Opinions on "miracle" recovery? Edit - no miracle after all

[PamnReba]

Tuesday morning my coming-three year filly showed up for breakfast three legged lame, after being just fine at bed check the night before (she stays turned out, just stalled long enough to eat). She had no desire to put any weight on her left front, but hopped into her stall ready for breakfast. I checked her over from stem to stern, and there was no swelling, no heat, no marks, nothing in her hoof - I couldn’t find a single reason why she would be limping. Not sure what to do, but knowing she wouldn’t like being stalled and might make things worse, I opted to just let her be for the day and see what, if anything, showed itself that evening. I was thinking maybe she had laid on a rock or rolled on one, she was stiff and sore, something along those lines. Was hoping it would work itself out and she’d be better by dinner.

Husband checked in that afternoon when he gets home, “Hey did you know Zoey was limping?” She had been lying down in an open stall when he arrived, and stayed down while he went and said hi (he knows horses lying down can mean trouble). Then she got up, realized her friends had left her behind, and took off after them in a short-strided, three legged, choppy run.

I gave her a dose of Bute that night and again the next (Wednesday) morning. She was still limping badly, so I called the vet and explained what I was seeing, and made an appointment for Thursday, the soonest he could see her. I chose not to take her in as an emergency - she was fine otherwise, great appetite and and full of P&V, just - lame. And she was now putting weight on it, albeit very little - would throw it out to the left side and use the inside of her hoof to walk on.

Thursday afternoon I loaded her, still acting like her leg was falling off, and off to the vet we went. First thing he did was block her hoof - after a few minutes, she walked and trotted off fine. Still slightly gimpy, but definitely massive improvement. A little more blocking, even better gait, no limping at all. Okay, it’s in her hoof. Took some x-rays, nothing there, vet says it’s probably an abscess, been seeing a lot lately for some reason. Okay, cool, we’ll pack and soak until it comes out.

While she’s there, we go ahead and do her annual stuff, since was due. She got sedated for the X-rays, and then even more for her dental work, as she had some teeth ready come out. Pulled those, got her shots, etc. and then I load a very drunk horse back in the trailer and bring her home.

And she has not taken a lame step since.

Yesterday (Friday) she was throwing her tail up in the air, trotting around all snorty - and not limping. Her hoof is not packed, and I’ve checked and nothing has come out either top or bottom, like it would if the abscess had pushed through. I only gave her three doses (1 gm each) of Bute - Thursday evening, Friday morning and Friday night, mostly for the teeth but also in case she was still gimpy, but chose not to this morning, just to see.

Is there a chance her hoof is just still numb from being blocked? I haven’t called the vet yet, just watching to see what happens, but I have no other real explanation, just conjecture.

What do y’all think happened, for her to go from “I can’t put weight on it” to “I’m sound as dollar”, in one hour and half vet visit? I’d loved to hear your opinions!

[Lusoluv]

I’d say abscess. Sometimes you just can’t see where it blew out if it was small. But this totally sounds like an abscess scenario to me. Be thankful that’s all it was! And no, a block doesn’t last that long.

[joiedevie99]

Abscess is most likely, but floating bone chip is also a possibility.

[PamnReba]

@joiedevie99

Abscess is most likely, but floating bone chip is also a possibility.

Wouldn’t a bone chip have shown up on the x-ray? I’ve never dealt with that (that I’m aware of), so have to go google the term and learn more.

My conjecture was that something was in the wrong place, the sedation made her relax, and whatever was in the wrong place was able to go back to the right place. Now, what that might be, and where it might have been I have no clue, but that’s all I could come up with.

She’s a very growthy, big filly, and I have not been doing much with her as far as hard work would be considered. She’s not under saddle, and I rarely ever even lunge her past a trot, but she does play hard. I have seen her perform a 360 pirouette, straight up on her hind legs (hubby’s comment - you sure you want to ride that?) just out in the pasture, so she is a bit rambunctious. Could she have a bone chip just from playing?

[joiedevie99]

@PamnReba

Wouldn’t a bone chip have shown up on the x-ray?

