“We have been told that the patella is not there.”…
“The left side of my horse’s wither area is swollen, “…
“One of our horses reared up and fell on her back about a month and a half ago.”…
“he is in pain and doesn’t want to put any weight on his left hind foot”…
“I came home yesterday to find him tangled up in my fence”…
“..She lost 250 pounds, is skin and bones and still in foal though, due in February. She will not walk on leg, will not put heal down, leg has been x-rayed but no breaks etc. “…
“My horses were fine when the front blew in, but now both of them (mare and gelding; 5 and 4 years) are seeming lethargic,”…
“We have been told that the patella is not there.”…
Our mini just had a surprise baby. We have been told that the patella is not there. I know in humans the knee cap does not develop until after birth for a year or two. When does the patella develop in mini horses? He seems to get around fine. Doesn’t have a problem getting up from laying down. He does have a swollen area inside his upper thigh. Thanks,
Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:
Hi Scott,
The patella should be able to be felt. It would be there, but in the newborn it is not totally calcified so it is made of cartilage. If your mini is able to move and walk normally, the stifle area along with the patella should be very close to normal. A Veterinarian should be able to tell you if everything is normal. Good luck.
“The left side of my horse’s wither area is swollen, “…
When I touch it, it does not seem to bother him, it doesn’t seem warm. Do you know what could cause this? He also had been bitten by a horse that jumped the fence on the wither area and there is now a scab on it. Could that be what is causing the swelling? Thank you.
Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:
Jamie:
Your description of being bitten by another horse is the most likely explanation for the withers swelling. You may hot-pack the area and give your horse some bute until the inflammation subsides. Even though it does not seem painful to the touch, you should not ride him until the swelling is completely gone. If the swelling does not subside, it is time for an examination. Good luck.
“One of our horses reared up and fell on her back about a month and a half ago.”…
She couldn’t lift her tail when evacuating or urinating. The vet could find nothing wrong. She is now lifting her tail, but not as far as she did previously. Do you have any suggestions?
Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:
Barbara:
She may have had some nerve damage from the trauma of impact, which affected her ability to raise her tail. Since you describe the ability to be coming back a little, she probably had nerve paresis (temporary loss of function), and not nerve paralysis (permanent loss of function). Only time will tell if she will ever regain full function, or full range of motion, of her tail region. Was she ever neurological (stumbling, tripping, swaying or leaning to either side, or falling over)? If she was neurological, it may not be safe to ride her. However, if she checks out completely normal every other way, then proceed slowly. Vitamin E supplementation may help with nerve damage – you should inquire of your veterinarian about this. Good luck.
“he is in pain and doesn’t want to put any weight on his left hind foot”…
My 22 yr old QH Gelding is having a rough time of it…he is in pain and doesn’t want to put any weight on his left hind foot…I think he has a groin injury because when I massage that area he trembles. I started putting Absorbine Jr on it and hopefully it will relieve some of the discomfort. I also am giving him Bute once a day…is there anything else I should be doing for him? Should I keep him in his stall to rest? Your answer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you,
Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:
Hi Louise:
I recommend you do keep him stalled up until a veterinarian sees him. If not better in 24 hours, then he should definitely be seen. If it is sudden onset, the most likely problem is a hoof abscess, however a broken leg cannot be excluded without an exam. Bute will help in the meantime, but is not curative. Good luck.
“I came home yesterday to find him tangled up in my fence”…
My 11 year old TW will not put any weight one his left hind leg…I came home yesterday to find him tangled up in my fence. After 2 hours I finally got him to stand, I massaged his leg for an hour with DMSO, gave him some pain killer called Stop the pain, he’s eating, drinking and his color and temp are great. There is no swelling, no heat, no breaks that I can feel….what can I do to help him? He’s tried to put weight on it but only for a second. Should I have an X-ray done? Or just give him a few more days to see how he’ll do?
Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:
Hi Traci,
Since the cause of the problem is probably the tangling up in the fence, he probably injured something deep in the leg and it will probably require x-rays in order to determine the exact problem. It would be best not to wait, since the problem could get worse without proper treatment. Have a Vet come out and check him out as soon as you can. I hope this helps and good luck.
“..She lost 250 pounds, is skin and bones and still in foal though, due in February. She will not walk on leg, will not put heal down, leg has been x-rayed but no breaks etc. “…
I own a 10 year old QH mare, in foal. I found her lying in the field one morning unable to get up. Finally got her up and into the barn. The vet came out, thought she had an abscess, she would not put her foot down and it seemed like her hip or leg was hurt to me. I soaked the foot- no abscess. Three days later the mare’s hind leg from ankle all the way up to the hip was swollen three times normal size. She had a loss of appetite and small bumps or sores appeared over most of her body. No drainage though.The vet was not real sure what this could be. Possibly “Lymphangitis” but he was not real familiar with it. We have given all types of meds/bute etc…to heal her but nothing seems to help. She lost 250 pounds, is skin and bones and still in foal though due in February. She will not walk on leg, will not put heal down, leg has been x-rayed but no breaks etc. Any suggestions as to what this may be?
Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:
Hi Telisa,
This sounds like a real challenge. With the history of possible abscess and then the severe swelling, even though x rays were done, I wonder about a deep penetration of the foot by an radiolucent (something like a sharp wooden stob) that might be up in the foot and yet can’t be seen at the bottom of the foot (up in the sulcus of the frog). Another possibility would be a very toxic insect or snake bite that left only very small holes that can’t be detected, on the lower part of the leg. The hives and severe swelling goes along with this scenario. One last possibility would be a fracture or dislocation in the upper part of the leg (the large bones that can’t be easily x-rayed). I am sure your Vet has thought about all of this and tried to eliminate exact possibility. The venomous bite is the most probable and usually can’t easily be proven. Sometimes about 2 weeks after something like this, an area somewhere in the lower leg will actually slough out and leave a large draining wound. I hope this is helpful and good luck.
“My horses were fine when the front blew in, but now both of them (mare and gelding; 5 and 4 years) are seeming lethargic,”…
Here in South Texas we just had a severe cold snap, it’s been in the 40’s this weekend and is just warming up today to around 60 degrees. My horses were fine when the front blew in, but now both if them (mare and gelding; 5 and 4yrs) are seeming lethargic, and when I cleaned their feet this morning they were both reluctant to pick up the back right foot. A neighbor, about a mile away, was talking to me yesterday and said her gelding, ~27, was having similar issues yesterday. Is there anything like this that springs to mind? Is there something that could spread through the air? Or that I might’ve carried home on my clothes? Both of the horses are up to date on their vacc., including WN.
Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:
Brewster:
My best estimate is that your horses are experiencing stiffness from the cold snap. Even though they are not that old, they still feel the cold weather in their muscles and joints, just like we do. I do not have an explanation as to why the right hind on both horses. If all else seems normal with them, I guess I wouldn’t be super-concerned if it resolves.
Also, it’s a good idea to supplement their feed with electrolytes at the onset of cold snaps. This will encourage drinking normal amounts of water. Horses, like people, tend to drop off their water consumption when it’s not as hot or warm out.
