Chronic Lameness
March 15, 2010
Solutions for a gelding who has exhibited signs of lameness for several years.
Question:
My new Quarter Horse has been lame for probably close to two years. He has had corrective shoeing, and the massage therapist has been out to see him once and will be out again. We have X-rays of his feet from December 2008. He is very overweight, which started after he went lame. I take full ownership of him next week, and I want to know what I should do. The shoes helped some, but the massage seemed to help more; however he is still lame. I plan on getting weight off of him by changing his diet, but I feel that I cannot exercise him since he is lame.
Answer:
A member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners offers some advice:
The first thing I advise my clients when they start talking about buying a horse with a lameness problem is to not buy him. Horses get enough problems as it is; you do not need to start with one.
If he is already yours, you will need to have your veterinarian out to localize the source of lameness based on a physical and lameness examination that will include nerve blocks (a common procedure performed when the veterinarian numbs various areas of the limb to see if it will improve the lameness).
Once the lameness has been localized, you could have it imaged: X-rays and ultrasound are the first line of imaging, and if more is warranted, MRI or CT scans can be used.
With the diagnosis in hand, more pertinent advice can be offered.
Dr. Omar Maher of the New England Equine Medical & Surgical Center is a member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners.
Comments
7 Comments on “Chronic Lameness”
Add a Comment
March 17th, 2010 at 6:42 am
Sandrea, your comment should pertain to this article on Chronic Lameness, not on your chronically lame social life. Please.
March 17th, 2010 at 7:32 am
Sorry, Carol. Every now and then a spammer sneaks onto our site. We took care of it.
Jody Reynolds
AQHA Internet Editor
March 17th, 2010 at 11:41 am
ok, I am not understanding this. The question I am reading and the answer the expert gave is “social life” or was there another comment that got deleted because if so then Carol’s comment needs to be deleted as well because it is throwing people off. Just an f.y.i
March 17th, 2010 at 11:43 am
There was some spam posted for a dating service that Carol was commenting about.
March 18th, 2010 at 5:56 am
Hi There: I went through the same thing with my mare when I first bought her. I did not have the experience to keep myself out of trouble during purchase. After all of the stuff the Vet described above, in total desperation because nothing was fixed, I was referred to the Chi(sp) Institute here by the University of Florida, and through them found a WONDERFUL holistic vet who did Acupuncture (she is very, very well trained – not just taking a class in it). My horse was on all 4’s without lameness after the first session, and by the third, I could ride her and have done so ever since with periodic checks and treatments. I’m not saying the VET above, or my experience before the Holistic Vet was wrong, I’m simply saying that the TRAINED, EXPERIENCED holistic VETS can spot and treat trouble that might APPEAR to be in one place, but are actually someplace else. Eight years, and one happy horse and owner later, I cannot endorse this option enough. Please consider it, and don’t let the naysayers talk you out of it.
March 18th, 2010 at 6:01 am
P.S. It is Dr. Xie at the Chi Institue. They have VETS nationwide and their number is 800-891-1986.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:01 am
[...] hitting any of these internal structures of the hoof is that infection can occur, which can lead to chronic lameness or even severe disability, which can lead to [...]