Most likely, but not definitely. Sometimes things are only visible on one view, and not all vets shoot a full set by default. I know someone who shot x-rays of a stifle and missed a chip. Second go around, they took an image with the joint flexed and found it.

[Simkie]

My vote is also abscess. Fracture lame with no obvious cause is (very nearly) always abscess according to my vet. The block probably allowed her to walk on it enough that it burst. If you’re somewhere with winter, this is a common time of year for them to pop with an abscess.

My horse that had a chip in the joint was not fracture lame despite the chip having worn entirely through the cartilage.

[PamnReba]

So if it was an abscess, and I can’t find any evidence of it, do I need to take any major precautions with her hoof? Or just leave well enough alone?

[Simkie]

Prolly popped out of the coronary band or at the heel. If you can’t find a hole, there’s nothing to really do, but when I’ve been in your shoes, I’ve started using something like durasole to harden up that sole a little.

[MissAriel]

Guessing small abscess- too small a hole to see. Happened to me once, but at the next trim the tract was apparent. I’m always happy when it is a quickly resolved abscess!

[PamnReba]

Decided to really check her hoof out this morning, more than just a regular picking, and washed the entire hoof and pastern thoroughly with Betadine soap. Scrubbed the sole with a brush, washed the coronary band, her heel, her pastern, her fetlock (poor fetlock took a beating with the blocking, skin is red and raw looking) - everything, and still nothing to see.

So I watched her walk a bit, eh, maybe something there? Put her on a short longe and asked for a trot to the left - yeah, no. That hurt. So, the Bute may have helping more than I gave it credit for, and we’re still waiting for an abscess to reveal itself. It turns out there was no miracle after all, just good drugs. I am grateful that she can walk okay, though, that three legged hop she had going was hard to watch! And you could see it was wearing on her.

Will packing with a poultice (my vet gave me some stuff he called racehorse mud) and soaking really help to draw it out, or will her just walking around on it normally accomplish the same thing? There seems to be some difference of opinion from what I’m reading.

[Marla_100]

Agree with Simkie- sometimes an abcess festers to point of excruciating pain- 3 legged lame and
all it took was some normal walking around and a teeny tiny exit tract popped and relieved the awful pressure and pain. Not all abcesses show as a largish hole and draining.
Sometimes it’s as simple as- AM can’t walk, must hop on 3 legs, PM- all problems gone.
Try to figure out the WHY your horse got the abcess. Sometimes impossible, sometimes not.

[StormyDay]

Sometimes the abscess will pop and drain some, but then it closes up and starts refilling and becomes painful again.

Packing and soaking won’t hurt. The idea is more that the soaking will maybe soften the sole enough to let the abscess break out faster. The packing is probably more for pain than anything else. But if your youngster is saying nope, absolutely not, then don’t worry about it.

[Alex_and_Bodie_s_Mom]

Alex is almost always very, very lame with abscesses, to the point of three-legged sometimes.

I pack his hooves, but I think it’s more about making him a bit more comfortable than drawing out the abscess; his always go through the coronet band. Always. Always in the same darn place, too.

I’ve always used Epsom salts - there’s a new Epsom salts gel that I get, it’s easier to use.

[KBC]

@Alex_and_Bodie_s_Mom

I’ve always used Epsom salts - there’s a new Epsom salts gel that I get, it’s easier to use.

That’s a new one on me! Sounds interesting

[Alex_and_Bodie_s_Mom]

@KBC

That’s a new one on me! Sounds interesting

Here it is:

Durvet Epsom Salt Poultice Green Gel, 55284 at Tractor Supply Co.

[candyappy]

I once had a mare that had an abscess that took a year to finally burst. Off and on for that whole year she would be 3 legged one day and sound the next. Then go months with no issue. Very frustrating.

[PamnReba]

I would like to applaud any and everyone that can wrap a hoof like the ones I saw in videos yesterday! They make it look so easy, so I hope it’s not just me, but damn! I made the biggest mess of wadded up padding, vet wrap and duct tape the world has ever seen. It was just sad, but at least my mare didn’t seem to notice. And the poultice is against her sole, of that I am sure.

Maybe I’ll get better with practice.

[Fiesta01]

You definitely will get better with practice. Ask me how I know. You can do this.