Lame horse. Causes, symptoms, treatment.

J. R. Rooney

Introduction
	forelimb
	Lame front legs
	hind limb
	Pathologies of the hind limb
	Spine
	Prevention of lameness

It is my pleasure to express my gratitude to Nadine Browning for her typewriting and thoughtful criticism. Dr. William Meyer, after reading the entire book, made many valuable observations. Both of them are irrelevant to the content, but they did their best! Dr. Charles Reid generously selected and signed the X-rays and taught me radiology. Artist Kathleen Friedenberg was extremely patient. Her work speaks for itself. My apologies and thanks to those interns, clients, and students who couldn't find me while I was writing this book. I am indebted to the following journals and their editors for allowing me to use a number of illustrations that first appeared in their publications: The Cornell Veterinary, Veterinary Scope, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Williams and Wilkins Company, Baltimore, Maryland (Horse Lameness Biomechanics, 1969, Horse Autopsy, 1970), Hoof Beats, The Blood Horse.

Finally, I am sincerely grateful to the publisher A. S. Berneevuz good will and skill.

Fig.1 Diagram of the locomotor apparatus

INTRODUCTION

IN In this book, I describe many of the well-known varieties of equine lameness - their clinical signs, the causes of these signs and the causes of the diseases themselves, as well as methods of prevention and treatment. The fact remains that there are some types of lameness and some diseases with which we can do nothing at this level of development of science - neither cure nor prevent.

I I try hard to avoid math. However, it is necessary to describe several vectors and very few illustrations of the main mechanical processes.

The horse, like any other living organism, can be considered a multidisciplinary system that has two main goals: maintenance of its own existence and reproduction. These two goals are achieved through the holistic functioning of many subsystems, each of which works in its own way and achieves the desired result. To understand how the horse's body works, it is necessary to understand how each of those subsystems works and how all of the subsystems interact with each other. Needless to say, we are still far from a complete, holistic understanding.

IN In this book, we will touch on one subsystem of the horse's body - the locomotor apparatus, and the rest of the subsystems will be classified as "other". The cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive systems are extremely important for the functioning of the locomotor apparatus. I understand this and make the assumption that they work correctly, and I concentrate my attention on the mechanism of movement.

The locomotor apparatus can be thought of as a mechanism. Muscles, bones, joints, tendons, ligaments - this is the source material, plus the force of gravity, and as a result - movement (or a special form of movement - rest). All this happens under the control of the regulatory system, that is, the central and peripheral nervous systems.

On fig. 1 shows this mechanism. We must take into account three factors: the source material, the movement mechanism and the result. The source material, in turn, can be represented as consisting of the following components: (1) signals going from the central nervous system to the locomotor apparatus and vice versa: sensory nerves that tell the brain the location of the limbs and motor nerves that cause muscle contraction and change in location

limbs; (2) the effect of gravity: the load on the limbs created by the weight of the horse's body, the weight

rider, crew, or something else. The result is movement or stillness.

It is impossible to cover in this book all the moments and delve into all the details that led to the emergence of the ideas, hypotheses and theories presented here. For those who want to go further, here is a list of my books.

Much of the material in these books is highly technical, and quite difficult for the untrained reader. However, if you have mastered the real book, you can go further, and I hope you succeed.

"Horse Cadaver Handbook" "Horse Lame Biomechanics" "Horse Cadaver Dissection" "Clinical Equine Neurology"

FOREQUARTERS

Before discussing various lameness, we must understand how the forelimb normally works. In the course of the discussion, I will use some technical terms, since many structures do not have common names. I will explain what these words mean and where they came from. You should

