Horses » lameness on opposite side after box rest

gonia gonia

This question is related to: Wik the Horse

Wik
Age:12
Gender:Male
Breed:Polish Warmblood
Neutered:Yes
Weight:700kg
Kept:Stable, turned out in small paddock depending on the state of surface

lameness on opposite side after box rest

Wik has overreached and took a chunk of skin of his coronary band (left front) in May. It has caused severe lameness, he was put on box rest with occasional turnout in a small field. It appeared that when the skin healed there was a crack in his hoof causing discomfort, so eventually he got eggbar shoes put on both fronts. It has solved the problem within a week and I decided to bring him into work starting from 5 mins inhand walk a day for a week increasing to walking 40 mins and starting to trot. He is a well balanced big horse with good paces and used to successfully compete in dressage. He was moving freely, willing to work, no sign of any discomfort whatsoever. Two weeks ago he has lost a front right shoe in the field, so I kept him in until the farrier came. He has put the same shoe back on but since then Wik got 'lame' on the right front. It is only visible in trot and it looked to me like he was slightly unbalanced due to farrier just putting the old shoe on, but since then he did both fronts and nothing has changed. It is different lameness to what he had after the injury, there is no nodding, he doesn't appear upset.

5/1/12

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gonia gonia

He throws the right front slightly to the side and front as if he was unbalanced and trying to overcompensate the difference. He just looks like he doesn't know what to do with his leg, something I sometimes see in foals or youngsters. I trust my farrier and he cannot see any bruising in the sole and we both thought that maybe Wik's muscles are struggling due to the long break. I am unsure about what to do - do I try to work him? I do not want to cause more harm :(

5/1/12
stuart stuart

Its a full lameness work up thats required here almost certainly involving nerve blocks etc. there are however a few things that you can do yourself first.
First some general rules
Lameness originating in the foot are usually worse when the horse is worked on the rein towards the lame foot. Above the foot the reverse applies.
Arthritic/joint problems are usually wore after a period of rest and improve on exercise.
Lower limb problems are often exacerbated on flexion of the involved joint.
navicular/posterior foot pain will be increased by extension of the coffin joint by putting something under the toe of the hoof to raise the toe by 1.5 to 2 ins.
use these to do your own work up with a friend.
then ring your vet and ask for advise.
one other technique that can be useful is put the horse onto bute for a week and see if it is any h better.
if it is then at least you know that he ain't just having you on and you ain't just imagining it all

6/1/12
gonia gonia

thank you for the very fast reply! I wish you could see him move, he is not lame as such, just funny, on a scale 1 to 10, 1 being the least lame, he is 1. Therefore I thought about muscles? Stretching him, doing some physio? Lunged him today in walk but he did a few circles in trot and looked better than yesterday, but still not perfect.

6/1/12
stuart stuart

then continue the lungeing for a day or two s could just be foot sore!

7/1/12

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