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  A Lady with Fight
Posts: 2701
  
Location: NC | I took my herd to the chiro yesterday and took an equine production class from my college with me. I had a blast the last time I saw this Dr work on my horses and I wanted to share the knowledge he shared with me. Anyways, while he was checking over my horse (who has NEVER been adjusted before in his 12 years of life) and he found a sore spot. He does an acupuncture exam first that tells him where the horse is sore, then does the chiro exam. He was sore in the spot that was for his heels. So he went to get the hoof testers and my horse all but snatched his foot away when he applied any amount of pressure. He wasn't sore on the other heel though.
This horse hasn't had any other issues in his life. He has had a pretty easy life up until last year when I started hauling him decently heavy (almost every weekend). He's been barefoot his entire life, with awesome solid feet, until I decided to shoe his fronts for this season, since he is VERY sensitive on rocks/hard ground. I haven't seen any soreness issues with him, besides still being pretty sensitive on rocky ground even with shoes.
He recommended to push his break over point back and to add a 2 or 3 degree wedge. I'm just heartbroken in a way, that I had no idea he was in some sort of pain. Do sore heels ALWAYS mean navicular? Can you stop it in its tracks if you catch it early enough?
Edited by hlynn 2014-03-21 5:24 PM
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 304
Location: Up and over to the right | X-ray if you're worried about navicular. My farrier stopped the navicular in my last horse from getting worse with degree pads and bar shoes but he never was sound for long. |
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 Jr. Detective
  
Location: Beggs, OK | Every case of heel soreness I've ever had went away with a farrier change. We had one in wedge shoes and getting coffin joints injected every 4-6 months. I changed farriers and he no longer needs any sort of special maintenance. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Contracted heels can also cause sore heels, I would suggest taking the horse to the vet, flex, block, then X-ray. |
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A Lady with Fight
Posts: 2701
Location: NC | rachellyn80 - 2014-03-21 5:48 PM
Every case of heel soreness I've ever had went away with a farrier change. We had one in wedge shoes and getting coffin joints injected every 4-6 months. I changed farriers and he no longer needs any sort of special maintenance.
I trust the farrier. He's turned around several of my horses. I have no doubt he knows what he's doing. We had a farrier before that was junk. This one we have now is awesome.
We had a horse do the same thing last time. Turns out he was just sore for some other reason. When the farrier came to do his feet a few weeks later, we brought out the hoof testers and he didn't flinch at all on either foot. Same horse was with me yesterday and he showed no signs of soreness without any corrective shoeing in the year since he was last examined.
I'm thinking he just stepped on something wrong, since it was only the one foot and not the other. And he's not lame in any way. I rode him Wednesday without any issues. He did everything I asked. So he's either super stoic or he just stepped on a rock and he has a bruise.
Like I said, he has SUPER SUPER sensitive feet. He tip toes over rocks with or without shoes.
Is it normal for them to be sore on one foot but not the other if it really is navicular?
Edited by hlynn 2014-03-21 5:00 PM
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 Expert
Posts: 1617
Location: Oklahoma | I wouldn't get even the least bit worried until I had a DVM DIAGNOSIS from a good equine vet. Just because a horse is a little sore in his front feet doesn't make him navicular. Anymore, that term is so overused, 90% of horses sore in their front feet aren't a true navicular horse. |
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A Lady with Fight
Posts: 2701
Location: NC | dinero7783 - 2014-03-21 6:13 PM
I wouldn't get even the least bit worried until I had a DVM DIAGNOSIS from a good equine vet. Just because a horse is a little sore in his front feet doesn't make him navicular. Anymore, that term is so overused, 90% of horses sore in their front feet aren't a true navicular horse.
He is an equine vet. He just happens to also be a chiro and acupuncturist.
But I think you're right about it being over diagnosed. I know you can't be too careful, but I just have this gut feeling that he's fine, just bruised or a pansy on his feet.
I'm getting up with a more local vet to see how much she's charging for x-rays. How much is the going rate? Never had to have them done before. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| hlynn - 2014-03-21 5:16 PM
dinero7783 - 2014-03-21 6:13 PM
I wouldn't get even the least bit worried until I had a DVM DIAGNOSIS from a good equine vet. Just because a horse is a little sore in his front feet doesn't make him navicular. Anymore, that term is so overused, 90% of horses sore in their front feet aren't a true navicular horse.
He is an equine vet. He just happens to also be a chiro and acupuncturist.
But I think you're right about it being over diagnosed. I know you can't be too careful, but I just have this gut feeling that he's fine, just bruised or a pansy on his feet.
I'm getting up with a more local vet to see how much she's charging for x-rays. How much is the going rate? Never had to have them done before.
If he was an equine vet why did he not block then X-ray? |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | cheryl makofka - 2014-03-21 7:20 PM
hlynn - 2014-03-21 5:16 PM
dinero7783 - 2014-03-21 6:13 PM
I wouldn't get even the least bit worried until I had a DVM DIAGNOSIS from a good equine vet. Just because a horse is a little sore in his front feet doesn't make him navicular. Anymore, that term is so overused, 90% of horses sore in their front feet aren't a true navicular horse.