	often look at the pictures to understand the relationship and action of various anatomical structures.
			front	First look at Fig. 2. Here
				the bones of the anterior are depicted and named
	horse limbs			limbs. Man has the same
	1. Shoulder			bones, but they look a little different.
				human				forearm: radial
	2. Shoulder joint
				elbow.					bone also
	3. Humerus
				present,			and ulnar		reduced
				partially lost. Her upper part remained
				in the form of an olecranon (top of the elbow), and
	6. Additional
	wrists			the lower one has fused with the radius and is involved
	7. Wrist joint			in the formation of a joint with the first row of bones
	8. Slate bone			wrist. The wrist is the same as a person's. At
	9. Third metacarpal			horses often call it knee, but this
	10. Sesame bone			not at all the same as the knee
	11. Putovy joint			person. Anatomy of the bones located
	12. Bone of the first phalanx			below the wrist			substantially		is different
	13. Coronary joint			that of a person. Man has fingers
	14. Bone of the second phalanx
	15. Distal			the horse has only one main "toe"
				and two reduced ones. Thumb
	sesame		(shuttle)
					missing, unnamed
	16. Hoof joint			the index is represented only by narrow ones,
	17. Third phalanx			thin slate bones, and the middle
				the finger became longer and stronger (Fig. 3). IN
				fetlock (joint of the first phalanx)
				the metacarpal connects to the superior end
				putovoy bone (1 phalanx). This bone
				forms a joint with the coronary bone
	forms a joint with the coffin bone (3 phalanges).			phalanx), which, in turn,
	The fetlock is often referred to as the "ankle", but
	this is false and has nothing to do with human			person.
	does not have an ankle. End of one bone at a joint			Shaded Bones
	connects to the end of the other. Every
				horses are "lost"
	(epiphysis) bones are covered with smooth, slippery
	articular cartilage. Let's move on from the description of the bones			1. Radius
	to the movement. hoof just now	broke away from
	ground, and the horse should take the leg forward,
				3.Wrist
	to take the next step and move on to her
	body heaviness (Fig. 4). Although in the removal of the legs			5. Phalanges of the palaces
	many muscles are involved, I, for a more visual
	illustrations, I will focus only on some of the
	The large, long brachiocephalic muscle pulls
	limb forward (Fig. 4). This muscle comes from
	humerus to head. At the same time, similar
	on the fan dentate muscle (it is named so
	due to its appearance, see fig. 4)
	performs a rather complex movement. This

a large muscle plays a major role in attaching the forelimb to the body. As shown in fig. 5, the serratus muscle forms a "suspension" on which the torso seems to hang between the front legs. Let's return to fig. 4 - the serratus muscle consists of two parts - the serratus cervical muscle and the serratus pectoralis muscle.

Fig. 4 Removal of the front leg of the horse. The brachiocephalic muscle pulls the leg forward.

Contraction of the serratus pectoralis promotes this by turning the leg forward around a point near the middle of the humerus. The serratus of the neck and the latissimus dorsi are relaxed. The center of gravity is shown as a circle with an exact

1. Serratus neck

2. Serratus pectoralis muscle

3. Brachiocephalic muscle

4. Pectoral muscle

While the brachiocephalic muscle pulls the limb forward, the serratus pectoralis muscle also contracts, and pulls the upper end of the scapula back - down. Since the axis of rotation is located near the middle of the humerus when moving the leg forward, this movement of the scapula back and down helps to carry the limb forward. The axis of rotation is located near the middle of the humerus, because the pectoral muscle comes from the sternum and is attached to the humerus almost in the middle of it.

			While the serratus pectoralis is contracting, the serratus
			the neck is relaxed. This is clearly shown in the drawings.
			The shoulder blade can only move if one part of this
			muscles are relaxed and the other is contracted. This phenomenon
			known as reciprocal muscle activity and
			is an important aspect of all muscle activity
			in any part of the body. In short, when one muscle					Simplified
			is reduced, the other (its antagonist) must be
			relaxed (Fig. 6). Reciprocal muscle activity				illustration
cells in front, visible			not only allows the bone to move in				impact alternating two muscles
		shoulder	opposite directions, but also softens and				on the bone. When alone
bone and part of the radius			smoothes	motion		prevents		is shrinking
bones. black lines			jerky, non-rhythmic movements. This is one of				the other relaxes, and
dentate muscles,			very important muscle functions, and it is directly related to				vice versa
where			many types of lameness. If you build a simple
the cage is suspended			the model shown in Fig. 7, you can easily demonstrate this.
	In front of them		Hang a string with a weight on the end. Pull on the other string attached to
limbs			cargo. The load will swing. Now tie an elastic string to the weight and something

something else (to the wall, for example). Pull the load again. Pendulum oscillations will be much less; there will be no vibration. The elastic thread plays the role of the muscle, and shows its ability to dampen the vibration.

