My horse is limping and won't put weight on his back leg. What's next?

Poor Gigi! If she is non-weightbearing on the affected leg, I would recommend calling out an equine vet right away for an emergency visit, as this is often a sign of a serious injury such as a fracture. If she is bearing weight and acting normal otherwise, you could try stall rest for the next few days with lots of soft bedding to see if the lameness resolves. You can certainly try icing or cold-hosing the hoof, but it's hard to say if this will be helpful or not without knowing what is causing the lameness. If there is no improvement in the next 3-5 days, or if she isn't eating or having any other symptoms, she needs to be seen by a vet right away to find out what's wrong. Your vet can take x-rays or do other testing if needed to help diagnose the problem and see what can be done to treat it.

That looks like an abscess may have ruptured in that location or it's a puncture wound/injury. Both can make a horse lame. A hoof abscess doesn't always smell. I strongly suggest you get your vet out there to check him. If the vet doesn't think it's an abscess then he may need to have x-rays taken to make sure there is not something stuck up inside the hoof or that there are no fractures present (like a fracture of the coffin bone). While you are waiting to have the vet out I would confine him to a box stall or at least a very small paddock and I would soak the foot in warm Epsom Salt water to see if that will help draw out any infection that might be present. Soak for 10-15 minutes twice a day. Also, if you can, I would put a boot on his foot to protect it and keep it clean. Do they sell Easy Boots in Ireland? Either an Easy Boot or something similar. https://www.easycareinc.com/our_boots/easyboots/Easyboots.aspx I hope this helps. Best wishes. If you have more questions please post again.

This could be a sign of laminitis, a hoof abscess, inflammation or arthritis of the joints, tendinitis, etc. You will need to make an appointment with your equine vet for an exam. The least your vet will give or prescribe is pain medicine and anti-inflammatory medicine, If there is an abscess or infection your horse will also need antibiotics.

Poor Sophie! It is possible that she developed a soft tissue injury or fracture in your absence or developed a blood clot in one of her hind legs (saddle thrombus). Since she is unwilling to bear any weight on this leg, she is likely in quite a bit of pain and should go to the vet immediately for evaluation. She may need to have x-rays and pain medication. I hope that all goes well!

Hi and thanks for posting! There are many causes of limping in dogs and while it is hard to say for certain what is going on specifically with Phoenix, I can offer a few possibilities and next steps. Ligament tears (such as an ACL tear), bone infection/inflammation, osteoarthritis, generative joint disease, bone cancers, or certain systemic infections such as lyme disease or blastomycosis could all be possible causes. I would recommend Phoenix have a good orthopedic exam done, some x-rays of the effected leg and perhaps testing for tick borne diseases such as lyme disease as a few good first steps. I hope this helps!

Oh no, poor Jim! Unfortunately if he did break his leg, he could still put weight on it when needed so that fact does not rule out a broken leg. The only way to rule it out is with x-rays at the vet clinic. It is concerning that he won't put any pressure on his paw at all, and I don't feel this can wait for another week. I will give you some resources that may help you afford a vet sooner. You can see if your vet accepts payment plans, if there is a low cost clinic in your area, or you can apply for Carefree Credit online. http://www.carefreecredit.co.uk https://www.rspca.org.uk/whatwedo/vetcare http://www.easipetcare.com

Hi. Thank you for writing in with a question. This off and on limping could be caused by several things ranging from a soft tissue injury to infection or repeated injuries. I don't know if you were in valley fever heavy areas, but if you are that is a possibility for an off-and-on lameness as well. I would recommend continuing rest and anti-inflammatories prescribed by your veterinarian until you can see the orthopedic specialist. The orthopedic specialist is the best Next Step. Good luck and I hope he feels better soon