Well they both read the scan the same way - the main source of inflammation is clearly the RF coffin bone (pedal osteitis). The difference in opinion is the original injury, vs. what’s secondary. I think based on the history of the horse and the timing of the suspect farrier work, my instinct is Dr. Carter is correct and the foot is the first problem. I’m going with that, as it works with my gut check (it just seems way less likely she hurt her shoulder or neck and then secondarily really hurt her foot). The scale of inflammation was like a big, blinking red siren for the right coffin, and then a handful of mild items that Dr. Carter thought were likely or possibly all secondary to her straining to take weight off the foot. It was, as I understood, a very unambiguous scan based on what looked to be most sore. In other words, a successful bone scan!
The reason the original vet thinks the coffin bone is secondary is because the foot nerve-block tests didn’t resolve the unwillingness to canter right lead under saddle. However, knowing my mare, I can see her being anticipatory of pain, even if nerve blocked, and hopping. Or the hopping is also from secondary muscle pain. The foot block clearly made the low-grade lameness in the trot go away. No other nerve blocks made such a difference.
I don’t want to put the horse through even more rounds of nerve blocking - her foot is obviously very inflamed. That’s getting treated now (I’m asking Dr. Judy for at treatment plan).
It’s awkward to fire a farrier, but yeesh. This really seems like it all came from the damn shoe. She needs good foot work to help heal the foot as well.