Fig. 7 Model to show the shock-absorbing action of the muscles. If the rope is replaced with an elastic thread, the swaying of the load will decrease and soften.

When the leg is brought forward, it bends at the carpal joint. This is a very useful energy-saving device, both for the horse and for the person. Try to run without bending your knees - you will quickly get tired. The muscle strength a horse needs to reach forward depends to some extent on the length of the leg: the longer the leg, the more power is needed. When the leg is bent, its working length decreases, and hence the force required to carry it out. From the point of view of mechanics, this is called a decrease in the moment of inertia of the limb.

			The limb is now almost fully extended (Fig. 8). muscles,
			especially the extensor carpi radialis, promote leg extension
			by extending the wrist before the foot is placed on
			earth. The phrase "putting your feet on the ground" can be replaced with one
			word "support". When the leg is fully extended, it begins to contract
			the serratus neck muscle, and the serratus pectoralis muscle relaxes.
			The brachiocephalic muscle also relaxes, while its antagonist -
			the latissimus dorsi muscle contracts. (The latissimus dorsi is named
			so thanks to its shape). The limb moves down and back. Bye
			it moves backwards, the hoof touches the ground. This is extremely important.
			If the limb moves backward at the same speed as the body
			horse moves forward, then the horse runs with an almost constant
	Fig. 8 Removal of the front leg		speed; and the only force caused by the pressure of the horse's body on
	almost completed. carpal joint		leg pointing straight down. If the horse wants to run
	unbends.		slower, it slows down the movement of the limb back, and if
		Serratus neck muscle	faster - then, respectively, accelerates it. Except very
	2. Latissimus dorsi		abrupt stops of racehorses if the limb touches
		Serratus pectoralis muscle	earth, it moves backward.
		brachiocephalic muscle	The weight of the body is now transferred to the front leg, and it should not
		Biceps	not only to support this weight, but also to move the horse's body forward.
		extensor carpi radialis
			For the convenience of presentation from the point of view of mechanics, the weight of the body

horses can be considered concentrated at one point - at the center of gravity. For clarity: the center of gravity is the point at which the horse can balance if suspended from this point (fig. 9). The center of gravity of a stick or ruler is the point on which the stick balances, having a single point of support (Fig. 10).

Fig. 9 A somewhat surprised horse suspended at the level of the center of gravity

Fig. 10 The ruler balances on the finger if it rests on the center of gravity

It is clear that the movement of the horse's body, which causes a shift in the center of gravity, causes the leg to move down and back, and this tendency, in turn, is resisted. As can be seen from fig. 4, shifting the center of gravity through the action of the serratus pectoralis muscle will cause the scapula to move down and back, flexing (decrease in angle) of the shoulder joint. This movement is resisted by the biceps of the shoulder (biceps), as well as the serratus of the neck. The elbow joint also tends to flex in the opposite direction for the same reasons, and this is prevented by the powerful triceps brachii (triceps).

The weight of the body forces the fetlock and coffin joints to bend, and this flexion (rotation around its axis) is resisted by a powerful interosseous muscle and flexor tendons (Fig. 11) Only the horse has a so-called additional flexor head, which is connected to both deep and superficial flexors . This means that flexion of the coffin and fetlock joints is prevented without any muscle expenditure. Indeed, the main function of the muscles of the limb below the carpal joint is not to cause movement, but rather to prevent it. (Muscles are flexors

help the tendon-ligamentous apparatus to prevent movement; their main job is to prevent rather than cause movement).

