Hind end lameness... thoughts would be appreciated

[StormyDay]

So my 7 YO is having something funky going on. Vets soonest availability is at least a week away… and I’m kind of panicking. I am afraid it’s something that requires immediate treatment and we aren’t treating it.
I found a clinic that could see him on Friday, but I’ll have to trailer him in there.

Links to video. Sorry they are so crappy, it’s hard to hold a lunge line and a whip and a phone at the same time! Also, why is my breathing so loud?!?

https://youtu.be/UUv8GyEj45Y

https://youtu.be/DO0nZOoiKXQ

https://youtu.be/2lrD8xvxJxA

I’d like to see what everyone else says before I post any background info. However, I will say he has had no lameness issues before.

[LilRanger]

It looks like his left hind is bothering him? The way he is hopping, I wonder if it’s not higher up than his foot. I’m far from an expert though, I’m sure someone with more learning will be along soon.
I feel you on the panic! He’s awfully cute, and he’s obviously sore back there. it almost looked like his hip? Again, I"m sorry this is happening, jingles for a quick recovery!

[StormyDay]

@LilRanger

It looks like his left hind is bothering him? The way he is hopping, I wonder if it’s not higher up than his foot. I’m far from an expert though, I’m sure someone with more learning will be along soon.
I feel you on the panic! He’s awfully cute, and he’s obviously sore back there. it almost looked like his hip? Again, I"m sorry this is happening, jingles for a quick recovery!

Thank you! I love him to death. He was supposed to be a resale project… I kept him

[LilRanger]

He looks like a fun horse, you can see he is trying to do what you want! poor fella, poor you! Well I hope someone with more knowledge can come help out.

[Gardenhorse]

@StormyDay

So my 7 YO is having something funky going on. Vets soonest availability is at least a week away… and I’m kind of panicking. I am afraid it’s something that requires immediate treatment and we aren’t treating it.
I found a clinic that could see him on Friday, but I’ll have to trailer him in there.

Links to video. Sorry they are so crappy, it’s hard to hold a lunge line and a whip and a phone at the same time! Also, why is my breathing so loud?!?

https://youtu.be/UUv8GyEj45Y

https://youtu.be/DO0nZOoiKXQ

https://youtu.be/2lrD8xvxJxA

I’d like to see what everyone else says before I post any background info. However, I will say he has had no lameness issues before.

Poor guy. I definitely agree with taking him in on Friday, if that’s the soonest you can get him seen. Did he have a fall? If you watch him from behind, does he swing that leg wide? He looks a little bit like my horse who was diagnosed with a groin pull (on top of other hind end issues) after a fall in the barn a couple of months ago.

[StormyDay]

@Gardenhorse

Poor guy. I definitely agree with taking him in on Friday, if that’s the soonest you can get him seen. Did he have a fall? If you watch him from behind, does he swing that leg wide? He looks a little bit like my horse who was diagnosed with a groin pull (on top of other hind end issues) after a fall in the barn a couple of months ago.

Not that I know of, but he’s turned out so who knows what they did when no one was watching. :lol:

[BoyleHeightsKid]

The bunny hopping makes me think it’s up high… like maybe SI soreness. Definitely needs to see a good lameness vet.

[4horses]

Left hind fetlock? That is what it looks like to me. He held the lead to the left, not to the right. Any swelling in the fetlocks?

[StormyDay]

@4horses

Left hind fetlock? That is what it looks like to me. He held the lead to the left, not to the right. Any swelling in the fetlocks?

No swelling.
He did have an abscess in his white hind hoof about 2 weeks ago, but it seems to have drained out completely

[IPEsq]

Looks like something in the pelvis to me. Is it an option to confine him until you can get him checked out? Poor guy, he looks sweet.

[StormyDay]

@IPEsq

Looks like something in the pelvis to me. Is it an option to confine him until you can get him checked out? Poor guy, he looks sweet.

