# off hind leg lameness -  dragging toe and not flexing through hock



## mermiemoo (7 January 2009)

hi i was just wondering whether any one could know whats wrong with my mare?

a couple of weeks before xmas ,  my instructor noticed after about 20 mins that she was lame on her right hind leg -looking like she wasnt pushing off it properly- so we took her in stripped her off and trotted her up and she was ok in walk but lame in trot. we noticed a slight swelling on her quarters and thought she must have tweaked something galloping round the field early that morn. so gave her some bute and a few days off and she seemed sound(with no bute for a few days) so started just gently bringing her back into work just walking for the last three weeks .
started trotting her this week and she seems to be dragging her toe in trot and not flexing through her hock again and very short on that leg.
there isnt any obvious heat or swelling and was shod only a week or so ago and seemed fine then and farrier ddnt pick up on anything.
just v worried as she is really dragging that foot but only seems to be mainly in trot she isnt picking it up and through as much as normal in walk or canter either though 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 she seems happy in herself , but on further inspection her quarters are ever so slightly higher on the right. 
she has had a bad back in the past due to being an ex racer and having major colic surgery in the past so do you think it could be related to a back injury??
she is a 8 y/o full tb and hasnt had soundness issues before  
	
	
		
		
	


	





have rang my vet but was just wondering if anyone had any ideas on here??
thanks v much to any1 who does and sorry its so long!!!


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## OrangeEmpire (7 January 2009)

sounds very much like she's hurt her pelvis or something like that - they tend to swing the leg round rather than lifting it and placing it. My horse with a sacro iliac injury does this.

Glad you're getting the vet. He may advise physio after ruling out things like spavin.


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## mermiemoo (7 January 2009)

yes thats what she is doing and really stressy and resistant toride on the right rein?!

the vet is coming first thing fri morning - hopefully it wont be anything to to serious like spavin! *fingers crossed*


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## bailey14 (8 January 2009)

I'm afraid it does sound a bit like bone spavin to me, especially when you say she is 'hoiking up' her hip.  The toe dragging was a bit of a give away as to was the 'worse in trot than walk' and none flexion of the hock.  My horse has this and his symptoms were the same. He wasn't extending his back leg under him on the one side as he was on the other too.  If your horse had a problem like a torn stifle ligament he would be swinging his leg outwards in an attempt to avoid pain.  If it is bone spavin there is plenty that can be done in the way of remedial shoeing,  drugs, and supplements so try not too worry too much.


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## mermiemoo (8 January 2009)

oh s***, no she is definalty doing what youve described not swinging it out as previously thought.
if it is bone spavin what would that mean in terms of treatment?  would she become completely sound again? or be on long term bute? 
would she become sound enough for ridden work (she is currenlty used for BRC and Intro eventing) or just happy hacking?
is was treatment successful ?
did it help your horse?
sorry for all the questions but don't really know a lot about spavins tbh and getting rather worried !
thanks very much


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## emmiec12 (9 January 2009)

I know as well as anyone it is hard not to panic - but just be clam around her and keep her happy til the vet has seen her and then deal wioth whatever (if anything) is found then.

Take care!  xxx


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## bailey14 (9 January 2009)

Whoooa slow down.  Don't panic.  No problems.  When my boy was diagnosed with spavin in November last year at the age of 11 the vet first came out assessed lameness and graded it.  Then he went to the clinic for the day to be lunged, nerve blocks, scans and xrays.  The xrays tell you an awful lot.  Then the vets did injections into the hock of hyluronate I think it was and steroids.  Then he came out a week or so later and gave Tildren by IV this is very good, but only suitable in certain cases.  This was followed up by turnout, controlled exercise, and a course of adequan which has to be injected intramuscularly every four days for 7 times.  Also remedial shoeing in the form of lateral heel extensions will help.  To early to tell results with my boy but his was mild bone spavin and whilst not ideal it not devastating so please don't worry.  It can't be fixed/reversed but it can be controlled.  Its worth mentioning that my horse had been dragging his toe for over 12 months on a hard surface about every fifth stride but we were competing elementary dressage and nothign was ever noted by the judges. He had never gone lame and I only had the vet out when the horse went lame (i.e in pain) as I had sworn I would right from the beginning of the onset of the problems.   <font color="red">  </font>


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## mermiemoo (11 January 2009)

sorry thanks,

vet has seen her and it turns out she is:
: is lame in both hind legs ,(worse in the right) and dragging the toes,not flexing through hock.

: has a muscle tear in her right quarters :S

: very sore in her right hip - poss linked with the muscle tear

:was to sore to do flexions on right hind

: and after flexions was not 100% in front:S

so she is going into the vets weds for lameness exam xrays and poss bone scans.

thanks v much for your help!


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## bailey14 (12 January 2009)

Sorry you haven't got a diagnosis yet but hopefully you will get one on Wednesday.  What you have described rather sounds like it may not be bone spavin now as they have found a muscle tear and hip soreness, but I am not a vet and really it is pointless surmising any further at the moment.  I hope you get to the bottom of things on Wednesday, be sure to keep us posted on developments, and good luck x


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## mermiemoo (12 January 2009)

thanks very much for your help, and yep ill post an update on 
weds!

*fingers crossed*


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## mermiemoo (15 January 2009)

hi applecart ,
just a quick update on my mare,she had her lameness exam etc yesterday .
first we trotted her up and she wasnt dragging the RH toe but not using her rh proper but looked lame in front - more so in left fore so she was taken in for her xrays.

she went in for xrays (which she found terryfiyng even wioth 2 lots of sedation!!!) and luckily her hocks and hind legs came back with the all clear! phew
but
the front feet are a different story - both pedal bones in her front feet are very flat angle but luckily not affecting her navicular bone ,which makes her sore in front and also her foot balance isnt brilliant , her hoof wall is slightly longer on 1 side(cnt remeber which sorry!) so was then nerve blocked on LF and she was lame on her right fore . 
so she suggested we give her remedial shoeing for 6 months with the farrier they have who has seen her xrays .
she said they were typical of TB feet and not as bad as they could be.
re- her hip shes having physio on her to see what shes done to herself.
so hopefully shell slowly improve !
thanks
vicki and mermie


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