| LAMENESS |
|
How long will I have to be at the clinic if I bring my horse in for a lameness examination? In some cases, the cause of lameness will be relatively easy to determine based on a physical examination. In other cases, a more prolonged and detailed examination will be required. An in-depth lameness evaluation (including nerve and joint blocks) can be very time consuming and is often necessary to identify the origin of a horse’s lameness (especially chronic lameness). Your horse is likely to have to stay at the clinic for the entire day. The presence of the owner however might not be required for the entire day. Most horses will be able to go home in the evening, although in some cases the examination may need to be continued on another day.  A few helpful hints for owners who are bringing in their horses for a lameness evaluation: • Pain killing medications such as bute (equipalazone and others) should not be given in the last 4 days prior to the work up. • Where possible, no farriery should be performed on your horse’s feet in the week prior to the visit and shoes should not be pulled. Any of the above mentioned could impair our ability to accurately diagnose the origin of a lameness. • Try to ensure that your horse is noticeably lame on the day of the visit. Mildly lame horses might have to be worked daily for several days prior to the lameness examination in order to have a horse which is lame enough to be able to perform a meaningful evaluation. It might also be helpful to bring your tack in order to see the horse move under saddle (especially in cases of mild hindleg lameness or gait problems). • Owners are welcome to stay during the entire work up, or may be able to leave their horse at the clinic and pick it up on the same evening or the following day. |