We just got back from the vet. He, of course, stepped off the trailer strutting like a million bucks. :lol:
Diagnosis is a tick borne illness; he told me which one and it’s on the paperwork but I don’t remember the exact name. He gets antibiotics for 10 days and another visit to the vet then for a checkup.

I am just glad it isn’t something way more serious!

[4horses]

Can you tell us which tick borne illness? I’m not familiar with one that causes lameness.

[NotGrandPrixYet]

@4horses

Can you tell us which tick borne illness? I’m not familiar with one that causes lameness.

Lyme disease can absolutely cause lameness. Not saying this is the diagnosis, but lameness and incoordination are common with Lyme’s.

[Calhoun]

In the first video it looks like SI issues. The cross canter and if you look closely both hind legs at the canter are basically together, no reaching under the belly with the inside hind. I had a horse that did this and the SI was injected and followed up 2 yrs later with shockwave. Both treatments helped the horse. My horse did not trot like your horse, was regular in the trot work. Wish I would have done this years earlier, trainer kept telling me the horse is young and unbalanced. On a positive note, the horse is not pinning ears or switching tail when asked to walk trot canter.

[StormyDay]

He was diagnosed as having anaplasma myositis. He is on doxycycline for treatment. There was no injury observed in his hind limbs, but he was experiencing a lot of muscle tension all over.

After he is treated and has his follow up, I will probably have the equine massage guy out to pamper him a bit.

[ivy62]

Check his stifles…and suspensories… Typical movement for them…

[stargzng386]

@StormyDay

He was diagnosed as having anaplasma myositis. He is on doxycycline for treatment. There was no injury observed in his hind limbs, but he was experiencing a lot of muscle tension all over.

After he is treated and has his follow up, I will probably have the equine massage guy out to pamper him a bit.

If you are in the Northern Virginia area there is a vet who is mis-diagnosing a lot of horses with anaplasmosis. He does 10 days doxy and sometimes throws in Zyrtec saying there is an allergy component as well. Please PM for details if you need to confirm but I would strongly suggest you get a second opinion.

[imaginique]

I was trimming my horse’s hind feet the other day and noticed that the medial heel on one hoof was at least a quarter inch higher than the lateral so I rasped it down. Since he was having such a hard time holding up his feet, I quit for the day and finished the following day. He had no problems the following day with holding up his feet. I mentioned that to the trimmer who has been mentoring my trimming, and she directed me to an article that basically said that when the medial heel is higher than the lateral on the hind feet, it will cause hind end lameness. There is even a pressure point that you can check for that. I wish I had the article to share but it was on a private facebook page and I don’t think I can share it. Anyway, if you’re going through a process of elimination, that’s something you could check.

[beowulf]

I’ve dealt with anaplasmosis with a few horses of mine, and they all got violently ill. You really wouldn’t miss it if a horse had anaplasmosis - including fever, they just look and act miserable. We actually thought the last horse I had with it was colicking and was possibly a PTS candidate… That’s how ill he was.

Not to question the vet… but why’d he think anaplasmosis over something else?

[BoyleHeightsKid]

@imaginique

I was trimming my horse’s hind feet the other day and noticed that the medial heel on one hoof was at least a quarter inch higher than the lateral so I rasped it down. Since he was having such a hard time holding up his feet, I quit for the day and finished the following day. He had no problems the following day with holding up his feet. I mentioned that to the trimmer who has been mentoring my trimming, and she directed me to an article that basically said that when the medial heel is higher than the lateral on the hind feet, it will cause hind end lameness. There is even a pressure point that you can check for that. I wish I had the article to share but it was on a private facebook page and I don’t think I can share it. Anyway, if you’re going through a process of elimination, that’s something you could check.

This… I have gelding who looks lame if I don’t keep his hind feet in balance. He short steps left hind. The imbalance causes him to get tight/sore in his hamstrings. His stifle would also catch but that has not happened in quite some time.

I remember the article you are referencing to. Maybe I can find it.