Sudden onset lameness (founder presentation) w distal limb edema x 4

[Old_Mac_Donald]

Went out to feed up this afternoon and found one of my horses unable to walk with any degree of comfort - think classic laminitis without the leaning-back posture. I first thought she’s been injured, but when she staggered up (of her own accord, a distance of 20m, I had her bucket of tucker in my hand) I saw that every limb showed significant edema. Not a tendon in sight.

She hoed into her feed and we called our vet who arrived minutes later. Got her out of the paddock. She was pretty bright but unwilling to move much and picking up each foot for examination and testing was difficult, but not impossible. Her RH was the worst.

In short:

• Elevated HR (80 bpm)
• Normal temp
• Mild discomfort to testers, but no drastic reactions (horse is NOT stoic)
• Good gut motility, no evidence of colic or gastric upset
• No other clinical symptoms - no discharge, cough, swelling, injuries, etc.
• Blood test showed no evidence of snake envenomation (primary candidate)

Mare was given anti-inflams, and had all four feet wrapped and padded. She was put into a small, softer paddock with her weanling for company and a bale of hay.

Has anyone seen anything like this - sudden onset of edema in every distal limb with laminitis-like lameness?

To answer the common questions:

• The mare is a Lipizzan X. She is built like one. She is round, but not obese or cresty. She is slimmer at present than normal.
• Zero history of metabolic disorders or lameness relating to laminitis. Her hooves show ZERO metabolic rings. She has had one abscess in her entire life.
• No evident heat / bounding pulse in feet
• She is on low sugar grass hay and a 300g scoop of lucerne chaff daily. No hard feed. No changes to her feed since her foal was weaned, no hard feed in six months.
• She lives on a 2ac dry lot, and I do mean DRY. No grass. None. No weeds. Nothing unusual has sprung up in the paddock, no other horse is ill or lame.
• She was fine yesterday. A bit colicy at teatime but not unusual for her around when she goes into season. She farted, and was fine.
• Australia. No EPM, PHF, EIA etc. No rabies. Not Hendra.
• No recent vaccinations, wormer, work. Hasn’t left the paddock in five weeks.

Our vet will get the results of an infection and virus screen in the morning (it is 11pm here) and we’ll go from there. We are stumped. At this point we don’t know for certain if it is a laminitic episode but treating her as such.

[SolarFlare]

Do you have EHV-1 there? A few years ago we had a wave go through the area (Ontario, Canada) and the first symptom was edema in all 4 legs. I believe the horses did spike a fever within a couple days of the edema, along with ataxia.

I hope it’s not that and is just a random virus that will pass.

[2DogsFarm]

Not all 4, but many (25+) years ago I trailrode my TB on a Sunday, on Monday his LF was swollen from shoulder to fetlock. You could wring out brownish serum like a teabag
Vet suspected insect bite or puncture, but no sign of a bite or point of entry was found.
IV ABX, wrapped the leg, but edema stuck around almost a week. Until I got a suggestion from this board for Naquazone (diuretic). Vet agreed to try it & leg deflated in a day.
We never did determine how he was injured & a month after the leg swelled again, but nowhere near as dramatic - just at the knee.
Exploratory surgery found nothing, in fact vet was amazed the rads were so clean for a late teens horse.

Sorry to ramble & I hope you & your vet find out what the cause is for your girl.
Maybe ask about the Naquazone?

[endlessclimb]

@2DogsFarm

Exploratory surgery found nothing

Did you mean Xrays?

[Simkie]

I saw a horse present just like this with purpura. It wasn’t my horse, so I don’t know exactly how it progressed, but I found him with fat limbs all around and very uncomfortable and unwilling to walk.

I had my own purpura case years later with only one fat leg, and a down horse.

It’s nasty business. Hope it’s not what you’re facing, but probably worth including on your differential. Best of luck, and I hope you find answers.

[2DogsFarm]

Nope. Surgery.
Vet did rads before & showed them to me.
Horse was in a 2-part cast over the knee for several weeks & needed that removed, site cleaned & rebandaged, cast put back on.
I was working full-time & living a hour+ away.
I paid a capable barnworker to do wound care when I couldn’t get away.

[Old_Mac_Donald]

Thank you, more blood results should arrive this morning. There are no other clinical symptoms, nor has the horse been unwell, snotty, etc.

Apparently she’s been eating hay (and standing) all night so her appetite isn’t diminished at all.

[Old_Mac_Donald]

@SolarFlare

Do you have EHV-1 there?

We do, but she has none of the symptoms aside from the inability to walk straight. She was bright as a button when the feed bucket arrived.

[Simkie]

@Old_Mac_Donald

There are no other clinical symptoms, nor has the horse been unwell, snotty, etc.

Neither of the horses I saw with purpura were unwell prior.

The first was on a tail end of a strangles outbreak at the barn–a pretty typical presentation. He was never unwell until the purpura, where he presented like you describe in your horse.

My mare was never ill and we never identified the trigger.

[Old_Mac_Donald]

Bees. Most likely the horse swallow a bee or two - found a few drowning in the trough this afternoon. It is super hot and all the neighbours’ bees are starting to look for water.

Bloodwork shows a stress or allergic reaction. No infection, no virus, but high levels of inflammatory response markers.

Most likely culprit? Bee ingestion.

[ladipus]

@Old_Mac_Donald

Did your vet run blood to check for SAA (serum amyloid A) it detects inflammation and is a good indication of infection…first thought with sudden limb edema is usually tick Bourne diseases such as Anaplasmosis/lyme disease …any fever ? Also Lymphangitis /cellulitis will cause significant limb edema which can in turn cause pain /lameness and reluctance to move .

[Old_Mac_Donald]

Yes, I believe so. Bloodwork indicated a high level of inflammatory response, but nothing else. No viral / bacterial / infection agents present. Organ function within normal parameters. No fever. The only other abnormality was high heart rate, which was marked as a pain response.

The horse has (almost) fully recovered. I say almost because whilst the swelling and reluctance to move has completely subsided - and no evidence of any compromise to the feet - she has shown the tiniest behavioural markers of something that looks neurological. A wobble in her step - not a lame one.

She walk / trots / canters around, but she’s… wobblier in her skin. Very subtle but I see it. She has ECVM and I’m wondering if the inflammation has caused other issues.