		All of these activities support
	Fig.11 Interosseous	torso and mitigation of shocks. However, apart from
	muscle and tendons	this extremely important function, the front
	flexors; they	limb has one more - she takes
	impede	participation in moving the horse's body forward.
	turn of the ungulate and	Really,		main function			front
	fetlock joints	limbs		support
	around its axis
		soften shocks and lift the torso in the phase
	1.Surface	hanging,	whereas			limbs in
		basically provide progress. On the
	flexor
	2. Deep flexor	rice. 12 shows that the serratus neck muscle and
	3. Additional head	powerful triceps pull the limb the most
	deep flexor	back and cause the body to move forward. IN
	4. Interosseous	the final phase of the step, just before
		like a hoof	come off		from the earth,		deep

the flexor strongly affects the hoof, lifting the body of the horse up and forward.

	Rice. 12 Movement of the forelimb backwards.
	Serratus neck muscle (located in front of the scapula, not
	marked), triceps muscle and deep	Fig.13 Model of the forelimb. Showing
	finger flexor promote movement
		elastic bands, springs and "center of gravity".
	limbs back
		If the center of gravity drops, the leg moves away
	1. Triceps	back. When the center of gravity rises, the spring
		on the left (brachiocephalic muscle) brings the leg forward
	2. Deep finger flexor

This was a very short overview of the extremely complex work of the forelimb. Additional details of how the various parts of the limb work will be given in the process of describing lameness. Now you can stop reading and study the model that illustrates the above (Figure 13).

LIMATEFRONT LEGS

Some introductory remarks need to be made. Lameness is a clinical sign or set of signs by which a horse tells us that he has pain in a given leg. An injury (disease) is a specific lesion of a part of a limb that causes pain or discomfort. We usually distinguish between acute and chronic disease. The first is characterized by a short duration, pain, fever, swelling and (not always noticeable) redness of the affected area. Chronic disease is often quite difficult to recognize. Often the same signs are present, but they are much less pronounced.

Below I will describe the injuries that cause lameness, what is known about their causes, how they can be diagnosed, prevented and treated. Not always the information will be exhaustive, not all questions we have answers. We'll start at the top (proximal) part of the limb and work our way down.

Shoulder muscle atrophy

			The shoulder joint is the only joint in the horse's body that does not
			has ligaments that support it in the correct position. Instead of
			this joint is surrounded by muscles, which carry out movement in
			joint and hold it in the desired position. Three major muscles
			This is the subscapular, preosseous and infraosseous. Subscapularis
			located under the scapula, between it and the chest wall. This muscle is not
			is related to this disease, and we will no longer
			touch. The supraspinous muscle is in front of the spine of the scapula, and
			inverse - behind it (Fig. 14). Both of these muscles are innervated by motor
			(motor) prescapular nerve (Fig. 14). If
			the prescapular nerve is damaged, these two muscles will not be able to
			shrink, just like a light bulb won't light up if it's broken
			the wire. Muscles lacking a motor nerve will (unlike
			light bulbs) atrophy (dry and shrivel).
			Notice immediately after nerve injury
Fig. 14 Shoulder blade and shoulder.			clinical signs can be difficult. Looking at an animal
The first muscle on the left is the chest,			front, when it comes straight at you, the shoulder joint can
then - preostenum, and, finally,			click or pull outward when the weight of the body is transferred to
constrictive.	Shown prescapular		this leg. The forward phase of the step (leg extension) is shortened. This
nerve and its branches in two muscles			naturally, since the two muscles that must
1. Predistal muscle			prevent such outward movement of the shoulder joint, not
2. Prescapular nerve			work. Soon the diagnosis becomes very obvious, as
3. The occipital muscle
			severe atrophy of these two muscles develops, i.e.
4. Pectoral muscle
			muscle mass decreases.
Cause		damage
prescapular			is an
sudden back movement of the shoulder				Fig. 15 Unexpected
extended limb (Fig.				front slip
causes nerve tension, and it, in its				legs back can
turn, - either rupture of nerve fibers,				cause tension,
or impaired blood supply to the nerve,				stretching and
	the nerve necrotizes (dies off).			damage
This slippage of the foot usually occurs				prescapular nerve
on slippery or wet ground, when
the horse is dragging a heavy load
on a steep slope, etc. Muscle atrophy
shoulder was especially common when
		worked for

Fig. 16 Slipping the front leg backwards while flexing the shoulder joint (arrow) and elbow increases, strains and injures the tendon of the biceps muscle, which is shown in the figure

hard pavements or on wet, slushy roads during spring thaw.

