale NC