Right forelimb lameness

[thope95]

Mini mare approximately 10-12 years old, has beginning of Cushing's and is slightly overweight. Has an on going lameness in right front, not head bobbing lame but even with proper hoof trimming she will only walk on the inside of her rf hoof. No visible deformities, been checked for abscess/stone bruises, vet thought it was muscular. She gets massages every two weeks and will be fine for a couple days but by the time she's ready for another massage she's lame again. Not in any work, comes in at night and stays out all day.

 

[chandab]

Is she on medication for the Cushing's? Untreated Cushing's leads to a host of issues, main being laminitis, so she could have low grade laminitis going on. I know you said beginning, but they all handle Cushing's a bit differently and show signs of it a bit differently.

 

[thope95]

Yes she just got started on medication about a month ago

 

[chandab]

Yes she just got started on medication about a month ago

What was she put on and how much?And, at least in the initial stages, a very controlled diet helps a lot, so that usually means limited grazing, low carb hay, no grain or a good low carb grain, no treats.

 

[thope95]

Not sure what she's on, she belongs to a client of mine but I do know she gets it twice a day.

 

[thope95]

We've been trying to figure it out for months. Not sure if her lameness is due to her weight or if it could be something else like arthritis. Her shoulder and pectoral muscles are always tight

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Has she been xrayed? I think that's the only way you'll know. Xray showed my horse has bone spurs and arthritis in a front leg. He is on Adequan and it makes all the difference.

 

[FurstPlaceMiniatures]

What qualifications does your equine massage therapist have to diagnose lameness? Not to be harsh, but the education involved to be qualified as one isn't anywhere near veterinary status and does NOT qualify her to diagnose lameness. More massages probably are not the cure. I'm SURE it makes her feel better and it's an awesome thing for you to do for her, but i would get veterinary advice ASAP

Cuehings destroys the metabolism, and laminitis is super common. Especially if it's on and off, I'd make 100% sure she's not laminitic. Even just a little of it has to hurt like heck.

If she's lame I'm sure her shoulder and pec muscles are tight. I have crappy shoulders. When they act up my back muscles get tight from trying to compensate. It's usually the first thing I feel, even before my shoulders freeze up. I don't have a back problem though. My filly has cystic ovary flare ups. Her first cue is that she looks off in the hind end. After I kill the cyst with hormones, I always get her a massage and chiro. After moving off for awhile things get out of whack. She loves it!

 

[thope95]

I'm the massage therapist and I have multiple certifications in massage and anatomy which is why I recommended having a vet look at her after not seeing any long term progress with weekly massages. The only reason we have continued with them is because the owners vet and farrier recommended it after not finding anything in the lameness and hoof exams. Vet was the one who thought it was a muscular problem. I don't work with many minis and have never seen any horse walk on the inside (not even heel or toe) of their fooot so that's why I posted to see if there are any shoulder or front limb ailments minis are commonly prone to. I do believe the massages make her more comfortable and enjoy providing her with some relief but I also realize the problem needs to be found/cured if possible rather than just treated.

 

[Miniv]

Have you considered a chiropractor who specializes in horses? She may need adjustment....up in her forward spine and neck area.

Massaging helps for the short term (as you saw) but a correction at the source could answer it.