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  Discussion on Heel Pain??
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Member:
jessblue

Posted on Thursday, May 23, 2013 - 7:12 am:

Hi there. I posted a few times back in February and March when my horse had intially a PUO treated with pen and gent and then developed injection site infection/inflammation. Treated with doxy finally resolved. On the day I first noticed he was unwell and subsequent fever he was being shod. He spent 4 days in his stable and then referred to vet hospital for evaluation and treatment. When he came home 10 days later, he was well but very sore behind from the injection issue. Walking in hand was recommended to drain the problem area and keep him moving. I first noticed that when I walked him over the concrete yard area and turned him tight around the corner, he was a little sore on front legs. I couldnt really tell if it was one or both legs, it happened sometimes and not others and I thought it most likely because he was trying to keep the weight off this painful hind end. This continued for next 2 to 3 weeks until he was fully recovered from the problem and I started trot work. I commenced ridden work all was well for a few days, nothing abnormal noticed. Then one day I lunged him and noticed he was lame on right fore. Called vet and he came out, looked at him walk and turn and trot straight line. He said I had the wrong foot!! So he felt and heat in the left hoof, increased digital pulse and sensitive to hoof tester at outside seat of corn! Shoe off poulticed, but nothing. Horse very sore on that foot without shoe on. Box rest and after a couple days of nothing on the poultice I noticed he was sore on other foot too! Heat, digital pulse too. My farrier saw him and agreed that this could be a laminitc flare due to stress/concussion from previous problems. He saw him walk and agreed he looked very short and scratchy, laminitic type stride, although mild. We shod with heartbars and stall rested with reduced diet, soaked hay etc, horse responded quickly. Sound within 3 days or so. Vet x rayed to check for p3 displacement, all was well. Agreed looked like a mild lami but not text book. No sensitivity to hoof tester at toe only seat of corn. He was pointing when tied too. Toe first landing also.

Two months he was completely sound. Back in full work, road work, schooling and jumping. The ground is hard here now and I had jumped him a couple times in the week with great joy only thing I noticed is he knocked a big solid x country fence quite hard when he got in too close with a front foot. He didnt seem affected at all and I couldnt see which foot as I was aboard. Next day I noticed as I turned him to lead out he shifted weight quickly off left fore!! Sound all the way to field, turned him few more times nothing to see?? Then following morning I brought him in and tried turning him on the concrete and he was noticeably sore. Farrier came out took shoe off, there was heat in the hoof no DP but sensitive at the toe to testers. He put shoe back on with a pad and putty and he was hopping lame!! Even holding the leg up at times. I called my vet who promptly took the shoe back off and he was much more comfortable. He used the testers but got barely any response, only if he pushed very hard at the toe. We poulticed again, just in case and put a boot on and turned him out. He looked pretty ok apart from a little scratchy on tight turn. Vet reviewed two days later and siad he is sound, but a bit footsore on turn, not surprising with no shoe and a heavily pared foot. Hoof still hot though no sensitivity to testers. Two days after he was reshod with pads both fronts. Trotted up after sound and just a little cautious on the turn to the left. Hoof still warm but better.

I am wondering if anyone has any similar experience or advice. I am very worried this may be a mild onset navicular synDrOme pain. I am very quick to pick up on any unsoundness and have been looking very closely since all his problems 2 months ago, so I am sure this is a sudden onset, but similar episode. Only one foot affected so fa this time, but still unexplained foot pain on turning sharp is similar to before. Farrier and vet keep saying bruised sole due to hard ground etc, but I am very sceptical. I see this as vague intermittant heel pain, which kind of spells disaster. I have asked if I can have swift referral for MRI scan to get directly to the bottom as soon as possible, but now the horse is sound, so I have to wait until it happens again. Can anyone tell me if I can go directly to MRI and would MRI show laminitis should this be a weird vague laminitic episode?? My vet said I need to have nerve blocks done first which I can do now he isnt lame, so we can pinpoint the exact area of trouble and also a full set of x rays! By the time I have this done it will cost me £1000, which is the cost for an MRI scan. So I guess I am looking at £2000 to get to the bottom of this before I even consider treatment?

