interested-03
08-15-2007, 04:53 PM
I will probably need to get pics and xrays to post, but at the moment i simply need help figuring out the cause of lameness in our 7 y/o quarter horse gelding.
He is new to our barn as we brought him to CT from WEstern Pa, in April. Soil conditions are quite different in that it is a much drier and harder surface than the wet slop and mud of his former home.
He was primarily barefoot until about 2 months ago, when he started having lameness in both front feet. The stable manager thought he was simply foot sore, reccommended shoes and bute. this helped for a couple weeks but the lameness is back. Had the vet look at him, did a block of the hoof and he worked(trotted) w/o limp either direction, declared it navicular, took xrays from front, rear and sides and says there is no sign of damage to the navicular bone or sign of arthritis, in the heel. I asked him about his hoof and (pastern?) conformation as they seemed swollen on the inside above the coronet band and normal on the outside surface. He said that it was sidebone and was more of a blemish than anything else and should not add to or cause any pain in the hoof.
reading your site about sidebone, it would appear (on the surface anyway) that the vet is partially incorrect about the pain. he also suggested there is nothing that can be done about his underrun heels. The farrier agreed with the vet on the underrun heels.
The vet prescribed bar shoes which were applied 5 days ago, Bute, aspirin, and isoxuprine, and as yet he still limps at a trot in both directions after only one trip around a round pen, which has about 3-4" of sand footing.
dont know how soon i can get a copy of the xrays from the vet, but will try to post pics of his hooves next time.
What questions should i be asking the vet and /or farrier. and what should I look for when I look at the hoof? If the side bone is causing the pain what kind of prognosis should I expect? What do you reccommend regarding shoeing and trimming?
Thanks Dan
He is new to our barn as we brought him to CT from WEstern Pa, in April. Soil conditions are quite different in that it is a much drier and harder surface than the wet slop and mud of his former home.
He was primarily barefoot until about 2 months ago, when he started having lameness in both front feet. The stable manager thought he was simply foot sore, reccommended shoes and bute. this helped for a couple weeks but the lameness is back. Had the vet look at him, did a block of the hoof and he worked(trotted) w/o limp either direction, declared it navicular, took xrays from front, rear and sides and says there is no sign of damage to the navicular bone or sign of arthritis, in the heel. I asked him about his hoof and (pastern?) conformation as they seemed swollen on the inside above the coronet band and normal on the outside surface. He said that it was sidebone and was more of a blemish than anything else and should not add to or cause any pain in the hoof.
reading your site about sidebone, it would appear (on the surface anyway) that the vet is partially incorrect about the pain. he also suggested there is nothing that can be done about his underrun heels. The farrier agreed with the vet on the underrun heels.
The vet prescribed bar shoes which were applied 5 days ago, Bute, aspirin, and isoxuprine, and as yet he still limps at a trot in both directions after only one trip around a round pen, which has about 3-4" of sand footing.
dont know how soon i can get a copy of the xrays from the vet, but will try to post pics of his hooves next time.
What questions should i be asking the vet and /or farrier. and what should I look for when I look at the hoof? If the side bone is causing the pain what kind of prognosis should I expect? What do you reccommend regarding shoeing and trimming?
Thanks Dan