There is no effective or rational treatment for shoulder muscle atrophy. Only with time will it become clear whether the nerve is so damaged that it will not recover. To be honest, as a rule, it is not restored. A horse with this disease is of course worse than a healthy horse, but it can often be used for light work and is certainly suitable for reproduction.

Prevention of the disease is obvious: do not work on horses on wet, slippery ground. If you still need to work, you must either unshine the horse, or use very thin, light horseshoes that will not prevent the hoof from cutting into the ground, preventing slippage. By this point, I'll be back. The horse's hoof is designed to cut into the ground, and anything that prevents this, be it hard ground and/or a shoe, is bad for the horse.

If you are going to treat a horse, injections into the shoulder of substances that cause inflammation can be advised. I highly doubt that this can be helpful, however I guarantee that it does not promote nerve regeneration. This can only increase the amount of scar tissue in the area; a cosmetic but not a functional effect will be achieved.

Bursitis of the biceps brachii

The biceps is a powerful and important muscle, it is involved in the movement of the shoulder and elbow joints, as well as, indirectly, the wrist. Where the muscle runs along the anterior surface of the shoulder joint (Figure 16) is a fluid-filled sac called the biceps bursa. Next we will touch on a few more bursas, and now it is necessary to say a few words about them. They are sacs containing synovial fluid that acts as a lubricant; they surround the tendons of the muscles. The sacs are usually located where the tendon passes through the bony prominence, and lubrication is necessary for its normal movement.

Acute inflammation of the biceps bursa is characterized by severe mixed lameness. That is, the animal feels pain both when it loads the leg (up to the point that it does not lean on the leg at all), and when the leg is in the air. The animal may refuse to move the leg forward following the second leg, but does not resist the reining. It may try to keep the shoulder and elbow in a position that avoids any movement. As a result, when the horse is going forward, his head is noticeably raised, and the shoulder and elbow joints are extended. The impression is that the horse is stumbling. In chronic cases, the clinical signs are less pronounced, but moving the leg up and back can cause pain. Sometimes a painful reaction can also be elicited by deep palpation of the biceps area.

The cause of biceps bursitis is shown in Fig. 16. The leg slips back as the shoulder joint flexes and the elbow extends. In case of atrophy of the muscles of the shoulder, the forward leg slips back, and in case of bursitis, it is substituted and laid back. This slippage causes great tension in the biceps tendon and bursa, and because of this tension, the tissue ruptures, causing acute inflammation.

As you might have guessed, this disease was common in the days of horse-drawn transport, for reasons already described in the section on Atrophy of the Shoulder. Often the cause of this disease (and atrophy of the muscles of the shoulder too) is considered an injury, that is, a blow to the front of the shoulder. This is nonsense, since the region of the anterior surface of the shoulder is closed by a powerful pectoral muscle, and if the bursa or nerve is damaged, then there must be severe damage to this muscle, but this is not observed.

The definitive diagnosis can be made by injecting an anesthetic solution or an anesthetic in combination with a steroid drug into the biceps bursa. Steroid medications have the advantage that they reduce inflammation and therefore pain. It should be emphasized, and I will do it again, that

steroid drugs can be used only once; and after administration of these drugs to the animal

Fig. 18 In a trotter who is not accustomed to a harness, the front leg goes forward, while the back (of the same side) goes back (when trying to trot).

This movement can cause muscle strain in the shoulder.

sufficient rest should be given, and only then should the brothers go to work. Doctor's advice needed. The prognosis for recovery and return to full exercise is generally favorable. In some cases, a good result is the use of phenylbutazolidone inside.