Any advice or experience of similar will help while I await the next chapter.
Member:
jessblue

Posted on Friday, May 24, 2013 - 12:32 pm:

[URL=https://s74.photobucket.com/user/jessieblue1963/media/20130520_122823_zpsc15cac4b .jpg.html][IMG]https://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i244/jessieblue1963/20130520_122823_zpsc15cac4 b.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Have included a pic of the offending hoof. It has been commented on by some other forum goers as being a seriously unbalanced hoof that would quite easily be suffering from a navicular type of condition!! Quite frightening as I have asked both my vet and farrier many times about heel pain/navicular, hoof conformation, to be told his feet are fine, maybe could do with a little more heel but so can most horses! I am now really worried and dont know who I can go to. If my horses hoof conformation is to blame I need to address this as soon as possible. My vet is going to run nerve blocks next and x rays before considering MRI. Another week has passed waiting for a bruise to ease and now another week for diagnostics etc. Dr O could you please advice me on this hoof (the missing chunk is an old stud puncture that has just grown down and broken off not crumbling hoof). Are both my vet and farrier missing a very obviousl and likely cause for his current problem? I understand you can only comment on what you see and do not have the luxury of examination to go by. Looking for any help here because I dont quite know where to go next for some answers.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, May 28, 2013 - 5:43 pm:

Hello Jessica,
I am not able to diagnose the cause of this lameness from here and would advise that you take a step by step logical approach to the lameness as described in HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Lameness » Localizing Lameness in the Horse. Remember first localize, then diagnose.

Concerning the pictures the heels are underrun but that is not a diagnosis of the cause of the lameness but should be addressed. Unlike most horses with run under heels your horse has a toe that is not overly long. Proper treatment would require a complete exam of the foot but I suspect it is going to take aggressive trimming of abnormal horn at the heels and building back with wall repair material. You should get your vet and farrier both involved with a definitive plan to fix the problem. If they are perplexed or stymied by lack of success you could seek a referral to a hospital with a farrier unit.
DrO
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Wednesday, May 29, 2013 - 8:34 pm:

I have a very old paint horse who had been diagnosed with navicular disease who was put in every kind of correction available.

His heels were underrun and also contracted.

I found a farrier who knew what he was doing who took those heels down. They were under-running because they were too long.

His toes were also too short and he needed to get his foot back to the proper size for his body so that the new farrier did not even touch him until he grew some more foot.

Horse became sound after years of being unsound.

The other thing that has caused heel soreness in my horses is thrush in the central sulcus or heel bulbs. Sometimes the thrush is not evident but it is hiding in there and requires aggressive treatments a few times weekly until cleared up.

Good luck with your heel soreness issue. Hope you get to the bottom of it all.
Member:
jessblue

Posted on Thursday, May 30, 2013 - 5:17 am:

Thank you Dr O and Vicki for your advice and experiences. I am seriously confused as to what is best to do next as my vet and farrier both dont seem to accept that the problem could lie with the shape of the feet! I have put it to both vet and farrier again to be told his heels are not underrun but he could do with a little more heel as could most horses. It looks like I have to find both a new farrier and vet, which is extremely daunting. Not sure who I would trust at the moment. There is no doubt that the foot issue needs addressing whatever the cause of the lameness, of course my vet wishes to go the diagnostic route next which will run up some big bills. Both vet and farrier are locally accepted to be amongst the best in their fields?? I am considering going the barefoot rehab route and seeing if that helps the lameness along the way. Have you any feelings about this programme Dr O?? Diet and stimulation together with very good trimming by a specialist barefoot trimmer to encourage healthy hoof capsule growth. There is a rehab facility over here that is very widely respected and getting good results with navicular horses and coincidentally PSD horses (My other horse has PSD and had neurectomy 2 years ago). Again I feel out of my depth without professional support from my vet. He is unlikely to support this programme considering he doesnt think the horse has a problem with its feet!
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Thursday, May 30, 2013 - 5:13 pm:

Jessica, I had a good number of farriers over a period of years and have observed work in some of the really fine jumping horse barns and found the quality of the farrier work to be quite lacking.

It seems very common for Vets and conventional farriers to think that horses need more heel and perhaps sometimes they do but this has not proved to be the case in the majority of horses who I have known who had issues of one kind or another.

There seems to be a one-size-fits-all attitude about how a foot should appear that does not take into account the individual horse. It seems that many practitioners simply do not really know how to read a foot.

My daughter jumps and competes with her horses and she has all 3 of them barefoot now after my farrier took her horses on and got them going well for her. He studied under K.C. LaPierre (equine podiatrist) and respects those trimming and barefoot measures although he incorporates his own methods as well and does a really super job.

