Really fed up and not sure what to think now???

Kite_Rider

Kite_Rider

Cantering cabbage!
May 18, 2009
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Well, as you might remember, Belle went lame (near hind) almost three weeks ago, vet out suggested several things and said box rest three days and she would revisit, she came back to see her and Belle was pronounced sound and well, paddock rest for a week and resume work slowly. All of the above I've done and Belle's been ok but wanted to get the physio as I felt sure she just wasn't quite right.
Physio due today and last night Belle came in lame on the off hind, no where near as bad but obviously lame, left her in last night and she was much better this morning.
Physio came had a good look at her, said she couldn't find anything tight or sore anywhere apart from a tiny bit of very mild reaction in her lumber spine and big bum muscle, glute somethings I can't spell!
Anyhow she felt all down her legs/tendons/ligaments/hoof etc no heat or swelling anywhere, no pulses nothing, trotted her up sound but short stride on her hinds (Belle always short from cold as it were and it takes her a little while to loosen up) bear in mind she had just come from her stable I wasn't overly concerned at this.
Physio who I like and trust says 'you need to get the vet to investigate as I have a feeling this could be suspensory ligaments, both hinds, I think whatever you had planned for her you may need to reconsider'
So now am left in a state of shock and feeling very down, I know these things happen, I just feel very confused by it all and given that the vet thought she was fine three weeks ago am completely befuddled.

Sorry for the post but just needed to get that off my chest. :(
 
Kite_Rider said:
Well, as you might remember, Belle went lame (near hind) almost three weeks ago, vet out suggested several things and said box rest three days and she would revisit, she came back to see her and Belle was pronounced sound and well, paddock rest for a week and resume work slowly. All of the above I've done and Belle's been ok but wanted to get the physio as I felt sure she just wasn't quite right.
Physio due today and last night Belle came in lame on the off hind, no where near as bad but obviously lame, left her in last night and she was much better this morning.
Physio came had a good look at her, said she couldn't find anything tight or sore anywhere apart from a tiny bit of very mild reaction in her lumber spine and big bum muscle, glute somethings I can't spell!
Anyhow she felt all down her legs/tendons/ligaments/hoof etc no heat or swelling anywhere, no pulses nothing, trotted her up sound but short stride on her hinds (Belle always short from cold as it were and it takes her a little while to loosen up) bear in mind she had just come from her stable I wasn't overly concerned at this.
Physio who I like and trust says 'you need to get the vet to investigate as I have a feeling this could be suspensory ligaments, both hinds, I think whatever you had planned for her you may need to reconsider'
So now am left in a state of shock and feeling very down, I know these things happen, I just feel very confused by it all and given that the vet thought she was fine three weeks ago am completely befuddled.

Sorry for the post but just needed to get that off my chest. :(
Click to expand...

I know how you feel, Acorn pulled his hamstrings last November, he was pronounced sound 3 weeks ago - it seemed never ending.

Has she looned around or slipped in the field at all, it does not take much to reinjure whilst in the process of fully healing, any chance she could be setting up for an abcess - we never get a reaction with Acorn hes numb even to the hoof testers - there are all sorts of possibilities
and it may not be as bad as you are imagining and we always think the worst. I would get the Vet again if the lameness continues, you need to know what you managing. Hope its nothing serious.
 
OMG that must have been awful to hear. Just what everyone dreads.

But as Lemme says perhaps it's not as bad as all that. She could have hurt herself some other way maybe.

Other than throwing yourself on the mercy of your vet I don't know what to suggest, but I really hope you get a good outcome.
 
I'm going to give her another couple of days and see how she is and if no better get the vet again, the odd thing is though when I turned her out she flew off down the field as fast as her little legs would take her without a care in the world.
She wasn't looking lame like she was last night it was just the short stride that got the physio concerned, am now wondering as all of this coincides with her being on a part of the paddock that is quite boggy and rutted from the previous livery, if she's strained something, who knows, will just have to see what the vets come up with.
 
Trouble is with getting the vet that they probably won't be able to tell any more without going down the very expensive route of scans, nerve blocks etc. I feel for you, it's a horrible situation to be in. Cortrasna had some issues with Dolly a little while ago didn't she, but luckily nothing ever came of it.

Agree with Lemme - don't take the physio's word for it. A physio once queried suspensory ligament damage in Raf when he was ever so slightly unsound (not enough to be classed as lame by a vet according to the physio) but it unbelievably seemed to have been due to nothing more than a knock on his fetlock (I think, or it might have been a stone bruise, he's had a couple of incidents!)

