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View Full Version : Lame horse - Vet time? (LO


FudgieFoo
4th Jun 2006, 07:58 PM
Hiya,

My mare is stuck in the stable and I'm thinking its time to call the vet.

I'll start at the beginning.

In December last month, about 4 months after I moved to my new yard my mare had an abcesses. Only the second in the 12 years I've had her. This was on her off (right) fore on the inside side. We had an emergency vet visit that night. She was box rested for about 5 days then had the shoe back on and went back out.

She was a bit footy and tottery for a while then all seemed ok.

About 3 months ago (March) she was tottery again and I sensed she had another abcess (shame I cant spell it). This time a bit annoyed as my farrier wouldn't come out for days I asked a friend of mine's boyfriend to come and see her. She did have another abcess this time in the near (left) fore on the toe. We poulticed for 3 days and then she was reshod with quarter clips and slightly large shoes to expand her heels which were too square.

She's been fine since then but when she was shod last three weeks ago the farrier found another abcess. This one hadn't made her go lame tho she was slightly tottery for 2 days before hand. Never poulticed it.

Last week she has been lame when I first go into trot but goes sound after a few strides. By Thurs she wasn't going sound. My instructess commented on how much weight she'd put on just since Sat. I got my farrier out who believed it was a brusied toe on the near (left) fore. I've poulticed for 3 days. Today she had her shoe back on along with pads. (Some rubber stuff that is squirted onto the foot and left to set). She trotted up sound after the pads and went out for 7 hrs.

This evening I rode her out and she was slightly lame still on the left fore. She had heat (after walk hack 40m) and a digital pulse in both, more so in the left. The farrier said if she's still goes lame with pads I need to get vet to further investigation.

She's a 17 yr old Welsh Dx who lives out 24 hrs on good grazing. She has no history of laminitus and has only had 1 other abcess in the 12 years I've had her. Do I get the vet tomorrow or wait and see how she is in a couple of days. Quite worried about her :-(

MelanieD
4th Jun 2006, 09:45 PM
I'd get the vet. Were the pulses just about detectable or pounding? If really pounding digital pulses then vet asap. There's usually a reason for abcesses, they can be linked to laminitis, or to white lines being damaged for other reasons (like white line disease), or the shape of the feet being far from ideal and leading to bruises and abcesses. Having digital pulses in multiple feet does mean it's a good idea to rule out (or not) laminitis straight away.

FudgieFoo
4th Jun 2006, 10:10 PM
Just detectable. I could feel it (for the first time) and so could someone else. I thought I might be imagining it.

*millie*
5th Jun 2006, 09:07 AM
I'd get the vet too, hope she is better soon!

FudgieFoo
5th Jun 2006, 09:35 AM
Thanks! I have the vet booked for 12 today.

She didn't have as much heat/a pulse this morning as she was stabled last night but I got on her and she still felt slightly lame.