My horses and I feel lucky to have found the right answers for their feet and my excellent farrier is key to their comfort and well-being.

Hope you can find some good care too.
Member:
rtrotter

Posted on Thursday, May 30, 2013 - 5:52 pm:

Hi Jessica,

I second Vicki's advice and I have seen the same attitude problems with most vets and farriers. It as if there is a conflict of interest, where the interest is making money or keeping your horses sound in a much less moneymaking way. I use a barefoot professional from the K.C LaPierre DAEP school. I've used him for years, I saw a big difference in my horses attitude and I even use a lot of his techniques when I shoe my race horses( a necessary evil unfortunately).

I'd like to see some pictures done from the bottom with the hoof up in the air. I can tell more from that view, then the views I see in in the photos above although those photo's do show some problems.

Here is the Link to the DAEP Practitioners. see if you can find one in your area.

https://appliedequinepodiatry.org/United_States.html
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, May 30, 2013 - 7:22 pm:

Jessica, any farrier or veterinarian who says the hooves in the photos you provide are not underrun at the heels should be considered...badly uninformed.

Your photos indicate serious pathology of the horn of the foot indicated by the widely divergent horn tubules that meet at the quarters. Those small lines in the wall that run from the coronet to the ground, the horn tubules, are supposed to be roughly parallel through out the wall from the heels to the toe. Again, I do not know the source of your horse's lameness and I have already made recommendations for discovering that. In any case foot pain or elsewhere, the foot conformation should be addressed.
DrO
Member:
jessblue

Posted on Monday, Jun 3, 2013 - 11:52 am:

Thank you all so much for your help here. I have discussed with my vet the next step regarding investigsting the lameness Dr O. We were due to nerve block today but after I stressed that I still had concerns that this was a low grade laminits, we decided to do IR testing beforehand. We will do the glucose test tomorrow and get the result of that before nerve blocks as my vet says that the nerve block may make lami worse. If the IR levels are normal we will nerve block on wednesday and then move to x ray MRI. My vet had ruled out laminitis as the horse doesnt have the classic symptoms of lami, but I have read a lot about low grade lami and it does sound very similar to my horses symptoms. I felt this needed addressing first. I have reduced his sugar starches as a precaution in the meantime, but not put him on stall rest as I feel this is a last resort only. He is also wearing a grazing muzzle now.

My vet tells me that pretty much if the IR test is normal that this means he wont have laminitis. Is this the case, or could he still have laminitis caused by something other than IR. He already tested negative for cushings. He has been out on quite lush pasture for last 6 weeks and it was fertilised the day before they went on the grass. I wondered if he could have become a little more sensitive to gut imbalances after his previous round of fever and subsequent antibiotic treatments. He is currently on gg for ulcers and succeed for hind gut. Could LGL have been caused by jumping him and if so what could be done about this type of laminitis in the future?

Also I include a couple of photos of the left fore now wearing a shoe and pad as prescribed by my farrier. I had asked for heartbar but was told not needed and in fact the pad was the same as a heartbar! Im not sure this is helping as he still sore on the turn and now also to the other side. He was wearing shoes even smaller (shorter on the heel) than this a while back when I very first noticed the lameness soreness on turning. Could the wrong size shoes cause pain/lameness and if so is it likely shoeing correctly will help. In other words should I get these shoes changed for ones with better support? My vet thinks the shoes are ok!!!

[URL=https://s74.photobucket.com/user/jessieblue1963/media/20130531_133400_zps0069fcfa .jpg.html][IMG]https://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i244/jessieblue1963/20130531_133400_zps0069fcf a.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

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[URL=https://s74.photobucket.com/user/jessieblue1963/media/20130527_161955_zpsfbb89893 .jpg.html][IMG]https://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i244/jessieblue1963/20130527_161955_zpsfbb8989 3.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
Member:
jessblue

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 5, 2013 - 4:06 pm:

Hi there, just a quick update and request for info related to latest developments. My vet came out to see the horse again at my request as on monday just gone, he seemed no different really. Still sore when turned to the left and now also sore turning to the right. I suspect because whatever pathology was present was in both feet although maybe less so in the right fore. Of course I cant be sure as there was no lameness so to speak of in either foot. I discussed with my vet that considering the previous bout of what we eventually diagnosed as very mild laminitic flare due to toxaemia/stress/concussion, that I felt this episode was now looking decidedly similar. Not exactly the same, but too similar to be ignored. The soreness on turning, pointing the feet, heat in hooves, on occasion boiling hot hoof. Tenderness on the sole originally and the issue with being extremely lame after the shoe being removed and replaced with a pad under. I felt there may have been a low grade lami concern. He reluctantly agreed and agreed he needed to do an insulin resistasnce test to see if this was the case. He had previously tested negative for cushings. The bloods were done yesterday (tuesday) and I had been restricting the horses sugar/starch intake as a precaution. He was on a less grassy paddock with a grazing muzzle introduced. Haylage in a double haynet and feed cut right down. After taking the bloods we trotted him up and walked and turned him. He was completely sound! First time in two weeks with nothing different but the reduction in diet. My vet said he was sure the horse was going to be positive for IR and this would confirm the diagnosis of laminitis although very low grad/subclinical. The bloods came back today and were completely normal! The resting glucose was fine and the highest reading was 20 when challenged with glucose. I understand the reading can be under 85 for normal values. So my vet is saying he cant have laminitis as he isnt cushings or IR. Dr O can you confirm if this is correct. I asked if he couldnt be one of the 10% that dont fall into this catergory and he said its so unlikley as its only 10% that dont have a hormnonal cause. But I wondered if it was just an overload of newly fertilised very rich clover grass after a winter of box rest and no grazing at all maybe caused a disturbance in his hindgut and maybe his gut flora is still not back to its usual state considering all the antibiotics and antiinflammatories he had back in feb and march.

Is it possible to have low grade laminitis without being cushinoid or IR?? It is strange that he responded to laminitis management so quickly.
Member:
lrhughes

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 5, 2013 - 11:08 pm:

"But I wondered if it was just an overload
of newly fertilised very rich clover grass after a winter of box rest
and no grazing at all maybe caused a disturbance."

Hi Jessica- re. the above quote from your latest write up...I can say that many of the horses we've had over the years will founder on spring grass even if they've been in the field on alfalfa all winter (the foot hills). Just and fyi based on having had a few dozen horses on such conditions over the years. Because of our experience, we never leave horses on new grass, much less clover in the spring. We corral them and feed hay, or put them on a well grazed down pasture where feed is just enough. About 2-3 acres for 4-6 horses. Even then a muzzle would probably be useful. We will tie them out, and if I had a hot walker, I'd probably use it. Instead I just ride them...It gets demanding.
Member:
jessblue

Posted on Thursday, Jun 6, 2013 - 4:11 am:

Thanks LRH, this is helpful. My vet seems very caught up on the results of the IR and cushings tests and I dont know that much about it myself. I just keep saying to him but my horse could be one of the 10% that dont have an underlying cause, but he says no its highly unlikely. Considering the stress his digestive system was under just a few months ago, I thought he may still have some issues with gut flora. He had a lot of antibiotics and antiinflamms, he also has gastric ulcers and suspected hindgut ulcers and is on gastrogard maintenance. I thought this could have made him susceptible to a low grade laminits episode. What my vet says would mean all your previous horses with founder would have been IR or cushinoid. I doubt that is the case but as I said I just dont know. I hope maybe DR O can confirm whether a horse has to have an underlying metabolic or hormonal issue to develop laminits.

I dont mind demanding I just wish I could get him right. I dont own the land he grazes on (I am in UK) but my yard have been very helpful, so can keep him in a sparser paddock now too.
Member:
lrhughes

Posted on Thursday, Jun 6, 2013 - 1:11 pm:

Our horses ranged in age from 2-30 over the years. While still growing, they seemed less affected. In old age none were bothered and could be left longer on pasture or entirely on pasture. None were cushionoid (my Dad was a vet and researched that synDrOme), all were quarter horses. Most came from the same lines. The easy keepers of course had more problems. Most of our horses were the larger Thoroughbred type quarter horses (ranch horses in our case) with nice big feet. In later years we've had some of the more modern littler types that are easier keepers. I watch them like a hawk and take them off pasture on principle. For what its worth, all the horses seemed more susceptible to grass related founder from ages of about 4-12...this is just anecdotal and may have nothing to do with anything. We took all of the horses that were still working off grass in the early spring, and a couple of the elders who got fat easily. This is just the experience we had. Neighbors close by who didn't get horses off grass often had early signs of founder that became permanently lame over two or three seasons. Their owners seemed to think "whatever" and just cull their horses that way... Take this info with a grain of salt as its all just observation on my part.
Best Wishes
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Friday, Jun 7, 2013 - 3:43 pm:

Lush spring grasses can be pretty dangerous to some individuals, especially during certain climactic conditions.