Prevention is the same as for shoulder muscle atrophy.

scapula fracture

	Fracture this well-protected bone
	rare, but worth mentioning
	to complete the story. Most often it happens like this
		shown					fractures
	arise				the horse stumbled					radiograph
										one of the types
	the result of a direct blow, as happens with
										scapula fractures;
	heavy fall on the side. Surgery
										osteosynthesis with
							results,
										pin.
	the only thing,						give advice
										Top arrow -
	"wait and see". The horse is usually									scapula, lower
	leans on the foot. Such fractures are visible only on									upper end
	large, veterinary x-ray machines.									humerus
	With such a fracture, as in Fig. 17, horse can
	get better.		With others			fractures passing

through the middle part of the scapula, there is practically no hope.

Shoulder lameness

This is an extremely broad concept, if it exists at all. As the very wise and careful observer J. L. Dollar said, “The diagnosis of shoulder lameness depends mainly on negative results on local examination; the more thoroughly the local examination is carried out, the less often the diagnosis of "shoulder lameness" will occur. Most horses with shoulder complaints actually suffer from hoof and/or heel disease.

The clinical signs characteristic of this disease are already described in the section "bursitis of the biceps of the shoulder": resistance or refusal to move in the shoulder joint. Based on my autopsy practice, the only significant causes of shoulder-related lameness were atrophy of the shoulder muscles, bursitis of the biceps brachii, scapular fractures, and severe acute or chronic infectious inflammation of the joint in foals.

In trotters and pacers, there is a quickly passing pain in the area of ​​​​the shoulder joints; it appears due to the use of special devices (helmets) to put them on the move. Often this happens with trotters, which are converted into pacers. As long as he is still learning to reach out to one side (instead of his natural diagonal gait), he may make mistakes: the front leg is forward while the back leg is moving backward (fig. 18). Such a discrepancy can cause a strong contraction of the muscles of the shoulder, resulting in pain of varying strength. Likewise, a harness that is too tight can prevent the animal from trotting (pacing) and thereby limit the movement of either the front or hind leg, resulting in clear signs of muscle strain.

Radial nerve palsy

This pathology causes severe lameness in horses. The radial nerve innervates the muscles responsible for elbow extension (triceps brachii) and wrist and finger extension (eg, extensor carpi radialis) (Fig. 19). Clinical signs are as follows:

1. The leg is normally carried forward, but due to the loss of triceps function, the horse cannot unbend the elbow joint by straightening the leg, giving it a normal position for support.

2. If the animal moves slowly on a flat surface, you may not notice anything. If it meets any obstacle, the horse cannot lift the leg to the required height and touches it with the obstacle.

3. In complete paralysis, the animal is standing with the shoulder and elbow joints lowered, and the wrist and finger joints are bent. The leg can touch the ground only with a toe (Fig. 20).

4. The triceps, as well as other muscles innervated by the radial nerve, may undergo atrophy.

The cause of radial nerve palsy is the same damage to this nerve, as described in the Shoulder Muscle Atrophy section. The radial nerve is stretched and its necrosis occurs. In this case, however, the radial nerve is damaged as the leg slips forward. The radial nerve runs around the humerus from the inside out and is under strong tension when

the shoulder joint is too extended, as it happens when slipping	Fig. 19 Radial nerve
legs forward. The other two major nerves of the forelimb,	Branches into extensors
median and ulna, do not pass around the humerus and may	forelimb
move forward without experiencing excessive tension.	1. Triceps
Radial nerve palsy was fairly common in
heavy draft and carriage horses working on wet	wrists
cobblestone pavements. It is now most commonly found in	3. Lateral extensor of the finger
young horses, especially in one-year-old colts, running and	4. Radial extensor of the wrist
playing on wet and (or) snowy fields. I'm sure everything	5. Common extensor

you have seen the acrobatic "sliding" stops these animals can make as they run at full speed towards the fence (fig. 21). It is with this movement that too much extension of the leg and damage to the radial nerve is possible.

Fig. 20 Complete paralysis

Fig. 21 "Sliding" stop, which can cause stretching of the radial nerve and its paralysis

There is evidence that radial nerve palsy occurs in some animals during surgical interventions. In fact, this is a mixed nerve palsy, in which the signs of radial nerve palsy are brighter than those of the median and ulnar nerves. Such damage occurs due to obstructed blood supply to the nerves as a result of the fact that the animal lies on one side for a long time. This disruption usually goes away.

