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 Expert
Posts: 2128
  
| So a rope horse of ours has been visibly off at a trot (front right). We took him to a highly respected performance horse vet in Texas. X Rays were done and found nothing so he was injected and we were told he should show improvement in 4 days or so. Sadly he has not improved. His condition does not worsen, but doesnt improve. I am sure we will be taking him back to the vet. Just wanted to see if anyone here may have experience with a similar situation and could give me some ideas of what you think. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 672
| Was a full lameness eval done? Was he flexed at all? Suspensories checked/ultasounded? |
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 Half-Eaten Cookies
Posts: 2076
Location: Fort Worth / Springtown | (sorry so small - I can't find the font changer)
I had this happen to a 3 1/2 year old I'd just got back from being broke. No injections. Blocked and went sound. He was worse when worked harder.
Had another vet come and took many x-rays w/out finding anything, until he decided on another shot that he said wasn't done as often - odd angle, and he found it - fractured navicular bone. Vet was so matter of fact, packed up his equipment and I asked what can he do, what can I do? He said, he might be fine out in a pasture for a few years. I cried after vet left. Tried a little more with him - rest, shoes, thought about nerving, but didn't.
This horse was so pretty and funny - found a home with a doctor whose family loves him and use different treatments to keep him comfortable- they rescue all kinds of animals. He could be lightly ridden, but they didn't - they just enjoyed his personality around their place - wish every horse could be so lucky. |
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Expert
Posts: 2128
| veintiocho - 2017-06-12 10:32 AM Was a full lameness eval done? Was he flexed at all? Suspensories checked/ultasounded?
He was flexed, not sure about ultrasound. Once the problem area was identified, many xrays were taken and nothing found. |
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Veteran
Posts: 276
| I hope you get answers soon. A few years ago I had a horse that was not sound, I took him to four or five different vets who all just injected something different and told me to rest him for a week. None of that worked and it was getting very frustrating. Finally, a more local vet took x rays of his feet and we found his angles were off causing all the issues. After a long process of corrective shoeing, we got him back. We've used that vet ever since. IMO, it's really hard to find a vet who can find the real problems and not just want to go injecting everything under the sun. |
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 Famous for Not Complaining
Posts: 8848
 
Location: Broxton, Ga | scwebster - 2017-06-11 10:03 AM So a rope horse of ours has been visibly off at a trot (front right). We took him to a highly respected performance horse vet in Texas. X Rays were done and found nothing so he was injected and we were told he should show improvement in 4 days or so. Sadly he has not improved. His condition does not worsen, but doesnt improve. I am sure we will be taking him back to the vet. Just wanted to see if anyone here may have experience with a similar situation and could give me some ideas of what you think.
Long story the short version........my mare started out this very same way.......July 2014....lame x-rayed nothing.......
Injected coffin...........I have tried every injection it seems since then.......and almost every type of shoeing......no real improvement.....I had her sound some with egg bar shoes and pour in pad but then it seemed if we tweaked something she went back lame.........or could not repeat positive results.........
Even went as far as MRI....2015...supposedly she had a tear in her in her medial lope of the deep digital flexor tendon mid P1....okay well honestly that was a waste since it still did not explain how I could sometime shoe her sound....plus the vet I used.......I felt like I never got the answers I paid for........in other words I would not recommend, that is another story....
I just turned her out.........
Early 2016 back to vet to put down or help.......shoed with a heart bar and heel float.......she literally 95% sound in 2 days.....we were successful shoeing her but the same thing would she might be okay after some shoeing and some not...I finally decided to nerve her.......Dec. 2016...and it worked till March..........lame again........I thought at first it was above her fetlock which was showing signs of swelling.......swelling down but still lame we think it may be neuroma (scar tissue) related to the necurectomy.........
The bottom line it seems all my issues are related to chronic heel pain..........
Not sure if this is any help but that is my story of chasing a unexplained lameness.............
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | Check the knees and feet. Mine has a chip in his knee that hasn't completely detached. He was head bobbing lame before I had it injected. But he's sound with yearly injections. He's 18 and no longer a performance horse so I'm not removing it unless it detaches. And who knows how he got it--might have had it for years or could have banged his knee on a panel when I moved him down here. It would explain him not wanting to turn the first barrel.....
good luck! I'd try a different vet next time just so you can have another opinion. |
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 A Barrel Of Monkeys
Posts: 12972
Location: Texas | The vet is going to have to take some TIME and block him until he goes sound. Seems like a lot of vets just inject and say "good to go". |
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Expert
Posts: 2128
| He was blocked to find that the problem is in the lower part of the leg, below the knee. |
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 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| Front feet can be very frustrating. I've had 4 over the years that we tried just about everything to make them sound, and they are standing out in my pasture retired. Injections, xrays, shoeing changes, joint supplements, etc. The hard thing is that what worked for one didn't for another. Sometimes it's just a matter of trying something to see if it works. How do his front foot angles look? One thing that always seemed to give some relief was an angle change. Some we used a wedge shoe, and I've had a couple that were running their toes forward that we put a backwards shoe on for a couple of shoeings and that helped a lot. Also, where did they inject? If they tried the coffin joint first, they might want to try the navicular bursa next. MRI is going to be the best for diagnosis, but it is cost-prohibitive.
Hopefully you can figure out the cause and find something that will provide your horse with relief. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 239
| scwebster - 2017-06-12 10:24 AM He was blocked to find that the problem is in the lower part of the leg, below the knee.
What areas were x-rayed and what joints were injected? |
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Regular
Posts: 53
| I would get him to a good lameness vet. I would recommend Dr Honnas. I use Dr Laughtrey in Athens. He is good. He used to work for Dr McCarroll. And he will refer you to Dr Honnas if he can't find the issue. You might try injecting the Navicular bursa and Osphos. |
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Expert
Posts: 2128
| Probarrels - 2017-06-12 11:52 AM I would get him to a good lameness vet. I would recommend Dr Honnas. I use Dr Laughtrey in Athens. He is good. He used to work for Dr McCarroll. And he will refer you to Dr Honnas if he can't find the issue. You might try injecting the Navicular bursa and Osphos.
Dr. McCarroll is the vet we used. |
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