Gathering Information About Your Horse's Medical History and Lifestyle
Information about your horse's medical history and lifestyle can help our vet accurately diagnose the cause of the lameness. The staff at Youngblood Equine will ask you questions specifically related to lameness, such as when it first began.
During this part of the lameness examination, he will ask about your horse's training regimen and any information about riding. We'll also ask you for information about when your horse was last shoed.
About the Physical Examination
The second part of your horse's lameness examination consists of a physical examination. Dr. Youngblood will assess your horse at rest to check their balance and ability to bear weight. He will look for any obvious signs of an injury or stress at this point as well. The physical exam may also include watching your horse walk/jog. By analyzing your horse in motion, our practitioner can look for signs of a problem, such as gait deviations, short strides, unusual weight shifting, stiffness, etc.
Dr. Youngblood will also perform a hands-on exam by checking your horse's tendons, muscles, bones, and joints for any evidence of swelling, pain, or other abnormalities. A joint flexion test consists of our veterinarian holding your horse's limb and bending it. When your horse moves afterward, our vet evaluates his movement for irregularities and signs of pain.
At the appointment, our practitioner may use a hoof tester, which is a device that applies pressure to the bottom of your horse's feet. It evaluates the soles for sensitivity and pain.
Imaging and Further Diagnostics
Sometimes, the physical examination and medical history portion of the appointment is enough to diagnose the problem. However, it's possible our vet will want to conduct further testing.
Equinosis (Lameness Locator) Motion sensors are placed on the horse's poll (top of head), pastern, and pelvis. These sensors are communicating wirelessly and sending data to a computer to generate a lameness report. With these finding, Dr. Youngblood can pinpoint the location (s) of lameness, and determine what further treatments need to be done.
Nerve and joint blocks are one possible diagnostic. Dr. Youngblood performs this procedure by temporarily stopping sensation to different areas until your horse's lameness subsides. Ultimately, this helps determine where the problem is as well as if it's treatable.
We may also use radiography to identify the location of any damage or changes within the tissue. We can look at ligaments, tendons, and structures with the horse's joint. Other options include sonography, arthroscopy, and fluid samples, among others.
Treating Lameness
Once we diagnose the cause of the lameness, he'll decide on the appropriate course of action. Sometimes, it's prescribing medication to help manage the pain along with encouraging you to make sure your horse receives adequate rest while he or she heals. Some other treatments may include a bandage, wound dressing, or antibiotics.
