Re: Help with Lameness Issue
This message is from: "Jean Gayle" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Your mention of unknown lameness will bring out a lot of stories I am sure. I have just finished a siege of lameness, laminitis, founder, arthritis, terrible criminal type trim (it has taken three months for the hooves to get back to normal size) "I do not know", possible cushings, etc. It finally boiled down, after the poor boy was starved re possible feed founder and lost well over two hundred pounds..not a fjord, to a soft spot in the right front sole that is only about a fifth of an inch thick. After three months of bute twice a day, we put pads on yesterday and altho he is now 18 hands in front he is no longer in pain and no more bute. Two Veterinarians, good ones too, and a good farrier plus an emerging pattern of lameness following activity finally paid off. Is he ever enjoying food again? Yess!!! I think you must look for a pattern just like our own symptoms. It finally falls into place but as with here, it takes time. Jean Walters Gayle [Authoress of "The Colonel's Daughter" Occupied Germany 1946 To 1949 ] http://users.techline.com/jgayle Send $20 PO Box 104 Montesano, Wa 98563
Re: Help with Lameness Issue
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > So, we had a lameness expert check him out and give him a flex-test. > The diagnosis was arthritus in his left-rear hock. I have seen this many times before. The arthritus could be a source of Patrick's lameness. You should have your vet deal with this problem. If the bute had no affect, then there are other methods to reduce the arthritus. There are injected and oral drugs for arthritus in horses. I think that the injections work better, but your vet knows better which one will work in your situation. Now, what caused the arthritus to form in a horse as young as Patrick? This is an important question. Does he have a conformation fault that pre-disposes him to arthritus in his hock, did he have a injury to his left hock, or was it caused by a nutritional problem? Once these questions are answered, then you can decide what Patrick needs to prevent the arthritus from returning or reduce the chance of it getting worst. Good luck! Curt Pierce Bristow, VA
Re: Help with Lameness Issue
This message is from: Marsha Jo Hannah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Pat and Maggie McCurdy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Our gelding, Patick, is six years old and over 3 months ago began > short stepping with his right hind leg. At first we thought he had > been kicked or something and gave him some rest. However, it kept > returning. So, we had a lameness expert check him out and give him > a flex-test. The diagnosis was arthritus in his left-rear hock. > We began a regiment of bute. His short stepping never changed with > or without bute. A few years ago, my Fjord gelding (Sleepy) was moving just a smidge unevenly---not something I could see, but I could feel it when I rode him at the walk; it went away at the trot. I called out the vet, who concluded that he wasn't lame---but the "hitch in his get-along" continued, off and on. A few months later, I had a massage therapist out to check into the donkey's cinchiness, and almost as an afterthought, had her check everyone else over. She found that Sleepy had an ouchy spot in a muscle in his chest, sort of up underneath his shoulder blade, and another one on top of his rump, on the opposite side. Our best guess is that, one of the times he'd jerked a shoe the previous winter, he pulled that muscle in his chest (when he stood on the heel of the shoe with his hind hoof, then tried to lift that "nailed down" front hoof). He then mildly strained the muscle in his rump, trying to take the load off the sore shoulder---and six months later, the muscle spasms were still there! The massage therapist "released" the spasms, and his little unevenness went away. Interestingly, his long-standing minor misbehaviours with the farrier on that hind leg also went away! I understand that minor chiropractic problems can cause similar problems. I found it interesting that, from the ground, the vet couldn't see the problem. Only by knowing how the animal normally moved under a rider, could I feel it. The massage therapist could see it, in minor differences in the way the animal held himself, which I wasn't observant enough to pick up. Marsha Jo HannahMurphy must have been a horseman-- [EMAIL PROTECTED] anything that can go wrong, will! 15 mi SW of Roseburg, Oregon
Re: Help with Lameness Issue
This message is from: Mary Thurman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Hello Fjord Friends- > We have a problem that we've been dealing with for > over 3 months and still > haven't come to a solid conclusion. > Our gelding, Patick, is six years old and over 3 > months ago began short > stepping with his right hind leg. His short > stepping never changed with or without bute. > Patrick never acts > distressed with his short stepping.We had > the hock x-rayed and the vet who read it said it > showed nothing! We drove > Patrick today > and it was still obvious > he was short stepping, but no signs of discomfort. This does sound familiar. We had a three year old gelding that was "short in both hind legs" when he went for training. He gave no obvious signs of discomfort, but was reluctant to pick up the lope/canter or to sustain it