A fracture of the humerus can also cause nerve damage. This nerve damage is usually irreversible. Obviously, nerve damage combined with a fracture is hopeless.

Radial nerve palsy heals with time. In many cases, everything goes away after a few months, but sometimes nothing can be done.

Lameness in horses is a widespread problem, which is expressed in a change in the normal gait of the animal. Even minor manifestations of this symptom are an alarming signal.

Causes of lameness in horses

Lameness is a symptom that can be associated with the following problems:

• injuries;
• incorrect balance of the hoof;
• inflammatory diseases;
• fractures;
• arthrosis;
• sprains and ruptures of ligaments;
• wounds;
• infections;
• laminitis;
• paralysis and paresis of peripheral nerves.

The most effective way to combat lameness is to prevent it. Regular inspection of the horse, high-quality soil, compliance with the regime of work and rest, a balanced diet and a rational approach to stress significantly reduce the likelihood of a dangerous symptom.

How to recognize lameness?

Experts strongly recommend contacting a veterinarian if lameness is detected. For example, non-specialists often misdiagnose " shoulder lameness in a horse» with diseases of the hoof, and this is fraught with aggravation of the disease.

To determine the cause, it is necessary to horse lameness tests:

1. Identification of a sore leg. An examination of the animal standing on a flat surface is carried out to determine compensatory changes, which are expressed by external asymmetry. Then they examine the horse, which is in motion, first at a walk, then at a trot, gait (if necessary) on different types of surface.
2. Examining the hoof for pressure sensitivity with hoof wall compression.
3. Palpation of the affected leg for swelling, painful areas, differences in pulsation and temperature.
4. A test for pain that causes a sudden increase in lameness. It is carried out by bending in the fetlock and hock joints.
5. Additional research methods (X-ray, anesthesia, etc.).

The first two tests are usually carried out by the owner of the animal. After that, you need to seek help from a veterinarian. A correct diagnosis is 50% success rate. For example, if the horse is lame in the back leg due to overtrained muscle , then it is enough to stick a veterinary tape in order to normalize the gait and eliminate pain.

Lameness in a horse: treatment and prevention with veterinary tapes

Kinesio taping is a new physiotherapy technique that has already proved its effectiveness in a number of diseases.

Veterinary tape works as follows:

• reduces inflammation and soreness;
• accelerates regeneration;
• has anti-edematous effect;
• normalizes the work of muscles;
• fixes a damaged ligament or joint;
• forms the right movement.

Due to the simultaneous influence on all links of the pathological chain, the technique is universal. Correctly applied tape can alleviate the condition of a lame horse and speed up the healing process in case of acute and chronic injuries of the musculoskeletal system. If the horse is lame in the front leg due to a sprain, then kinesiology taping will help to anesthetize the affected area and speed up the recovery process.

In addition, tape often acts as a preventive measure during intense workouts or in situations where old, healed injuries are of concern to the wearer. For more detailed information on tips on the use of veterinary teips, go to.

Taping technique: basic principles

You can study the basic overlay schemes and techniques for applying kinesiology tapes on. The training consists of a theoretical and practical part, so after completing a 2-day basic course, a specialist will be able to fully use veterinary tapes in his medical practice.

When lameness is suspected in horses, it is important to correctly identify the affected leg. To do this, use the standard techniques, which are described in the article.

One of the most serious problems for owners is the lameness of horses. Causes and treatments for lameness in horses are unusually varied. Sometimes a long rest is enough, sometimes a blacksmith can handle it, and in some cases a long treatment is required, which may not give positive results.

Most often, horse lameness begins with subtle symptoms. A horse with a sick leg takes a smaller step, puts it on the ground incorrectly, the normal rhythm of movement is disturbed. Many owners turn to the veterinarian only when the lameness of horses becomes apparent. And advanced cases are much more difficult to treat!

