Where was the block? Whole foot or part of it?
Thats better on the right but he’s still a little tentative to step out with the other 3. Please tell us you x rayed and what.
I still see it with the block… what was the vets conclusion?
My my arm chair vet sees shoulder or maybe neck causing something to pinch?
Ive has my share of mystery lamenesses so I feel you OP, I hope you got some answers!
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The block seemed to make him somewhat better but not 100%. We’re thinking that the issue may be the foot and the shoulder/neck. One is compensating for the other. The horse tends to wear down the outside heel of the right front and I don’t think it’s been addressed properly by the farrier. The horse has some confirmation issues that make the foot a little tricky but it looks a mess right now. I hadn’t realized how bad it looked before all this and that’s bad on my part. The horse may have been compensating for the heel pressure by changing his gate through the shoulder or it could be that the shoulder or neck was bothersome so he changed the way he puts his foot on floor to compensate thus putting the foot out of whack. Would also account for him looking a little weird in the left hind. I think we have a situation in which we are peeling back layers. I don’t think it’s all one thing. Vet also thinks it’s highly likely that he has some ulcers. He’s a good egg but he tends to be the nervous type so ulcers wouldn’t surprise me. The plan so far is to proceed with getting teeth done, consult with a different farrier, treat for ulcers, and chiropractor. Will see what different farrier’s opinion is and go from there.
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Nice horse OP. Funny, he looks JUST like a gelding one of my boarders bought about 5 yrs ago. Big floaty mover, sweet boy, big head, but the seller had pumped him really full of great painkillers and my boarder bought him and got him home and there was a subtle lameness that turned out to be an old DDFT injury the seller deliberately masked. If anyone near Richmond VA wants THAT name, pm me. That’s what I would suspect here, or a shoulder injuy, but given your description I’m not sure how that would have happened. Just out of curiosity, where are you located OP?
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Are you able to do a bone scan?
I was going to say, this looks and sounds like all the makings of a DDFT injury. We chased my gelding and what was subtly wrong with him for months, as we’d try a treatment or a shoe change and wait a month to see if it offered him any relief before trying anything else. MRI was the only definitive proof.
I was thinking knee, I would xray the entire leg personally.
He does look better blocked, but not sound. Looks like there’s at least some pain further up the leg if not into the shoulder or back. The shortness of that RF keeps talking my eye to the back of his scapula as a point of pain, but that’s pulled right out of the air and has no basis in experience.
I’m surprised your vet didn’t want to try blocking any higher. That’s a diagnostic tool I’ve seen used pretty often so we can at least find out the physical region of the injury. It’s not the most sophisticated technique but if you can narrow down the pain to “somewhere above the hoof and below the knee” at least you know what part of the horse to stick in an MRI machine. You can see a lot with x-ray and ultrasound once you know where to look.
Amazing tail btw. That’s a big handsome boy.
Yup.
Check your saddle fit too please.
He is just delicious !!
What is the dark patch at the top of his right shoulder ? Maybe he’s damaged himself and has a bruise or muscle strain there .
How old is he? I hate to say it but the beginnings of navicular can have quite the mystery lameness quality to it. Standing in a stall always makes it worse vs. when they are able to move around. No panic required, but if hes around 10+/- it might be something to consider.
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What’s the rehab like on DDFT injury? I’m in ocala.
A whole lot of rest (months and month) plus possibly other therapy. But lots of rest. I rested mine for 6 month
Depends… and I won’t tell you my horror story (including an MRI not picking up on a nearly severed ddft due to the angle of the tear). But lots of rest. I think before we realized how bad my horses was it was supposed to be about 8 months stall rest.
I hope thats not what it is, mine was almost 100% sound with his foot blocked and didn’t look how yours does (though each is different and mine was severe).
OP - I’m going through the exact same thing! Many days horse comes out looking short on LF, but not lame and seems to work out of it. Looks better at the trot then walk. The weather’s been pretty up and down here, and it seems worst on the cold foggy days but maybe that’s just my imagination. Friday morning he walked fine but noticeable head bob at the trot. I soaked and packed the hoof and by that afternoon he looked fine and has looked fine since. ???
Stall rest for a few months, then hand walking, riding at the walk, adding trot … It’s a very long process.
Adding that when my gelding felt short on his right front he was compensating for his left hind, and the pain was coming from his SI. Can you palpate that area?
Update:
Last Wednesday I had a different farrier out for consult regarding sheared heel on right front. Something is causing horse to load outside of right front. She referred me to a guy that is a vet and farrier that specializes in lameness cases. When she was finishes the dentist came and did his teeth. Dentist didn’t find anything too significant. He had hooks that she filed down but other than that she thought he looked to be in good shape in his mouth. Horse still walking very short on right front. Farrier said he was “toe walking,” a clear indication that heel is painful.
Following the dentist, chiropractor used Bemer blanket on the horse and did an adjustment. When adjustment was done he walked off the cross ties sound! I walked him up and down the aisle several times to be sure. I then turned him out so he could keep moving. He’s still sound as of this morning. Today was first chance I’ve had to ride because it’s been raining non stop. He felt like his normal self. He was very forward and moved freely with big steps. I mostly walked with some trot. Will see what tomorrow brings.
I still plan to have xrays done and have the vet/farrier make shoeing recommendations. I still feel like something in that foot is making him compensate so in turn his body is getting out of whack.
Please follow through with the X-rays as well as ultrasound if indicated. Even if he looks better. Often there is a lot of secondary soreness from whatever is wrong an adjustment or body work can temporarily resolve. But it’s just going to cramp up or go into spasms again as the body fights to compensate for the pain of whatever is actually wrong.
Sounds like you have found a better team to help you solve this…but get the imaging to locate the source instead of throwing time and money into chasing the symptoms. Know cases where people spent thousands treating what wasn’t wrong while what was got worse. In those cases it was damage to the pelvic area-old fractures- as they treated feet and hind suspensories which were involved only due to the fracture changing the way the horse moved. Very well could have a shoulderor neck injury triggering this series of issues.
And please continue to update us. Sharing helps other owners both currently dealing with this or who may call upon your experience in the future. With horses, if you have enough of them, it’s not if you face a mystery lameness but when.
There is a wonderful chiropractor/vet in Florida. He is originally from South America. Can you tell us your chiropractor’s name?I am racking my brain to think of this man’s.