and was obviously 'short' at the trot - with or without a rider. To make a long story short, we had him examined by an equine chiropractor. His lumbar spine was out of alignment. Once this was corrected - through chiropractic adjustment - he was fine. He is still fine at six. Apparently his problem was caused by slipping, or actually falling, while running and playing in mud with his pasturemate. This same horse had also suddenly become 'ear shy' for no apparent reason. His spine was out of alignment just behind his ears as well. Now - a caveat here - I had NEVER in my life had any faith in Chiropractors in general. However, I was willing to try anything with this horse. Horses have no 'preconcieved notions' - in other words this chiropractic thing doesn't work because they 'think' it will work - they aren't capable of thinking that way. They just know that something is uncomfortable, or it is not uncomfortable. Believe me, there was a very noticable difference in this horse within a few hours of treatment. They need to rest a bit after treatment and have a day off work - otherwise things will just go back where they were before. It seems to have worked for him, plus I've seen other horses with 'mystery' problems have them relieved by chiropractic treatment. Even horses that would unexplainably 'blow up' suddenly. Their bucking sessions were actually caused by back pain. Something they were asked to do - or the way the rider shifted his weight - caused their spines to be 'tweaked'(those of us who have had back problems know the feeling!) and their response was to rear or buck - or as one horse did, simply drop to his knees. Maybe this will help you find a solution to Patrick's problem. Hopefully. Mary = Mary Thurman Raintree Farms [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Help with Lameness Issue
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 8/28/01 9:40:36 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > . However, at the FingerLakes Show he did > buck Maggie off suddenly during one of the games. No other problems. We > had > the hock x-rayed and the vet who read it said it showed nothing! We drove > Patrick today and did a easy pleasure trot with him and it was still > obvious > he was short stepping, but no signs of discomfort. > > SO, before we spend any more money we want to get the advice from all of > you. > Sounds eerily like an issue we recently had with Nikki. She'd take an off step, every once in a while. But not regularly. Very intermitent (right front foot). Then she refused to canter, gave a little buck. I "thought" it was maybe a training issue. Then she started to take more off steps, particularly in the trot. Gave her time off. Tried again, then she bucked when I got on her and asked her to walk. She was telling me SOMETHING was wrong. Got 2 prognosises. One was that she had a tendon injury, needed stall rest and/or hydrotherapy (at $900 for 6 weeks). Second opinion was that it was arthritis. We couldn't exercise the mare while she was hurting, and I couldn't give her free access to our pastures while she was layed up. It was a dilemma. She was getting very unhappy being stuck in a stall (and who could blame her) yet she'd become obese if I let her out. I know now that I need to create a GOOD dry lot for fjord layups. Problem is in the Northwest, grass likes to grow even in dry lots! Anyway, she was miserable. I was miserable because she was so unhappy. So I came up with a good solution for all. She is now back with the woman I bought her from! And is very happy again. She has dry lot, and is with old friends. Oh yes. The day that she went back to her old home, the vet there exrayed her foot and found NOTHING wrong. I suspect beginning navicular, but don't have any answers. Sorry for the length here. I hope you get to the bottom of your mystery. Pamela
Re: Help with Lameness Issue
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Last year A'simi had a lameness at the right hind leg. Our vet diagnosticed a problem with the postern but that was wrong. We find out that he has a problem with his lumbar vertebra. Two of these were left from their place. An expert checked this and after two weeks of slow work he is ok.
Help with Lameness Issue
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hello Fjord Friends- We have a problem that we've been dealing with for over 3 months and still haven't come to a solid conclusion. We've decided to look for the insights of those who have more experience than me. Our gelding, Patick, is six years old and over 3 months ago began short stepping with his right hind leg. At first we thought he had been kicked or something and gave him some rest. However, it kept returning. So, we had a lameness expert check him out and give him a flex-test. The diagnosis was arthritus in his left-rear hock. We began a regiment of bute. His short stepping never changed with or without bute. Now, Patrick never acts distressed with his short stepping. However, at the FingerLakes Show he did buck Maggie off suddenly during one of the games. No other problems. We had the hock x-rayed and the vet who read it said it showed nothing! We drove Patrick today and did a easy pleasure trot with him and it was still obvious he was short stepping, but no signs of discomfort. SO, before we spend any more money we want to get the advice from all of you. Thanks! Pat and Maggie McCurdy Cato, NY [EMAIL PROTECTED]
