Miracle bute...

[emaren]

Everytime I get one of my horses going undersaddle, they find a way to try to kill themselves. So the latest is Freddie, the thoroshire, who has just in the past two weeks finally learned to trot undersaddle came up three-legged lame. Wednesday when I got home he was holding his back left leg up in the air. I guessed that he probably slipped in the mud and fell since even his face was mud covered and he's not really a pigpen type of horse. It seemed like it might be his ankle that was hurting since he didn't want me to touch it, but he does have a bit of scratches right now and there was maybe a bit of swelling so I poulticed and wrapped that leg and also wrapped the other hind leg for support. I gave him a gram of bute that night and decided to wait and see what it looked like in the morning.

In the morning he was still visibly lame, but seemed to be putting more weight on the leg although I thought that was because the other leg was getting pretty tired. I only had a half-gram of bute left so I gave it to him and called the vet.

Vet came in the afternoon. I took off the wraps and walked him out of his paddock with no lameness or swelling in the leg or any kind of indication of injury except maybe a bit touchy about his glut muscle being palpated. Vet recommended keeping him wrapped for a few days just in case and sold me more bute. I also noticed some swelling in a front leg, but he's not sore there and vet didn't notice.

I didn't bute last night since he wasn't sore or lame and I don't want to over do the bute. This morning he is very sore and lame in the same hind leg.

So... what kind of injury can be completely masked by bute? I am assuming there probably isn't anything broken because he would have still been lame when the vet was there bute or not. I didn't take any wraps off this morning so I'm not sure about any swelling this morning. The vet is probably thinking I'm crazy because when he shows up the horse is dandy.

[scribbles]

maybe you shouldnt give him any bute so the vet can see him without it? maybe your horse is either not very stoic about something that hurts, and bute is enough to make it all better :D or he is really sensitive to bute...

[whbar158]

My horse is a wuss he can go from lame to sound with 2 grams of bute and usually what was making him lame wasn't a big deal anyways. What bute has NOT helped with for him abscesses, a bad sprain, and a hole in his foot and bad shoeing! For most minor things (tweak, bang, etc from tripping or falling while playing, arthritis) it covers it up well. I would if your horse just has a sore muscle and the bute is really helping keep pain and inflammation down.

Also if you catch them right after they banged/tweaked something they can appear very very lame but actually be ok, just like when you stub your toe it hurts you hop around for a few mins it hurts you hobble and finally you go back to normal.

One other thing to think about is that for some horses bute can cover up a bruise or abscess forming (3 legged lame) have you had his hind foot hoof tested?

[emaren]

Hoof testing didn't show any pain.

Personally I felt I had to bute in the morning. Vet doesn't check messages until after I leave for work and he was hurting and it was only a gram and a half in twelve hours and what if the vet couldn't make it, then he's in pain for nothing.

Maybe he is just a sissy, but I can't believe how he is hopping around and then when the vet is there, he's fine. I'm really, really hoping it is minor.

[JWB]

Not saying it's navicular because obviously, it isn't but I had a navicular mare who was COMPLETELY sound (hoof testers & jogging) on 1 gram every 2nd day. I'd have the vet look at him unmedicated.