When I have had the most difficulties is when nights are cold and days sunny and especially after there has been some rainfall on the clover in the pasture.

I have been told by an equine practitioner, in fact, that clover is most dangerous after a rainfall.

I have not had laminitis in any of my horses on account of it, however, except for my Arab gelding who does have EMS and PPID.

He does not go out on the pasture grass on my VA farm without a grazing muzzle and I keep in in the barn/paddock during the day time hours so that he can have some hay and a break from the muzzle.

On my FL farm he can be on my grass there most of the time without a muzzle because warm weather grass is not as potent as the cold weather grass and there is no clover.

But even there he has had some bouts of laminitis -- usually when there has been winter grass beyond what is the norm and also following a rainfall.

He is fed no grain and I manage him very carefully. I can recognize the warning signs that it is time to pull him off of the grass even in FL from time to time.

Hope that you do not have any more incidents.

Several years ago I had questioned my Vet about the possibility of EMS because of lethargy and a tendency toward laminitis/abscesses, and my Vet checked his blood sugar and it was actually low, but I think that this can perhaps be the case in a horse that is developing or has EMS.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Jun 8, 2013 - 5:40 pm:

There are many causes of laminitis LRH and they all do not involve insulin resistance. Indeed insulin resistance does not cause founder but predisposes to it. You cannot rule out founder because a horse is IR negative.
DrO
Member:
jessblue

Posted on Saturday, Jun 8, 2013 - 6:16 pm:

Thank you all so much for the posts. This is really helpful and gives me lots to think about. I still feel there may be a low grade lami issue here and am managing as such for now and monitoring. My horse is doing well, sound currently, so now I will exercise gently and see if lameness returns whilst he is still on restricted diet. A process of elimination may help to identify the cause in the long run. I am very grateful for all the support Dr O and other posters.
Member:
lrhughes

Posted on Sunday, Jun 9, 2013 - 2:00 pm:

Hi Dr O. My thought was that pretty much any horse can be stricken with laminitis given conditions, e.g. too much high octane green grass/clover...and in feed related forms even IR negative is no guarantee for prevention. Is that correct?
Member:
shirl

Posted on Sunday, Jun 9, 2013 - 7:30 pm:

Hi LRH,
I'm not Dr. O, but yes, Laminitis can be caused by many things, some unfeed related. Being way to heavy, running on very hard surfaces (called road founder)among others. He has some info on his web under lameness if you want to check that.

Shirl
Member:
lrhughes

Posted on Monday, Jun 10, 2013 - 3:52 pm:

Thanks Shirley,
Your comment is my basic point concerning the original questions from Jessica (which focused on feed related issues & IR). Specifically, that IR is definitely not the only or main cause of laminitis/founder. In my personal experience, over feeding on spring grass is the primary cause. Also, in the "old days" the term 'founder' was often used often used to refer to laminitis in any form...and whether it was feed, road founder, water caused founder after heavy work, founder due to lameness in one foot causing too much weight on the other, etc...
Member:
juliem

Posted on Monday, Jun 10, 2013 - 4:39 pm:

I find it strange an equine vet would insist it's only seen in horses with metabolic issues. Add to the causes listed above, laminitis as a result of a retained placenta.
Member:
lrhughes

Posted on Monday, Jun 10, 2013 - 9:39 pm:

I agree and also think the comment by Dr. O that to diagnose, a vet must rule out whether bottom up or top down or both.
Member:
lrhughes

Posted on Monday, Jun 10, 2013 - 9:43 pm:

I agree and also think the comment by Dr. O is correct, namely that to diagnose, a vet must rule out part by part...whether bottom up or top down or both. Sorry I am too quick to send before done rechecking what I write.
Member:
jessblue

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 11, 2013 - 4:56 am:

