Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Pain, or not?

Here is a video I shot of Kaswyn in Tuesday. I can certrainly see the uneven strides in the left front leg, but the question is - is it pain, or mechanics?


5 comments:

Amy said...

This might be far-fetched, but...has Kaswyn had a few days of Bute in the last year or so? Unusual stress? I know stomach ulcers are the cause of *everything*, but my horse looked NQR on the lunge for at least a year and although I didn't scope for ulcers, he responded really well to treatment. Before treating for ulcers, he had hoof problems and surgery (with a month's worth of Bute), and I'm guessing that it did a number on his stomach. He had been tiptoeing around, I guess to keep his stomach from splashing acid around, so seeing Kaswyn's video made me think of it.
I do a maintenance dose with an off-brand enteric-coated omeprazlole and it is FAR cheaper than UlcerGard and works really well. Email me if you are interested in the supplier.

HTH!

Achieve1dream said...

I'm no expert in lameness, no where near, but don't their heads usually come up in they're in pain? The way her's goes down at the walk almost makes me think it's when she's lifting it that she's having the issue, not when she puts weight on it. And she isn't really walking with a short stride or anything like she's trying to get the weight off of it quickly. Those are the two things I noticed, but I hope someone with more experience in lameness can help you because I'm just guessing. Good luck!

Leah said...

My thinking tends towards pain - if he's lived thus far without a hint of a mechanical defect then odds are (IMO) it's pain. I could see mechanical defect if this was something you have had to compensate for his whole life. Has something drastically changed that would cause a mechanical problem? Won't a mechanical problem cause pain or further lameness elsewhere? I am biased though because I have no experience with with mechanical lameness.

Interesting problem and I hope you figure it out. Best wishes to Kaswyn and you!

Anonymous said...

Have you considered a chiropractor or massage? It may be muscle.

lthorse said...

Hay!

It is hard to tell on a circle...does he wing in? It almost looks to me like he is landing on the outside of the left front rather than placing it squarely on the ground. Can we see some video of him trotting toward the camera?

 
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