Sudden Lameness After a Spook--Final Update

[cnd8]

My mind is running in circles trying to figure what could have happened. I was leading my horse on blacktop last night when he spooked at something, slipped on the pavement, and spun around. Instantly, he was holding up his back left leg and toe touching it. Upon closer inspection, he had skinned up the front of the coronary band and a small spot on the front of the fetlock of the OPPOSITE leg. Since he was kind of running me over during this spook, I didn’t get a look at what he was actually doing. I assume he stepped on hind left with the back left he is now favoring. Or else he somehow skinned the front of back right on pavement?

He will bear weight on the back left that he was holding up, but he’s ginger on it and he almost hovers the foot in the air as he moves it forward before placing it on the ground. There is no heat or swelling in his leg. He does not respond to palpation of the entire leg. There are no objects in his hoof. I gave him bute last night and this morning he is still grade 4 lameness with no heat or swelling.

Any ideas? Vet is coming this afternoon. The way he’s walking and standing, I’d suspect abscess if I hadn’t seen the whole encounter and instantaneous lameness.

[Sarah616]

I was lunging a horse one time that was quietly trotting around until he leapt into the air and landed on all four feet like a sack of potatoes. When he moved away again he was significantly lame. At first vet said abscess but when it didn’t resolve they x-rayed, and he had a wing fracture of his coffin bone. He was totally fine with a little rest.
Another thought is that if he slipped on blacktop he may have hyperextended something up high, especially if you didn’t really see where his legs went. I’ve known horses who basically did the splits with the hind legs when they slip, and come up very sore. The end result can vary greatly there. Again, mostly just rest fixes those

Hopefully it’s just an abscess. Make sure the vet knows the horse slipped and you can’t actually describe where the legs went.

[cnd8]

So crazy how horses can hurt themselves so easily, seemingly. He was sound as can be on our ride, I went to lead him back to the pasture, spook, and dead lame. My mind is just reeling wondering what the heck it could be with no swelling. I’m afraid to wrap hoof for abscess process if it’s not the hoof at all, you know?

[Lunabear1988]

I have horse that can be a spookster, and it’s been sooo slick and icy out. This is my worst fear. I hope it’s nothing serious for your horse!

It’s weird that there is no swelling with such a lameness. Is he a type that is more stoic or more dramatic with injuries?

[JB]

There’s a good chance he either did some sort of splits, or strained something in an effort not to do the splits. Did you palpate all the way up his groin? It can also be something deeper in his hip that you can’t reach

[LCDR]

Maybe look higher-how does the hamstring look and feel?

[cnd8]

Turns out he has a tendon strain, even without swelling or heat. She felt it was coming from the back side of his cannon area. Yes, he is more dramatic with injuries, discomfort, anything. He’s a 1400 lb 16.1 hand sensitive little flower boy. LOL

He was “nearly” sound on pavement at WT, but very lame on arena footing at WT, and flexed very positive on that leg. I’m hoping it truly is tendon and not also the hoof somehow based on this exam.

They suggested daily icing and cold hosing, antibiotics for the other leg that got skinned up, and Equioxx for a few days (he can’t have bute due to GI condition–former RDC).

Horses!

[Lunabear1988]

Ouch. Dang. Good thing you got the vet out, at least you know to be conservative for awhile. Fingers crossed that it is just that with nothing in the hoof!!

And yes, horses. They keep us on our toes.

[JB]

Well nuts. Definitely be conservative about the healing process. I’m curious why some skinned areas required antibiotics, that seems overkill?

[cnd8]

I wondered the same, but I’m guessing his propensity for recurring cellulitis may have played into that decision for antibiotics also. I didn’t ask.

[cnd8]

The no swelling part (and no pain on palpation) has me all confused and causing further worry. She also said to reevaluate him in the arena footing where he was most lame on Monday to see if he has improved. This seems very soon compared to what I’m reading on Google, which I’m sure is not helpful for this anxiety.

[walktrot]

Asphalt is slippery. A young friend had a new appy gelding. The first evening he was turned out in the paddock he apparently was chased by the other two. He jumped the fence and landed on his butt. It was a dead-end ashpalt road. He split the skin open, about 1 foot long, but no damage to the muscles. If he had been chased in the other direction he would have landed on the edge of the hayfield.

I volunteered at a local barn for a few months. It had an asphalt aisleway. I was leading a horse out of his stall when he slipped and fell but was uninjured.

[Pally]

Did she diagnose the tendon strain via ultrasound or just via palpation & observation of movement?

[BigMama1]

@cnd8

I wondered the same, but I’m guessing his propensity for recurring cellulitis may have played into that decision for antibiotics also. I didn’t ask.

Good call if he’s prone to cellulitis.

[CindyCRNA]

I have a 17 hand Holsteiner like that. He does not suffer in silence!

[lenapesadie]

Riiiight. My horses are ready to scream “horse abuse” to the world over 2 treats versus 3.

[fivestrideline]

On the no swelling or pain - my horse tore a suspensory and never swelled up or palpated ouchy AT ALL. Still hasn’t, 5 months into rehab.

If you didn’t diagnose the strain via ultrasound, I’d be tempted to have the vet out again to do that. It’s usually pretty cheap (especially compared to xray). Maybe I’m overly cautious but my horse’s suspensory went undiagnosed for months because he was “kinda lame” and we were told to just do bute and rest and see how he is later.

FWIW we didn’t see him hurt himself, but we assume it was when he attempted to jump out of his paddock, missed, crashed through the fence, and galloped up the lane to the barn. He could’ve flipped or done the splits for all we know

[cnd8]

UPDATE: Sunday he appears perfectly sound at WT in all footing. I’ll keep an eye on him, but it seems it was just a mild high suspensory strain, and an OVERLY dramatic and sensitive gelding. LOL Thank goodness.

[cnd8]

Palpation and flexions, and soft footing lameness.

[JB]

That’s awesome! I would still be pretty conservative in the next few weeks. I would be hand walking on firm ground for 1-2 weeks, before even getting back on, and then another 1-2 weeks of more walking, before adding trotting back in. Even if the pain of a strain is gone, there could still be enough minor damage that too much work too soon could turn into an actual tear.