He is an equine vet. He just happens to also be a chiro and acupuncturist.
But I think you're right about it being over diagnosed. I know you can't be too careful, but I just have this gut feeling that he's fine, just bruised or a pansy on his feet.
I'm getting up with a more local vet to see how much she's charging for x-rays. How much is the going rate? Never had to have them done before.
If he was an equine vet why did he not block then X-ray?
My thoughts too  |
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 Hawty & Nawty
Posts: 20424
| You won't know until you take xrays. I'm surprised this wasn't done while you were there. |
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| I had some soundness issues with my 10yo gelding. Carried him to a vet we thermoscam my horse. When the vet walked up to my horse and first thing he told me was, my farrier did a great job on my horse. The we thermoscan him, first thing that came up hot was his front heels, mind you he was on a 56 degree angle. And his left hock. We did xrays of front feet and found inside angle was lower than outside. And the vet made a boo boo as he only xrayed one hock, if he is fusing one hock the likleyhood of the other being sore, after show season he was so sore i said he has off until i see some of soreness leave. I had sinus surgery after christmas and once imstarted feeling better, it has been nasty here, i had a funeral of a horse related person to go too and i talking to a vet that i have know for years we where talking about my situation and she came by the office and i showed her those xrays she said what i said and we are going to do xrays on ther other side. But i think i am going to buy a cheap horse and let my gelding out to fuse.
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A Lady with Fight
Posts: 2701
Location: NC | The thing is, my horse isn't lame. He reacted to the hoof testers, but doesn't take a lame step. He walks, trots, lopes perfectly normal. This is why I'm confused.
And he didn't say "you horse has navicular". He just told me to try him with some wedges and to change the break over point and see if it helped. He didn't tell me he had any issues, just that I might want to make some slight changes to take some stress off of the tendons by changing how he was shod.
Like I said, I'm trying to get some x-rays done at some point. Once I find a vet that can do them.
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 More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | Xray if your concerned. |
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A Lady with Fight
Posts: 2701
Location: NC | CYA Ranch - 2014-03-21 9:23 PM
Xray if your concerned.
That's the plan...... |
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 Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
Location: ND | I would x-ray & see if there is navicular issues or not. I absolutely would NOT put wedges on a horse simply because he tested sore to a hoof tester! |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| hlynn - 2014-03-21 8:19 PM
The thing is, my horse isn't lame. He reacted to the hoof testers, but doesn't take a lame step. He walks, trots, lopes perfectly normal. This is why I'm confused.
And he didn't say "you horse has navicular". He just told me to try him with some wedges and to change the break over point and see if it helped. He didn't tell me he had any issues, just that I might want to make some slight changes to take some stress off of the tendons by changing how he was shod.
Like I said, I'm trying to get some x-rays done at some point. Once I find a vet that can do them.
I will never put wedges on a horse, there are many better alternatives to treating a navicular horse before going to wedges.
I also wouldn't ever treat a horse without the medical proof the horse needs to be treated, ie block, X-ray, ultrasound |
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 Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | SaraJean - 2014-03-21 9:30 PM I would x-ray & see if there is navicular issues or not. I absolutely would NOT put wedges on a horse simply because he tested sore to a hoof tester!
ditto.. and for one thing one hoof isnt sore..
wedges can change things..
such drastic measures for one sore heel.. no.. id get another opinion.. |
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A Lady with Fight
Posts: 2701
Location: NC | Bibliafarm - 2014-03-21 10:36 PM
SaraJean - 2014-03-21 9:30 PM I would x-ray & see if there is navicular issues or not. I absolutely would NOT put wedges on a horse simply because he tested sore to a hoof tester!
ditto.. and for one thing one hoof isnt sore..
wedges can change things..
such drastic measures for one sore heel.. no.. id get another opinion..
Hence why I asked about it on here. Something just doesn't sit right.
Trying to get x-rays soon, but I just dropped a significant amount on teeth, coggins, adjustments and fuel this week so they may have to wait until pay day. lol
But no, I'm not going out tomorrow and slapping wedges on him. |
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 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| The only reason I'd put wedges on one is after x-rays to see if the angles need changed. We've put a couple in wedges as we worked toward correcting their angles. I would be more concerned about the tender soles and wonder if the pain was related to that. |
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A Lady with Fight
Posts: 2701
Location: NC | Jenbabe - 2014-03-21 10:43 PM
The only reason I'd put wedges on one is after x-rays to see if the angles need changed. We've put a couple in wedges as we worked toward correcting their angles. I would be more concerned about the tender soles and wonder if the pain was related to that.
He's not due for a few more weeks and I'm not going to slap wedges on out of nowhere without some hard evidence. That's not how I am. With the other horse, we let him go until his next shoeing and by that time he wasn't even sore anymore.
He came up three legged lame last year from a bruise. I thought for sure he had an abscess, but nothing ever blew out. I just soaked it, packed it with poultice, then he was better overnight. Never took another bad step. Only thing I could think of was a bruise. I guess he's just a thin soled sensitive horse. He's fine in the pasture (we live in a very sandy area) and he's fine running. Just tip toes over rocks is all.
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