Why is my horse suddenly lame with no visible injury or swelling?

Your horse could have an infection. Sometimes they can get an infection in the hoof that can cause some swelling in fetlock area. It may be a good idea to have your vet examine her and possibly give her some antibiotics and anti-inflammatory meds. I hope this has helped. Thank you for using pet coach.

Poor Sadie! I would call your equine vet to come and see her. There are many things that can cause lameness in the cannon bone and pastern of a horse including strains and sprains of the ligaments, fractures of the bone, or arthritis among others. The vet can do a lameness exam including flexion tests, nerve blocks, and possibly field x-rays. Once the cause of the lameness is found, the vet can discuss treatment options with you.

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.

Hello there and thank you very much for your question. Mud fever, as you may or may not know, is simply a skin infection caused by a moist environment. Generally speaking, horses do not show signs of lameness or the symptoms that you are seeing based on this disease only. In fact it would be very rare. Therefore, I strongly believe that there is another reason that may be causing the lameness and swelling issues that you are experiencing. I urge you to have the veterinarian perform a complete orthopedic examination as well as neurologic examination that includes diagnostic nerve testing as well as x-rays so that they can make a diagnosis. Again, I am quite skeptical that the mud fever is the reason for the symptoms your horse is experiencing. Everything is possible but in this case it would be very rare. Thanks a lot for your question. I hope I have helped.

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.

Has your horse been seen by an equine vet? If not then this would be the next step. Swollen legs/veins can be a sign of heart disease. I would also have the horse tested for Equine viral arteriitis. There is a possibility that it once had this disease and these are problems connected to arteriitis. he cellulitis and the abscess can have caused sepsis which in turn caused heart problems. So these are two diseases that definitely need to be checked by an equine vet. There are a few other diseases that could cause swollen blood vessels, so your vet may want to take some blood for checking organ function as well.

You need to have a vet out there to check Phoenix. The vet needs to localize the lameness and take x-rays. If he is not putting weight on the leg it is usually either a hoof abscess or fracture of the coffin bone.