Lady's lame RF leg

CoolsLadyInRed · Lady's lame RF leg

Lady has been gimping around for a while. She started not being able to do more than a trot but has progressively gotten more active and has cantered....probably shouldn't have done that. The farrier was here Tues. and said she has conformation problems in both front legs but mostly the right leg. No abscesses or hoof problems. So the vet came out today for 2 hours. She did an extensive "lameness" test. Lady would hardly go into a trot for her. She had her trotting on the lawn and on the stones. Neither was good. She wanted to do a nerve block to see if the pain was below or in the fetlock. After the nerve block Lady was flying over the ground. She was cantering over the grass and stones! The vet ruled out a few things with that but wanted X rays to see if she could visualize the injury. It turned up almost nothing. BUT she has a chunk of bone missing from above fetlock. She had never seen that before. There has not been any injury to that joint that I know of. She is going to send the X rays to a surgeon just to see what he said about the missing bone chunk. She said she didn't think it , in itself was causing the pain. All her bones in the lower leg looked good with a bit of arthritis. So, after she got her teeth floated the vet said she needs to rest for the next 4 months. She thinks it is a soft tissue injury that needs time to rest. If by spring she is not any better we will do an ultrasound and a steroid injection. But she is hoping the rest will help her heal.
So no riding for a long time.

Really can't play much either. Just lots of udt with her.
Oh, I asked her if putting her on a supplement would help and she recommended Conquer. Anyone have any thoughts on this? To help with the hyaline????? You know the joint stuff.

thelmanelle

Beth, years ago I use the hyaline for my endurance horses. But, I decided to quit. But, my situation was different...it was miles and ego at the time.

Once, I realized I was hurting my horses over buckets, I quit endurance.

However, that does not mean it is not for your situation.

PasoBaby_CarolU

No idea about the supplements. I'm sorry to read about her lameness. Missing bone...that is interesting!

Bien popped her rear digital tendon a year and a half ago. At the time I wrapped it and used cold compresses twice a day, and some bute to reduce inflamation. The vet said if she wasn't IR and a Paso Fino, he'd just turn her out to pasture for 6 months and let it heal. She is a high-energy horse and if not confined, dances and prances and bucks (which is how she hurt it in the freaking first place!!!). And, being IR, I had to exercise her a little for blood flow. So, he gave her a steroid shot and I would wrap it and walk her, then cold compress it for 20 minutes afterwards. I did this a couple times a week, most of the winter and by spring she could be walked without any pain at all...but I still had to 'control' her so she didn't goof off and hurt herself again. It took a full year for her to be able to trot...but I still work her on a lunge line before I turn her loose and if she starts messing around, stop her and put her back on line. I've owned this horse for six years now. I think all but one of them I've been healing her from one thing or another.

Anyway, good luck with Lady. Lots of UDT is a nice way to spend the winter and bond.

bit

You could have some SICK clicker training happening by spring! She could be picking up hats and smiling! Gunner and I got very close while his abscess healed up. I would like to know what happened to the missing bone. If it's not where it's supposed to be, where did it go?