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  Discussion on Lame horse - hugely variable!
Author Message
Member:
lizzotp

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 22, 2010 - 9:58 pm:

I work at a therapeutic riding barn and one of our horses has lately been having lameness issues. She is a 20 year old Fjord mare.
She started out being lame on her left front shoulder. A few days later, she was fine again. Then she became extremely stiff - to the point where she could barely walk. We had our vet look at her. She did flexion tests on all 4 legs, no results - but she tested positive to the hoof testers on her frogs, towards the bulbs of her heels - on all 4 feet!! The vet was confused and put her on bute for a few days. She was sound on bute - so stopped giving it for another vet exam. Same thing: overall stiffness, positive to hoof testers on all 4 feet. Vet was confused again... thought maybe navicular... but then said that as it is on all 4 feet its unlikely. Put her back on bute, but this time not even bute helped - she was very stiff, sometimes couldn't even flex her left shoulder, but the lameness varies in severity. Sometimes she seems quite ok, sometimes she can barely walk. Her coat is quite bad this year, she still hasn't quite shed out on her belly - and her skin is dry and flakey. We have two options: blood test (cushings??) and/or a hoof x-ray. Both are expensive and we are not sure which one to go for... any thoughts or ideas? We are at a loss.... as is our vet.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 23, 2010 - 7:36 am:

Hello Elizabeth,
I am a bit confused as to the localization of the lameness, is the horse still lame on just the left fore or does the veterinarian believe this horse is lame on all 4 legs? If lame on all fours legs does she believe the problem is in the hooves? These questions must be answered with some degree of confidence before a good shot at what is the best next step can be taken.

If founder is a possibility founder treatment should be instituted while this is fleshed out.
DrO
Member:
lizzotp

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 23, 2010 - 10:14 am:

Our vet didn't even suggest founder. As for the lameness, it varies. Sometimes she is only lame on her left shoulder, sometimes it switches to her right hind (from over compensating for the shoulder?) sometimes it seems like she is lame on all four (Probably connected to testing positive with the hoof testers). All this started more or less at the same time - and doesn't seem to make any real sense... The degree of lameness even varies throughout a day, leading me to think it may be something systemic?
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 23, 2010 - 4:07 pm:

A horse of mine who began with a bout of laminitis on January 4, seemed as though he may have had a sore shoulder.

He also exhibited times of extreme stiffness and before he had fully recovered he too tested as very sore on all of his feet in the area of the frog and on up on the heel bulbs. In fact, he was tender there to only finger pressure.

Early and throughout the laminitis he also tested as sore in his front soles

Over the course of the laminitis his hoof capsule seemed to stretch and distort and his heels ran forward and under.

I hope that you get to the bottom of this without damage to the horse.

I would be tempted to treat this as a case of laminitis just to be on the safer side of things.

You also need to make sure that there is no bacterial of fungal infection going on with the frog and heel bulbs.

My horse eventually popped an abscess out of one of his frogs as an accompaniment to the laminitis and also had some thrush problems.
Member:
cometrdr

Posted on Thursday, Jun 24, 2010 - 9:54 am:

not being a vet and only a back yard owner I have only my experience to draw on, but, have you thought she is 'out'. as in needing an chiropractic adjustment? perhaps she twisted in the stall or the field wrong and her spine is all crunky all over? just a thought as you say it appears to be all 4 legs and some days one worse than the other?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Jun 25, 2010 - 4:53 pm:

Elizabeth, I would start with a good lameness exam focused on localizing the pain. This is outlined in the article "Diagnosis of Lameness" associated with this discussion area. When presented with multiple leg lameness I almost always start with the most lame leg but the article explains some circumstances that might cause me to vary. Be sure to spend extra time with the section on horses that are sore all the way around.
DrO
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