My horse's hip is sunken. Is it laminitis or cause for worry?

With all four feet involved at some point laminitis is likely. Quarter horses tend to get heavy and are prone to laminitis. I would reduce or eliminate grain from Harley's diet and you can feed soaked plain beet pulp with a small amount of low carbohydrate pellets if you need to supplement him. Keeping him off lush pasture or only having him turned out for a short time will help also. Many horses get mild laminitis without long term problems. Weight loss is crucial as well as changing from rich feeds. Your farrier will be able to give you an opinion about the lameness also particularly about the feet. If the lameness persists I recommend a veterinary exam and X-rays if indicated. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to get answers to your veterinary questions.

Poor Shadow! I would be very concerned she has torn a ligament or may have fractured a bone. It does sound like she is suffering from muscle atrophy if her left hip looks indented. Taking her into the vet is exactly the right thing, and I would bring her into one today.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. This could be due to arthritis in the back legs, systemic illness such as kidney disease or heart disease, muscle disease, metabolic disease, etc. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Hope so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I would recommend having her blood tested to see if there are any changes that need to be addressed. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hello, and thanks for your question. Poor little Lilith! This is something that needs to be addressed by a vet immediately. Lilith could have an abscess, or an injury that she's worsening by licking/chewing if it's causing her discomfort. This is not something you will be able to treat with home remedies from your description, so she should be seen as soon as possible to minimize her suffering.

Hello. This is pretty interesting. Are you sure he just does not have an area of thinning hair? This can sometimes look like a depression in the skin. If not, then muscle can atrophy & shrink a bit if there was some possible injury or trauma to the area. Unfortunately, I just can not tell you if this is serious or not & the best thing to do is have him evaluated, especially if you are sure that this is not thinning hair & when you run your hand over the area, there is a real indentation or depression. I know of no actual disease or condition that would cause this in such a young dog, other than the atrophy previously mentioned. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I would advise you to get an equine vet out to look at her as soon as you can. What you describe may be due to sacroiliac pain, but aspects of it such as problems placing her feet would make me wonder regarding a neurological issue. I would advise you not to ride her until the vet has checked her out, for your own safety and to avoid worsening any problem. You can walk her in hand. I hope it is nothing too serious and you find resolution quickly.

Ebony may need to have a full exam and lameness workup done by your equine veterinarian to make sure she doesn't have a lameness issue. If there is no soft tissue or bone issue going on causing lameness, she may have muscle pain, and in my experience acupuncture works great for treating musculoskeletal issues in horses. Gentle massage and acupressure techniques and stretching exercises are things you can learn to do as a horse owner and they may help as well. She is at an age where she is likely dealing with arthritis pain also, and could benefit from products like Cosequin for horses. Hope that is helpful!