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  Discussion on Bad Bruising and Lameness
Author Message
Member:
Julieh

Posted on Tuesday, Mar 21, 2006 - 9:03 am:

I have a mare who developed lameness in late February. The farrier came and discovered a rock embedded and she became immediately better. A couple of days after that, she became lame again in the same leg. I called the vet out and he said she was very bruised but could not see an abscess. I soaked her foot in epson salt twice daily for 10 days and gave her bute. She never got any better. I called him back and he came out again this past weekend. He put a nerve block in her foot and she walked fine, no lameness which told us it was the bruising. He took x-rays and called me back and said she does have navicular disease but that should not be causing the lameness. My vet is going to meet our farrier out there to put a nerve block in her foot so the farrier can put shoes and pads on her. She has never had shoes and I hate to start that, but I want her better. Poor girl can hardly walk. She has been up for three weeks with the exception of soaking her foot. I put her out in the soft sand in the riding ring but she got worse. My question is - has anyone had this happen before for this long of a period of time and will the shoes and pads make an immediate difference?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 - 8:22 am:

The history you give and when you describe that she can barely walk, it suggests to me a possible abscess. Sometimes very bad bruises are accompanied by a small pool of blood that causes either a sterile abscess as the body tries to remove the blood or cultures bacteria becoming an infected abscess. If there is an area of acute sensitivity to the hoof testers I would attempt to open it up. Bruises will improve with protection but abscesses hurt no matter what, for more see Equine Diseases » Lameness » Diseases of the Hoof » Hoof Abscesses, Bruises, and Gravels.
DrO
Member:
Julieh

Posted on Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 - 8:35 am:

That's what I would have thought too, but when the vet came back out last Friday, I asked him if there was an abscess. He said he could not find one. Could there be one that cannot be seen?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Mar 23, 2006 - 7:30 am:

Yes sometimes there is nothing to "see" and in that case it is localized with the hoof testers. If the history and physical exam strongly suggest abscess and I find a location of acute sensitivity I pair it out.
DrO
Member:
Julieh

Posted on Monday, Mar 27, 2006 - 9:23 am:

Okay, I need more advice again. I had the vet and the farrier out at the same time so the vet could put a nerve block in her foot so the round shoes and pads could be put on. It took more than the nerve block, he finally had to sedate her to be able to lift her right leg. Her left foot is the problem foot, so that put all the pressure on her left one when the right was lifted. They said the shoes would help immediately, but after the nerve block wore off a couple of hours later, still no better. She was just as lame as before the shoes. This weekend, she lost her right shoe and pad. I will have to call the vet and the farrier back out to go through this again. Not only is this very expensive, it seems like it isn't helping at all. Is there anything else I can do to find out what the problem is. My vet is still saying it is bruising, but almost a month???? The odd thing is, she runs through the pasture, looks like she is in no paid, but when she walks, she limps horribly. Is this normal with bruising?
Member:
Scooter

Posted on Monday, Mar 27, 2006 - 10:25 am:

Hi Julie I had a similar problem with my gelding, posted under problems following shoeing trimming- shoeing bruised feet. I wonder if the shoe and pad were applied properly, if not I could see how maybe pressure from them could make it worse. Have you tried wrapping the feet in something soft or a hoof boot? That helped my gelding some. I used soft foam, vet rap, then alot of duct tape. We them put a wide rim shoe with rim pad and he improved alot. It lifted the bruised foot off the ground and helped give them time to heal. Good luck it's very frustrating.
Member:
Canter

Posted on Monday, Mar 27, 2006 - 12:43 pm:

Julie,
A horse that was brought to the barn where I board in January (for use of the indoor), came up lame and the vet diagnosed severe bruising. He improved (and continues to improve) but so slowly that the owners decided to bring him home, rather than pay for board. That was well over a month, so it appears that it's not unusual for severe bruising to take quite a while to heal.
New Member:
Dawson

Posted on Monday, Mar 27, 2006 - 12:50 pm:

Hi Julie; If she is having these problems I would not want to see her running in the pasture. Yes, shoes with full pads normally should help ease some of the discomfort, usually seen the day after they are put on.How old is this mare? Is she overweight? Dr. O's suggestion is a good one, relieving the pressure if there is an abscess is best.

Have you been stalling your mare or limiting paddock time? If she is "limping terribly" at the walk I would definitely decrease her exercise, especially running in the pasture. Possibly stall her for a few days and ask your vet if he thinks a mild dose of Banamine (only if you stall her) would be a good idea.(for pain/swelling)

Have you tried icing her foot or a poultice?
Member:
Julieh

Posted on Monday, Mar 27, 2006 - 1:43 pm:

