Stasis

The mystery lameness saga has no end in sight.  The scratches have gone, the thrush has healed, and Leo is still lame.

Leo and his across-the-fence BFF, Banks

Yesterday, the vet came out to do a second lameness evaluation. She was expecting that he would block sound in the foot, and that we would find evidence of navicular changes in the foot. This was not unexpected; the only pain that he presented with during the initial exam was acute heel pain, and navicular had been mentioned at that time. I had (mostly) come to terms with it as being a real possibility, and though I was dreading the diagnosis, I was prepared for it.

Blocks on blocks

Thing is, Leo didn't block sound to the foot. He didn't block sound to the pastern, either. And the third block, the four-point that would have blocked the fetlock, didn't take. Up until that point, Leo had been handling the poking/waiting/trotting cycle incredibly well (he hates needles - typically it takes a stud chain and a fair bit of manhandling to give him shots, but for whatever reason the blocks weren't bothering him), but when Dr G went to redo the block, he wasn't happy. She accidentally went into his joint with the needle, and we ended the exam there. 

He is not shy about hiding his feelings

He got a shot of antibiotics into the leg to stave off infection, and the site had been sterilized beforehand, so the chances of complications are low. We gave him bute for any potential inflammation, wrapped the leg, and left him inside overnight. Unfortunately, this morning, his leg looked like this.

While this is not a sign of infection (nothing is localized, there is no heat, etc), it was still somewhat concerning, and the vet came back to take a look. She believes that it is primarily from the lidocaine not draining, but gave him another shot of antibiotics just in case. We sweat wrapped the leg, and will see how it looks in 24 hours. The "danger zone" for an infection in the fetlock joint is one week, so we will be keeping a very close eye on his leg to make sure that no further complications arise.

If the swelling is gone tomorrow, he is allowed back outside. 

So, what happens next? Leo does not have navicular, but we also do not know what is causing the lameness. The vet has referred us to the University, which has fancy lameness diagnostic technology, but we couldn't get an appointment before June 7th, so we won't find out for some time what exactly the issue is. 

I'm frustrated. I'm stressed out. I'm tired. I miss my horse. I'm terrified that he'll end up with complications. I don't know how I'm going to be able to afford a third (very expensive) lameness exam. I'm going to be on vacation next week with no phone service, and I am so scared that something else will go wrong. 

In a few weeks, we should have some answers. Hopefully. Because things really, really suck right now.