I find it comforting that some of you agree with my feelings about this whole diagnosis or should I say lack of diagnosis! I dont wish to lay scorn at the door of my vet because I know he is a good vet and comes highly recommended, but unfortunately we dont agree on everything. Yes he basically ruled out it being any kind of laminitis episode due to the results of this blood test for IR and the previous cushings test. I know it doesnt always appear obvious if a horse has cushings or IR but I just knew the results would be nagative, so was not at all surprised by this. Being in the UK I am not sure if it is just over here that there has been a real push to recognise laminitis being a secondary consition to the metabolic/hormonal diseases. It is everywhere, there are free vets seminars about it, free cushings blood tests and I think the vets have got a little carried away thinking this is how it has to be. Initially when my horse had been sick I managed to persuade my farrier and then on his say so, my vet that he could have been suffering from LGL. When we treated him as such he resolved. He had been toxic and had been weightbearing and had been incredibly stressed duw to his peritonitis. He had also been shod in small short shoes at this time (Lord knows why) which was very unfortunate as he was weightbearing on badly fitting shoes at the very worst time possible. Take your pick of the many possible causes for him to become laminitic at that time! Anyway, we still dont know for sure it was lami, but looked very much like it as time went on. (X rays showed no pedal rotation) Then 2 months in heartbar shoes he was sound. He had gone on very rich recently (day before turnout) fertilised grass and lots of it. He seemed fine for 5 weeks and then after some rainfall and cold nights sunny days the grass seemed to go mad. My other horse developed very runny poos and this horse went sore on front left again!

I just include the history here again as I am really interested in everyones input looking at the whole picture. As has been mentioned my vet has ruled out lami based on the bt results. I have read in some articles that 80% of lami is caused by these underlying issues, in other reports 90%. It could be we dont really know how many. I dont see why my horse cant fall into this 20% of cases considering his previous issues. Is it not possible that after all the medications and upset to his digestive system, he also has gastric ulcers, that his hindgut just didnt cope well with the very rich grass?? I have to say, I think both episodes must be related. Having never had signs of lami before the previous episode must have left his more susceptible, otherwise it would be too much of a coincidence surely? Is it the case that once a horse had had lami before they are more susceptible?? Even if not IR or PPID?

Sorry for rambling on, but this is such a frustrating situation as there is no way of diagnosing laminitis for sure. Only by the symptoms and the response to treatment. Yet my vet still says its not lami?? Im sure he could be right, but now the horse is sound I cant even do anything more to find the cause until I make hime lame again!! I feel like I am dicing with death here. I really wish my vet had taken my initial concerns more seriously because I asked for MRI scan on day 1 this time as I knew this was a recurrence of whatever had stricken him in march. Vet insisted it was a bruise/abcess and we wasted 2 weeks when we could have nerve blocked to isolate the area of pain! |Dr O, I know you mentioned localising the pain inititally, but I have not been able to do this so far. As far as we can see the pain is in the feet. We did have a lot of heat in the beginning in the left fore, digital pulse in both fronts. Lameness turning left fore. Then left fore became comfortable on turning and the right for was sore! Heat in right for, but less than left was. Gradually resolved again on restricted diet.

I have no idea why my horse was lame again. My feeling was that all the evidence pointed towards a low grade lami. I didnt think a navicular like condition would present in quiite the same way. Does navicular pain/heel pain cause heat in the hoof? elevated digital pulses? One foot effected then moving to the other? Could navicular pain have been made much worse when the shoe was removed and replaced with a pad?? I understand you cannot speculate on a case you cannot examine, I am merely trying to get an idea of what conditions could present in this way as I am sure experience can lead you to a possible area of issue. The symptoms are very vague and these are all we have to go by. I just really dont know which way to go next as my vet seems to have less idea than I about what is wrong here!

One more thing Dr O, would an MRI scan show laminitis? I asked my vet in the beginning because I was willing to pay for a scan if it would give us a definitive answer on what was wrong. Rather than spending money on nerve blocks and x rays first. He said it wouldnt,is that correct? Would it show when the lami was active or would it show signs of lami having been there recently? It seems strange that it wouldnt show inflammation of the laminae when it can show up such minute detail.

Thanks for listening everyone.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 11, 2013 - 7:01 am:

Jessica,
When you ask "what is possible?" or "could?" almost always the answer is yes as there are exceptions to almost any rule you can make. So these answers are not very helpful in diagnosing a particular lameness. In diagnosing lameness you are not looking for little points of information that may or may not be important but a whole picture (history, clinical signs, ancillary testing) that makes sense. This is also true of MRI testing.
DrO
Member:
lrhughes

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 11, 2013 - 4:49 pm:

I don't think you ramble. Your descriptions are very clear, even if the cause of lameness is not. Good Luck!
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