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What causes that?

vneerland March 14, 2009 February 22, 2011

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I just don't know what to think, really. This morning looking out the window, I thought that my mare was favoring her hind leg. Sure enough, she was not putting much weight on her right hind. I immediately checked it. No cuts or bruises that I could see, nothing in the hoof itself, but since it had rained for days and everything was soggy, it would not surprise me if she had slipped and hurt herself. But it seemed that not putting much weight on it progressed to her standing with her leg pulled all the way up, right under her belly. She would periodically stand like that or actually bite at it at times. I walked to her feeder and she limped behind me, but galdly ate. I went inside and made a call to the vets office, but they had just closed for the day. :cry: So I talked my cowboy neighbor into coming to look at it and while I was waiting for him, she had laid down, head up, like she does on a sunny day to doze (though is wasn't sunny) I assumed she wanted to take the weight off. Later, I saw her laying flat. When the neighbor pulled up, about > 2 hours later, she was up, still being careful on it, but to be honest? The horrible limp was mostly gone. She seemed sore in the second hands on inspection of the day, but maybe more so in her gut and I imagined seeing a raised area just above the flanks. HUH? Had I missed a colic by focussing too much on the leg? I walked her around, put her up in a round pen after that and hoped for her to poop. No more laying down, no biting or staring at the flanks and no more limp. When I let her out a moment ago, no poop in the past 3 hours, but a good hard jog to the partially open gate. :oops: I saw no limp at all. I don't think I will feed tonight. But what on earth can this be/have been?

Paintlover Sat, 03/14/2009 - 22:29

It's sounds to me like it could be colic our some sort of discomfort in her gut/stomach. Not saying it is for sure but pulling her leg up like that and biting at it could have been her way of dealing with the pain. :? Obviously you are keeping a close eye on her which is good. Hopefully whatever it was will pass.

vneerland Sat, 03/14/2009 - 22:40

You think? :o I mean lame this morning. Not just pulling her leg up, but walking/hobbeling totally lame too.

Paintlover Sat, 03/14/2009 - 22:46

You think? :o I mean lame this morning. Not just pulling her leg up, but walking/hobbeling totally lame too.

It's late and I kinda forgot that part. :laugh1 It does sound a little weird. It could be she just sprained it. I have had similar things with my horses. No swelling or anything and it just goes away. How old is she? It sounds a little like when our gelding started to develop arthritis. Not trying to worry. :shock: :? Maybe by morning it will have all disappeared.

I should go to bed before I confuse you any further. :laugh1

Morgan Sat, 03/14/2009 - 23:15

I think maybe youre right about her slipping. She could have pulled something, you know where you get the feeling that something is out of place and you get all squirmy and stretching in wierd possitions to get it back and cant move propperly? or does that just happen to me? :?

Heather Sun, 03/15/2009 - 08:53

SOme mares show discomfort in the spring with transitional heat/oviluation, just tender ...but could have been just a mild colic symptom too.

Sometimes when mares are US right at the time of oviluation when the hand touches the ovary they wince to one side in pain. They do get tender. We had one mare that we showed in the 80s in WP that had to be medicated if she oviluated, you would swear she was colicing.

vneerland Sun, 03/15/2009 - 09:45

I have not gone out to feed yet, but she is standing (phew) at he usual spot, looking normal. Have not seen her walk yet though.
Thinking out loud at this point, I am wondering if horses can get those horrible leg cramps that keep coming back every time you take a wrong step just minutes after it eased off? I am sure most of us have dealt with that for ourselves once or twice. :(
@ Heather. I did see her act like she was in heat a few days ago when I brushed her tailhead. But if one is prone to horrible cramps (yikes!) wouldn't it have shown all along to some degree? :? Or maybe the tenderness in the flanks was not related to the leg and she 'just' slipped.
I am telling you I felt stupid by the time my neighbor showed up. She seemed no more than tender and sore at that point while she had done a great Barbaro post accident immitation that morning. :evil:

Heather Sun, 03/15/2009 - 09:49

Just a theroy but her cramps would have been 24/48 hrs tops , another thing to consider is a abcess in her hoof...

Daylene Alford Sun, 03/15/2009 - 10:08

An abscess is actually the first thing I though of. You might want to check closely around the top of her hoof to see if she may have blown one.

vneerland Sun, 03/15/2009 - 10:18

You might want to Google "Stringhalt"??

Thank you. I just did. She sure drew her leg up like it describes. Only when standing though. When moving, is was just a horrible limp. It says stringhalt can be caused by toxins like plants. Not sure what plants to look for this time of year. Her feed also unchanged: a handfull of oats, 2 LB pellets and 3/4 cup boss/day. Plus good coastal hay.

An abscess is actually the first thing I though of. You might want to check closely around the top of her hoof to see if she may have blown one.

We looked for that yesterday and did not see it. (doesn't mean it's not there, just that we both would have missed it)

critterkeeper Sun, 03/15/2009 - 12:21

I hope she is okay - there is so much that CAN go wrong, we worry ourselves sick just contemplating the possibilities... :ymsick: 8-x =:)

vneerland Sun, 03/15/2009 - 22:42

I am feeling a little less stupid tonight. But a lot more confused. :shock:
The lameness is gone, thank goodness and she is acting totally normal. though slightly mad at me for yesterdays fasting. I ran into my vet today (figuratively speaking) and told him about it. He said he had had to make 8 horse related farm calls after hours, all lame! Some of which had obviously slipped (mud still all over the horse) Friday, records of 24 hr rainfall amounts were broken, going as far back as 1941. So she just slipped on an higly unusually soggy ground. I guess.
Then I get to my other neighbor today and she tells me that they had had trouble with their horse yesterday. :? She was all lame (huh?) and she described almost the same, minus the drawing. That mare too is fine today.
Good grief! What are the chances? :oops: