Posted 2019-02-17 8:49 AM Subject: Mysterious Lameness
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 399
I have a gelding who gets very peg legged lame and very short strided on hard ground. Sound as can be on deep soft ground but hard ground, walking on blacktop etc lame as can be. Short strided shuffling type movements on the front. Hoof testers revealed nothing, pour in pads did nothing nor did a full bar shoe. Farrier is at a loss vet is someehat at a loss. We are ready to move towards xrays, but I am not sure the problem is in his feet. He gets regular chiropractic treatments as that was the only place we found any soreness when doing lameness exam was his back. He is a high withered and has a sway back. The lamness is no worse or no better regardless if i am riding him or not.
Does anybody have experience with this? Wondering if xrays should start on his feet or his spine.
Posted 2019-02-17 9:44 AM Subject: RE: Mysterious Lameness
Defense Attorney for The Horse
Location: Claremore, OK
Sounds like a sore footed horse. X-rays are definitely needed. Might be thin soled, might have pedialostitis or laminitis (which usually don’t show a lot on hoof testers). Sounds a lot like severe heel soreness (which would test sore across Frog and or heel ).
Most of the time The high withers (Especially with a hump in them) indicate chronic soreness in the front end.
I would xray feet first, check mediolateral balance structures in the foot. I think the back and withers are a symptom, not the cause. Keep in mind you might have a soft tissue problem, like collateral ligament tear that won’t show on xrays.
does he have muscle loss as well? There are a number of things that could be causing the lameness but one that is always ignored/left out is PSSM variants. PSSM2 variants can cause muscle loss too - and definitely weird lamenesses, which include it seeming to move from one leg/area to another, being in the stifles, mimicking EPM etc.
Sounds like a sore footed horse. X-rays are definitely needed. Might be thin soled, might have pedialostitis or laminitis (which usually don’t show a lot on hoof testers). Sounds a lot like severe heel soreness (which would test sore across Frog and or heel ).
Most of the time The high withers (Especially with a hump in them) indicate chronic soreness in the front end.
I would xray feet first, check mediolateral balance structures in the foot. I think the back and withers are a symptom, not the cause. Keep in mind you might have a soft tissue problem, like collateral ligament tear that won’t show on xrays.
I agree, but it could also be navicular. During the lameness exam, was the horse trotted in circles, and if so, was it more lame on the inside foot? Before xrays, your vet could block one foot and see if the other foot becomes more lame- that would definitely indicate an issue in the foot itself and would be a great starting point for radiographs.
I would def get some x-rays. It sounds like possible early navicular. Your vet can make recommendations once you get a diagnosis. They are having some good results with Os Phos injections.
Mysterious Lameness
