Stifle or Hock injury?

[CZP1]

I have a gelding who did something to his left hind. Brought the horses in on Sunday evening. We had 8 inches of snow last week which shut our town down. Had the horses in for a few days. I hand walked them until (so I thought) the dry lot was dry enough and no slip slide and away. That didn't work for me, I fell twice on my caboose on the ice. Back to story, when I went to pick my boy Will's back left hind it wouldn't bend very stiff but he does that intentionally sometimes when he won't pickup his feet, and then it popped. I thought wow that was weird, so picked his feet and check for rocks or any heat or swelling nothing so put them up for the night, didn't really think anything of it.

Monday I turn the boys out and Will usually runs off, this time he stood near the gate and didn't move do you think I would tune into his mood - no I went and got him a pepperment, he walked away but didn't seem off. We had 80s yesterday and everyone is still in the winter wooleys so everyone was sort of lazy. no running or playing that I saw. When I went to bring the boys in, Will was dragging his left hind and panic sets in so I calmly get him out of the dry lot and have a look. Hubby walked him around so I could look at his tracking. Yup he is off (duh)

There is no swelling, or heat so picked his feet and called the vet, said to dose him with banamine for three day and if no improvement in the 3 days to bring him in on Friday and they will inject his stifle. So today he seemed to be walking with no pain, trotted off but there was is a delayed reaction in the hock area when he puts his leg down. It is almost as if he is doing a tempi-change move in the hind area (all the dressage geeks). So I will take him in on Friday to have him x-rayed etc. so where would this injury be in the stifle or hock?

I have never experienced this with all my years of horses big and small (over 32 years). Funny too that I was at a local tack shop on friday and the owner was talking about an injury to the suspensory (sp) on her horse and I was bragging that I never had any problems with the legs!

Thanks

 

[maestoso]

It's hard to make a judgement on this without seeing it in person. But stifle injuries many times directly affect the function of the hock, so even if what your seeing is in the hock, it could very well be a stifle injury.

 

[JMS Miniatures]

Make sure he doesn't have long toes. Wack those toes off and you may see a diference.

 

[kaykay]

I would also venture a guess that its a stifle problem. but its just a guess. I would get a vet out to look him over. sending good thoughts

 

[JourneysEnd]

It sounds like a locking stifle from the pop and the dragging leg.

You're already doing what I would recommend.

 

[Keri]

How old is your guy????

From the sound and the leg dragging, I would say a stifle problem. Have x-rays done. Injecting (or blistering) the stifle will only be a temporary relief if he is diagnosed with locking stifle. It is quite common in minis and sometimes a simple injury can cause problems. But my guy had locking stifle. I would try and pick up his back legs and he would either not pick them up or fight me. But it was actually his stifle locking and him involuntarily fighting me. I had the stifle surgery done on him last fall. He is much better. No locking/dragging of the legs, no fighting me when I pick up his back legs, and no stiff movements.

Be sure to check into the cutting surgery if he is diagnosed. Be an easy road to recovery for your guy. Also, if he was stalled up and not able to exercise for a few days, it would cause his stifle to have problems. Stifle problems can sometimes be fixed with just simple exercise (which is what most vets reccommend at first).

 

[CZP1]

My guy is 7, doesn't want to pick up either back leg today. So probably compensating for the left and more pressure on the right. We talked with the vet today and agreed that is probably the case. He was trotting around but while watching him he looked like a duck, definitely not normal for him, will see on Friday, the vet said to inject but I think I will have them x-rays done this vet is the best in the area for soundness problems and has alot of experience with the minis..

Thanks I am just a nervous wreck, though I just got him in July, he is my little baby.

 

[JourneysEnd]

My guy is 7, doesn't want to pick up either back leg today. So probably compensating for the left and more pressure on the right. We talked with the vet today and agreed that is probably the case. He was trotting around but while watching him he looked like a duck, definitely not normal for him, will see on Friday, the vet said to inject but I think I will have them x-rays done this vet is the best in the area for soundness problems and has alot of experience with the minis..
Thanks I am just a nervous wreck, though I just got him in July, he is my little baby.

I hope it's nothing serious. Check for a hip or back injury. I don't want to scare you, but one of my clients had a problem with one of their horses and it turned out to be a broken pelvis. It took the vets a week to figure this out while he suffered. I think he was a lot worse than yours sounds. With the snow and possible slipping and sliding - I'd have him check out the the entire hind end (I'm sure he already knows to do this)

Good luck, hope it's nothing serious.

 

[zacharyfarms]

I agree with Journey's End. The vets crippled one of my stallion because they insisted it was his stifles when in reality it was his shoulder. An injury elsewhere can appear to be a stifle issue and can actually cause the patella to move inappropriately. The vets will jump to "fix' that because it is something they know how to do and they are taught that minis are prone to stifle issues. If they do the injection or splitting surgery then you must be able to rehab your horse properly...walking in hand twice a day for 15 or 20 minutes for 2 weeks and that is really hard to do if the horse has a broken hip or a torn shoulder muscle. Now you not only have a horse with a broken hip or torn muscle but one with stifles that have been improperly treated. Hopefully your horse will be evaluated properly before any treatment to his stifle. By the way my horse was running in the wet mud .one of the most common ways to injure a shoulder..