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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1118
 
| My current barrel horse is suffering from intermittent lameness in her front right foot.
Originally pulled her out of pasture a couple of weeks ago and she was showing slight lameness. (minor limp) The farrier was out the same day, and tested her hooves to see if she was sore anywhere. Did not show pain with hoof testers. No visible marks, swelling, or anything. Farrier thought that maybe she had some thrush in her frog (she stands in the pond alot). Kept her in a stall and treated her feet daily and kept them dry.
1 week later she was sound. I rode her the next day, and she came up lame again after our ride.
Put her back in the stall for another week. Was feeling really good by the end of the week. Bucking in her stall and wanting out.
Turned her out for the night, and rode her the next day. She rode fine this whole week.
Raced on Saturday, turned back out Saturday night. She was fine until yesterday. Pulled her out the pasture last night and she was completely lame on her front right foot again.
Left her in a stall last night, and will go check on her tonight. Have a call into the vet to see when he can come out and check her, but hoping i could get some opinions on what might be going on.
Sorry for the long read, but I feel like I am about to pull all of my hair out over this.
Thanks in advance. |
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 Expert
Posts: 5293
 
| Not sure what your vet charges, my vet uses digital radiographs. I would just get some rads of the front feet to see exactly what your dealing with. Then come up with a plan. I had one of those same types of horses. As it turns out he had some coffin joint arthritis just at the top of the joint so when he wasnt running etc he was sound but when getting used it was irritated and caused lameness. It cost me 75.00 in Radiographs and with some shoeing changes ( Rocker toe in his case to break over quicker and not put pressure on that spot) and CUROST to KEEP inflammation out and Pentosan, all is well! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1118
| I hope that will be the case with her. She is 17, and has run hard. Vet is coming out at 8am tomorrow, so we should have answers soon. |
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Miss Southern Sunshine
Posts: 7427
Location: South Central Florida | Two experiences we have gone through.
1. spent 6 months dealing with this finally an abscess broke through the cornett band. It was a deep floating abscess and when used it was irritated, would kind of flair up and hurt. It moved really slow. (This is what the vet told us) Once it broke, never had another problem.
2. Scary, but very treatable now a days, EPM. Caused random issues that appeared to be joints but was actually nerves being effected by the EPM.
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | SwiftSmokinLady - 2015-12-03 9:06 AM I feel like I am about to pull all of my hair out over this.
As you've already got scheduled, I'd say a vet visit is in order. See what the flexion test shows, and I myself would absolutely at least do x-rays to look for any arthritis (likely on an aged horse). Ultrasound could also show if there is any problems with the tendons or ligaments. Sometimes those can be intermittent too. |
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 Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11511
Location: 31 lengths farms | Kind of have dealt with the same issues all of last year on my now 14 year old gelding. Came up sore in the right front in July of 2014, did not react to hoof testers at all. Gave him time off with his Old Mac boots on and bio scanned him a few times a week, back riding with no issues in about 3 weeks and didn't show any more soreness issues until May of 2015, came up sore again right front. Took him to UC Davis with me when I took my mare for some other issues, hoof tested, slightly off (it had been 2 weeks since he came up sore the 2nd time) in small circles especially to the left. Blocked his right front, moved sound on it but then showed some slight soreness in the left front now that the right front didn't hurt, blocked that and was sound both directions. X-rays showed some slight navicular and coffin bone changes but vets felt that wedges and or injections at that point were not called for. Recommended softer style performance pads to help with impact. Did the recommended shoeing changes and was dong well and then in late September he came up sore on right front again and I had enough. Sent his x-rays to the vet I normally use for my any lameness issues. At first he felt that the changes in the navicular and coffin bones were significant ...and felt so still when he we did the lameness exam on hard crappy ground but then we took him up to the arena on groomed ground and after seeing him move there he felt pretty assured that it was a matter of balancing the feet better. We did give him a shot of Osphos, he and the farrier looked over the x-rays together several times while the farrier trimmed Tucker to prep the foot to shoe and Dr. Wally saw what at first he thought was thrush and went to clean that up a little and it kept getting bigger. They went in and looked at x-rays again and what had appeared to be a spot on the coffin bone that Doc was concerned about ended up being a very very large OLD abscess in the outside bar of Tucker's right foot. He drilled it out, packed the "hole" with gauze and medicine and reshod him. Worked on balancing both front feet especially. Took him up 3 weeks later to pull the right front to check how the sole was filling in, watched him move first and almost decided to not pull it he looked so good even on the hard crappy ground. We did end up pulling the shoe and repacking the abscess hole again just due to curiosity. Passed lameness exam on both types of ground at the last shoeing too so now Doc is really feeling that the abscess was about 75% of the issue and that we wont have to do much as far as wedges or anything that way other than really staying on top of a balanced foot especially on his right front that really tends to want to grow a lot of toe and have an underslung heel.
Also started him on Cur-Ost about a week before the initial appointment in October which I really feel is helping him fill that sole in and grow good hoof back. His hair coat even with the winter coat coming in has taken on a new shine. |
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 Porta Potty Pants
Posts: 2600
| Have your vet check for bursitis in the shoulder. I know you said it's in the foot, but my gelding was doing that - after everything - shoulder.
Edited by azsun 2015-12-03 1:44 PM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1118
| Thank you for all of the info.
To add, I was thinking wet conditions might be a factor, as the times she came up lame from the pasture it was really wet and rainy. On her good weeks it was dry. Not sure if that is really significant, but xrays and such tomorrow will hopefully tell the story. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1118
| Update:
My mare traveled sound after blocking her heels. Vet recommended some corrective shoeing as her toes are growing faster than her heels, and her heels are crushing slightly. Also put her on stall rest of 6 to 8 weeks to rest. He feels there might be a small tear also in the deep digital flexor tendon, but could not confirm without MRI.
Said treatment was the same anyways. Stall rest and shoeing to take pressure off. |
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