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 Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11493
   
Location: 31 lengths farms | I know I will get flamed, let me assure you he will be going to the vet with my mare CC when she goes in or her check up in the next few weeks. I have to wait to take him to UC Davis as I cannot afford at this time the lameness vet I normally take them too.
The first indication was a weird step he took headed out to ride him going down a small decline. I felt it, stopped, checked his foot and leg, nothing. Got on him and walked about 50 yards, trotted, still felt fine. Just went on a very short trail ride down our creek, maybe a mile, again, nothing seemed off. Got back, unsaddled him and as I led him down to his pasture again he took weird step going down the decline, kind of rushed, I then took him out on the end of the lead line and went to trot him in a small circle, lame 7-8 on a scale of 10 to the left, to the right maybe a 2, straight line no sign of it. I had ridden the night before also, he felt fine, tracked true, no off feeling steps. Having said that he is 14, cut and ran barrels on him since he was 5, had an issue a few years back with the farrier basically paring him out and trimming him too short, almost lost him. He now is in pads with equifiller under it, has been for @ 3 years and haven't had any issues.
This morning he came trotting over across the pasture in a straight line, he looked fine, stopped and then went to turn left and I see the ouch step which is the direction he was really off last night in the tight circle. No heat, no swelling anywhere in the leg. He was shod 5 weeks ago, no sign of thrush. We keep a hawk eye on that due to the pads. Stretched him, felt like he had full range also. Right front. I will be breaking out the bioscan on him also in the meantime along with his magnets we use for maintenance. |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| Abscess? |
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Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11493
Location: 31 lengths farms | Could I be that freaking lucky??? |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | I second abcess. |
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Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11493
Location: 31 lengths farms | I wonder if putting his boots on would help any until either the shoeing appt. or we get to the vet to have him checked over. I haul in Old Mac's and have them also for lost shoes.... Since he has pads on is there anything I could do for relief? I've heard it isn't good to give them Bute since it can slow down the healing process if it is an abscess. |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | Maybe soak in a warm Epsom bath? I'd think that'd get under the pad pretty well. |
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Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11493
Location: 31 lengths farms | Willing to give it a try. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 591
Location: here | Hot nail? |
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Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11493
Location: 31 lengths farms | Never had one, do they show up this long into a shoeing? |
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Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| I'd be for getting hoof testers out and really going over that right front. Then of course, X-ray is your tell all on a sore foot. Keep us updated. |
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Regular
Posts: 50
| Just because I'm paranoid now, this just happened to my boyfriend's head horse. Never took a lame step since he bought him about a year ago, and we were at a team roping and he was slightly limping in the front, he got off gave him some bute to finish the roping since it was so minor and we couldn't find any immediate injury or problem. The next morning he seemed fine, so he stayed off him for a couple weeks to see if abscess was working it's way out or he was sore for some reason. After two weeks he was still slightly limping so he took him to the vet, she examined him briefly one day and didn't think it was anything serious because he reacted negative to hoof testers and looked overall pretty good. She had him stay overnight to do a full soundness exam and did one nerve block and he was much better so she xrayed him, and found that he was the worst navicular she had ever seen. Both his navicular bones were broken, and he was at the point that corrective shoeing would not make him sound enough for use. Unfortunately the only option was to nerve his front feet and hope that it was successful, also with special shoeing every 6 weeks. He never got the horse vet checked when he bought him because he bought him from a close friend, so there was no way to know the horse was navicular as he never showed signs of any lameness. Poor guy is just extremely tough. So now he's 6 weeks out from having his surgery, and unfortunately it was not successful and he is still lame. Although they cut the nerves, the surgeon told him there was a slight chance that they could grow back immediately, they do anyways after about 5 years, but its unpredictable with every horse. His regenerated, and is unusable. Very sad, but it's always good to be over cautious I guess even if it seems minor, and in most cases it is! Good Luck! |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9991
Location: Kansas | I just had a yearling with several abscesses blow, took her to the vet...couldn't find any signs of an abscess and so she was just sore on the front toe.....next thing I know a few days later she had 3 abscess blow lol!!! I'm betting an abscess |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| Taking one into OSU today for the same thing... I have put the hoof testers on him and can't find it but there is no swelling in the leg, no heat, and no signs of anything up higher. I've been using alcohol and iodine(which is really hard to find now days) thinking that it might be thrush from being so wet these last few days but it's not changing anything. Had shoes put on him and three days later comes up lame. Some one mentioned that he quicked him but I would imagine it would have showed up immediately or at least by the next day, not three days later. |
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Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11493
Location: 31 lengths farms | This horse is my sanity. Every dream that has come true for me on horseback has come true on the back of this horse. Learned to cut, showed reined cow horse, ranch horse Versatilty, ran Pendleton and nicely I may add lol! No matter what he will be going in for X-rays and tests. He isn't a super star but he'd be impossible to try to replace. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 669
Location: Central Texas | I know all abscesses are different but the two I have experienced where immediate lameness. Horses would not put weight on the affected foot and if they did it was a hobble, not a slight lameness at all and I have never experience abscesses in both feet at the same time. I would definitely keep his movements minimized as much as possible until you can get xrays/ultrasound to make sure no bones are broken in the hoof or tendon issues. Hope it turns out to be nothing serious. Keep us posted, I hate that these experiences happen but I appreciate it when people share just in case something like that happens to me. The more knowledge the better. |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| If it's a deep abscess it usually looks like random lameness until it's about to pop.
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Expert
Posts: 1207
| A question I have on abscesses. Can an abscess cause the leg above the ankle to swell? |
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 Veteran
Posts: 239
| Hate to be paranoid but when I hear no heat/swelling and lameness noticeable on a decline....I worry about the navicular bone/bursa and the ligaments that run around that bone. Especially if no signs prior to that. Like I said I may be just being paranoid (I'm a vet) but I think you are on the right track to go for rads. I'd add ultrasound if rads show nothing that may reveal any ligament damage (I've seen lots of ligament issues with no swelling).
That said, sometimes a deep abscess may show up intermittently lame, not 3 legged until it gets closer to the surface.
Can you feel a digital pulse on that foot? |
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Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11493
Location: 31 lengths farms | That is my worry also, navicular. ... |
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Veteran
Posts: 239
| run n rate - 2015-05-29 10:14 AM That is my worry also, navicular. ...
:(
I just say that because lameness going down a hill is a common sign -- doesn't mean that's going to be what the diagnosis is.
That said, it is quite manageable.
Good luck and let us know what you find out!! |
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