We stalled her for a month with no relief, poor thing. We soaked her foot in salt twice daily and nothing is helping. The vet told us we could put her out that she would not do anything she was not able to do. She is 7 and was extremely overweight when we got her. We actually got her from a man who had so many horses, we got on a golf cart and rode his 700 acres to find horses we liked. She was in the pasture, had been for who knows how long. He didn't know how long he had had her, or where she came from. He said he trades so much that he can't keep up with it. We even had the vet out when we brought her home to check to see if she was in foal. He said she was just extremely overweight. She has lost a lot of weight and looks much better but still has a way to go. Yes, she is limping terribly I would say but watching her in the pasture grazing and away from us, she walks fine. We had someone at the barn this weekend say she was faking by watching her in the pasture. I don't know why she limps sometimes and sometimes she seems fine. We have tried keeping her up for several days to see if it improves, but it is no worse when we put her in the pasture. This is very frustrating. When the vet did x-rays, he said her navicular bone or tendon or whatever it is, looked like swiss cheese. Not sure what that means, but it can't be good. Could navicular be causing all this lameness all at once? The vet says it is bruising, not navicular causing the lameness. I think I am rambling.
Member:
Chance1

Posted on Monday, Mar 27, 2006 - 1:49 pm:

Hi Julie,

Lameness can be caused by many things, but faking is not one of them. That's a human characteristic, not an equine one.

I hope you, your vet and farrier are able to get to the bottom of this soon so your mare will be comfortable.

Keep us posted.

Ruth
Member:
Mrose

Posted on Monday, Mar 27, 2006 - 2:14 pm:

If she was really over weight and has navicular problems, are you sure she isn't foundering? And, should she be out in pasture eating all the time?

And Ruth, I've never seen a horse fake an injury, but I did have a Collie that pretended his "sore" foot still hurt so he would get extra attention. We caught on when he got mixed up and would limp on the wrong foot!
Member:
Julieh

Posted on Monday, Mar 27, 2006 - 2:46 pm:

She wasn't lame when we got her and didn't develop these problems until after she lost the weight. What started the lameness was a rock embedded. The farrier found it and she got better for a couple of days, then it returned with a vengance! The vet kept looking for an abscess, but cannot find one, just bruising. She is only in the pasture about 6 or 7 hours a day right now. My vet has not mentioned foundering at all. He seems convinced it is bruising. I just can't believe it can last this long!

I have a dog who hurt his foot. I babied him so badly when he was hurt that he used it for months. He would run down the driveway until he saw me and would then start limping and walk up to me and lift his foot. You could ask him months and months after the injury if his foot hurt and he would lift it up. I have never seen a horse fake an injury but my dog sure can!!
Member:
Chance1

Posted on Monday, Mar 27, 2006 - 3:22 pm:

You can TEACH an animal, horse, dog, cat, etc, to limp on command. You can even do this without realizing it, by rewarding the behavior, but I don't believe they will come up with the idea on their own.

My horse, Chance, went very lame after a shoeing once and it turned out that the shoe was placed in such a way that it was placing pressure on the sole (he has thin soles). We pulled the shoes and used the hoof tester with no result and tried several other diagnostic tools. Once we pulled the shoes, again, and trimmed the sole for clearer x-rays and then replaced the shoes in exactly the same nail holes, he came back sound! It's times like this that I really wish they could talk to us in our language, rather than theirs!

Wishing your mare a speeding diagnosis and recovery.

Cheers, Ruth
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Mar 27, 2006 - 6:43 pm:

Ruth is right, horses do not fake lameness. Julie because we cannot exam your horse, I recommend you consult with your veterinarian about a second opinion. I am interested did the nerve block relieve the lameness at all?
DrO
Member:
Mrose

Posted on Monday, Mar 27, 2006 - 6:48 pm:

Julie-I missed the part before about the stone bruise. Sometimes things do take a really long time to heal. When any of my horses have had a stone bruise, though, I've been able to see a bruised spot on the sole when the farrier pares the hoof. Did the vet or farrier use hoof testers on her? I imagine so. If a bruise, I would think some padding until it healed would help. Poor thing! And....poor you. Nothing is more frustrating than not knowing what you are dealing with!
Member:
Julieh

Posted on Monday, Mar 27, 2006 - 8:54 pm:

I am not saying at all that she was faking, I know she is in pain. I was asking why she can run in the pasture, seemingly without pain and then limp to the gate. Maybe there is no pain when running. Dr. O, the pain was relieved completely with the nerve block. I guess I am impatient and cannot understand why the shoes and pads did not relieve it. The farrier is coming back tomorrow to put more shoes and pads on the other foot. I spoke to the farrier today and he suggested cutting some kind of tendon or nerve so she would feel no pain. That sounds more drastic than I want to even think about. Dr. O, I am in your neck of the woods, but too far for you to come out. I don't know if I am allowed to use names, but Tom Dixon is my vet and I have always trusted his judgement. Should I get another opinion?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 - 7:48 am:

I like Dr Dixon and you should discuss this with Tom. The purpose is to address your concerns that something else may be going on. The history is suggestive of a bruise. The block has it localized to the foot and the radiographs did not reveal a more serious cause of lameness. This may be just a bruise but it sounds like you need reassurance.
DrO
New Member:
firefly

Posted on Saturday, Feb 17, 2007 - 9:05 pm:

Julie,
Whatever happened to your mare?
Michele
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