Hope Belle is ok x
 
a physio keeps 'diagnosing' numerous horses on our yard with kissing spines! (one lady unfortunately owns two of these horses!)....tbh, i would too continue with some rest and then bring back into work and then re-assess....if still not right then get vet.
 
How worrying, and isn't an undiagnosed issue a million times more difficult to cope with than an exact problem diagnosis and then you just get on with dealing with it.

I have to say I am a little wary of physios given alarming diagnostics, in some cases they might be right, but in many I fear they aren't and just cause unnecessary alarm to horse owners.

I would also be talking to the vet again if there is no improvement in the next few days. Dolly's recovery from a very slight and intermittent issue on her front nearside coincided with enforced field rest by the damned awful weather and waiting for a new saddle to arrive. She had a good six weeks off and I will never know if it was being turned away or the new saddle, probably a bit of both I suspect.

Everything crossed it isn't anything too serious.
 
I would probably get the vet to take another look if she's not just right. Joe damaged his suspensory ligament quite a few times - and if it is that (not saying it is and don't want to scare you) you do need to follow the vets advice quite quickly. We had insurance the first time he did it, so scans etc all paid for - I know it can be quite costly, but it might be worth you asking the vet to scan the suspected area then you know what you are dealing with. Hopefully she'll be fine and it won't be anything like suspensory damage (please ignore this advice if she's okay - I am a always a worrier because of what happened with Joe)
 
I have to agree that some physios can be alarmist. My old physio said she thought Ziggy had kissing spines the first couple of times she treated him. In fact his back is strong and resilient! He was just very sore after a long period of unsympathetic saddlery and hard riding.
 
With minor, intermittent lameness like that my preference is to field rest for a couple of weeks and then reassess. If it's something minor it may well sort itself out in that time. If she was still unsound after a fortnight I'd get the vet back out, and have some diagnostic tests done.

Out of interest what were the "several things" the vet suggested on the original callout?
 
I have been through the same with my lad recently and can totally understand how it feels!!

He fell over in the field January time, was dog lame so got the vet out straight away. She couldn't pin point what exactly was wrong, he was just very sore, she advised 3 weeks box rest. He was stabled for three days and then went back in the field. He was much better, just slightly stiff.

He had another month off work, and seemed fine so started bringing him back work. Then he decided to have a mad moment in the field on deep slippy mud and looked lame again. Not massively lame, just slightly.

Again had a few weeks off work, then got the physio in as he action still wasn't quite right. She found nothing alarming just tight in his hamstrings, she advised to again bring him slowly back into work which is what I did which he was fine with but still his action was a little odd. He was in no pain with it, and once in trot/canter absolutely fine, his walk was just not quite right.

I had the vet out a couple of weeks ago as I just wanted a firm answer as in my opinion he was fine and in no pain, it was more a mechanical lameness. After some tests the vet agreed that he was not in any pain, he would pass a vetting but it would be noted that he was slight mechanical lameness in walk.

Weirdly since the vet visit he has been absolutely fine, although he is now in full time work so I think that has been our over all cure!

Sorry that was a bit of an essay....don't panic yet, I would be tempted to give her another couple of weeks rest in the field, then re-access.
 
Nothing to add but just want to reiterate what others have said about physios not being diagnostic. Fingers crossed it's one of those mystery but swiftly passing ailments that all horses get from time to time.
 
joosie said:
Out of interest what were the "several things" the vet suggested on the original callout?
Click to expand...

Well vet suggested either abscess, stone bruising or broken pedal bone, but she was hopping lame that time and clearly in a lot of pain, but with two days bute and box rest was absolutely fine, my gut feeling was she's fallen in the field given that she had mud plastered all down her left side, particularly her bottom, but vet dismissed that straight away, then when she came back to see her said 'oh maybe she just fell and sprained something'
Anyhow this time it's the other leg! She seems fine again this morning so will give her some more time off and re assess.
 
I hate it when folk make comments like this. It's almost like their brain isn't engaged and considering how scaremongering could cause you additional needless stress.
I really hope everything is ok with ASAP. The important thing is that you are listening to your horse and aswell as listening to all the opinions, trust your gut. They thought Flipo might have had a ddft when he went lame (2/10s). I was convinced it couldn't be that, and it wasnt thank god.
 
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