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Junior Member
 
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Last Login: 2/4/2010 1:40:21 PM
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| Okay...so awhile ago I posted saying how Scooter had been going slightly lame. To recap briefly at the end of May he tore a chunk out of his back hoof so we gave him the summer off. When I went to ride him again last month he was off at the trot in his FRONT left leg - not super lame, just off. We thought he'd gotten stoved up from not being ridden, since he's 14 years old, although he does have 24/7 turnout. He went to the vet last Wednesday and they couldn't find anything. He hoof tested both of his front feet and did flexion tests as well. He also checked to see if he was out anywhere, and Scooter checked out fine. But there was an emergency with some dog and they didn't have time to go any further, so they had us schedule another appointment, which was today. Today when I trotted Scooter on the concrete he was hardly lame at all when he went straight, but he limped when he turned. He hoof tested him again and the vet said he seemed tender on his frog. He also numbed his hoof and had me trot him around, going from grass to concrete and back again. He was more lame on the concrete than the grass. So the vet thinks he's starting to go navicular, or at the very least there's inflammation around there. He recommended that we put padding and barred shoes on his front feet and see if that makes a difference, and if it doesnt to have x-rays done. We also got some bute. Although...I'm still not completely convinced that this is his problem. But I also don't know much about navicular. If they're navicular are they only lame at the trot? And is it possible that he may have just bruised his frog really bad? His field has a section thats pretty rocky and he runs around all the time, so it's possible he smacked it good. Either way we'll be getting the special shoeing done anyway, but my farrier is gone all week so I have to wait until he gets back. If anyone has any navicular horses or knows any I'd like to know what you do for them to make them comfortable =)
Thunder Jam, '99 AQHA gelding || Riata, '04 APHA mare || Scooter, '95 AQHA gelding || Trax, '98 AQHA gelding And I'm Colby =)
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Last Login: 1/1/2010 6:59:00 AM
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| You'll need radiographs. A vet can't make an educated assumption about navicular without radiographs. I wish you the best of luck with your horse!
Mommy to a Sweet Little Girl! Jordan Renèe- Jan. 13, 2009
Princess First Leagh [Leah]- 2000 Black APHA Barrel Mare
3 Barrels, 2 Hearts, 1 Passion- Cowgirl Up!
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Advanced Member
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Last Login: 12/4/2009 12:32:40 PM
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yes. before you spend all that money on pads and bar shoes get a radiograph. my vet charged me like $60 for two front feet ones. Once you do determine its navicular you can treat it accordingly. My mare was diagnosed with sidebone that way. Bar shoes for her cost between 230-115 depending on the farrier. So by geting the radiographs first we could have saved big money if it wasnt in her hoof. If it is navicular, most horses I know become unrideable as they age. You can also get topicals to apply to the hoof to help circulation, along with isoproxine (sp) a feed through to increase circulation. (it only helps a little bit, it dosent work miracles.) So just because it a hoof problem dosent mean its definatly navicular, it could be something else in the hoof. No good vet would diagnose something like that without radiographs first, because you kind of need them. I know you vet was just suggesting it but I good vet should always be very/ reasonable certain before they suggest a treatment option.
Lacys Corona
1998 14.3 APHA
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updates?
Lacys Corona
1998 14.3 APHA
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Junior Member
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Last Login: 2/4/2010 1:40:21 PM
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| Thanks for the response guys =) Well interestingly enough, Scooter isn't lame anymore. From the very beginning I didn't think it was navicular - I thought he felt like my old horse did when he'd get stoved up from arthritis and he never showed any other symptoms of being navicular (no pointing his toe and generally not acting like he was in pain). So I gave him 2 grams of bute in the morning every day for a week, rode him once, took him off bute for the next week, and then at the end of the no-bute week I trotted him up and down the gravel driveway with my dad watching and he wasn't lame. So we're kind of thinking that his arthritis had flared up really bad and he just needed something to take the inflammation away. But now we know he needs a supplement for his arthritis. Edit: I guess I should have added in my original post the reason there weren't any type of x-rays done at the initial appointment is because that clinic isn't set up to do them. I live in a really really small town and we'd have to go to a seperate clinic 45 minutes away to get the x-rays done =) So it's not that the vet just didn't do them, he just couldn't do them at his clinic.
Thunder Jam, '99 AQHA gelding || Riata, '04 APHA mare || Scooter, '95 AQHA gelding || Trax, '98 AQHA gelding And I'm Colby =)
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Junior Member
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Last Login: 11/24/2009 5:57:25 AM
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| I'd be real careful about doing hard riding on cement. My horse has navicular and we are treating it. I didn't know when I bought him 2 years ago, it was slow to come on and like you I thought it was arthritis. The girl that had him prior to me galloped him on the hard road and damaged his navicular bone. I just use him for pleasure riding thats why it didn't show up for so long. My vet x-rayed him after Rocky started to limp and had trouble making simple turns in the pasture. Thats when we knew for sure what the trouble was. I had him trimmed and his toes shortened and heels left longer as recommended, next step is egg bar shoes to help protect and cushion the navicular bone when they walk. They are still rideable but just for pleasure and no hard riding. Some days he walks just fine and others he limps and favors one side or the other. We haven't been able to get his shoes yet, the funds are a little limited. But I am keeping a close eye on him and you should keep watching your horse too, just because he isn't limping one day or two doesn't mean there isn't anything wrong. The fact that he did limp and was favoring his front leg or legs is telling you something.
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Last Login: 12/4/2009 12:32:40 PM
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definatly. my mare has been unsound for a few months when i got her, four years ago, was sound for about a year, went lame for 3 months, was sound untill now. The vet thinks she had sidebone the whole time. she has on and off weeks, and months. She also has hock arthritus, which shes getting glucosamine for.
Lacys Corona
1998 14.3 APHA
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Last Login: 11/24/2009 5:57:25 AM
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| I have decided to go with easy care boots rather than the egg bar shoes. In the long run they will be more cost effective and Rocky will deem the benefits. The boots won't have to be changed every 6 to 8 weeks. I got them yesterday. Their made for horses with various hoof problems. Like I said earlier I only ride for pleasure so Rocky has many years of riding left with my vets blessing even though he's getting up there in years. As for the use of bute, there again, use of that can be dangerous and have side effects so be careful there. Please have your horse xrayed when you can, the way you have decribed it sounds like more than arthritis and if it is it needs to be treated differently. Good luck.
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