When lameness is suspected in horses, it is important to correctly identify the affected leg. For this, standard methods are used. First you need to examine the horse, standing on a flat surface. It is important to pay attention to whether it evenly distributes body weight on all legs. Sometimes the animal voluntarily shifts the weight of the body to one of the front legs or presses the back one. This is considered normal. The horse must not try to put one front foot forward. The evenness of the emphasis on the hind legs can be judged by being at the same level of the left and right parts of the croup.

Further, to determine lameness in a horse, it must be taken to a concrete or asphalt flat track. Look closely at the horse's walk during the walk and at the trot. Most often, the lameness of horses manifests itself precisely at the trot. If the horse simultaneously "nods" his head with one of his front legs on the ground, then you can talk about a problem. The “nod” of the head down coincides with the touch of the ground with a healthy leg, and the raising of the head coincides with the touch of the diseased leg.

If you have successfully identified the affected leg, then you will also need to figure out how the horse puts it on the ground - on the toe or on the heel. You should also pay attention to whether the joints of the diseased and healthy legs are bent equally. It happens that the horse's lameness appears on both front legs at once. At the same time, the horse does not bring its legs forward during movement, but moves as if they were hobbled.

Leading a horse into a trot is a good way to identify lameness in the front legs. With lameness of the hind legs, things are more complicated. Diagnosis of lameness in horses is not difficult if there are visible signs of damage to the hoof horn (crack, abscess), the horse does not step on the diseased leg or tries to transfer body weight to a healthy one. In other cases, it is not so easy to understand which of the hind legs is sick. It is necessary to determine which of the hind legs moves normally, bends well and is planted on the ground. You can observe the movement of the hind legs from the side - the diseased leg takes shorter steps than the healthy one.

After determining the diseased leg, you should proceed to find out the cause of the horse's lameness.

Lameness is an insidious disease. The above methods for determining a sore leg may not give absolutely anything. In this case, do not panic. Modern veterinarians have tools (X-rays, scans, nerve blocks) in their arsenal to help pinpoint damage to limbs in animals. In simpler cases, the above methods are quite enough to make a diagnosis of lameness.

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In an animal, the limb performs two functions: 1) support, in which the balance of the body in space is maintained (the function of the leaning limb) and 2) translational movement, when the limb, moving in space, makes a path in the air along an arc (the function of the suspended limb). As the animal moves, each limb performs these two functions periodically.

In an animal (four-legged) step is the distance between the traces of the same foot. The step of the horse consists, as it were, of two halves. The part of the step that is in front of the footprint of the other limb can be called the front, and that lying behind it the back. With the correct gait, both of these parts are of the same length, and the track of one leg, for example the left, is divided by the track of the other, for example the right, into two equal halves.

The limb, making a pendulum movement during the period of hanging (performing the function of a suspended limb), describes an arc with the hoof, which can be divided into two equal halves. The first half starts from the moment the hoof is raised and ends when the hoof is on the same vertical with the elbow joint (for the forelimb). The second is from the indicated vertical to the lowering of the hoof to the ground.

During normal movement, both segments are the same in length and time, and the ratios between the lengths of the steps of both limbs of the same name never change.

With lameness, one of the segments of the step may be less than normal, while the other segment becomes larger. This refers to the lengthening or shortening of the step.

For example, in the lameness of a leaning limb, when advancing, the animal quickly brings out a healthy limb and puts it on the ground earlier than with a normal step. As a result, the second half of the step of a healthy limb is shortened. Instead of reaching positions 3, 6, 12, etc., it only reaches positions 5, 11, etc., dropping quickly to the ground to allow the bad foot to strike properly. The step of the affected leg will be shortened in the back half (first), while the front will be lengthened. In this case, there is a shortened step backwards. With lameness of the suspended limb, shortening occurs in the anterior segment (second).

When moving, the animal adapts to the maximum release of the diseased leg and seeks to transfer more weight to the healthy leg. The removal of the diseased leg is slow and is accompanied by a high elevation of the head to move the center of gravity posteriorly. But the second half of the function of the leaning leg, directed backwards, is made shorter (shortened). To make the painful leaning on the affected limb as short as possible, the animal abnormally quickly brings the healthy limb forward and quickly leans on it, lowering its head.

Any unnecessary burden on the diseased limb increases lameness. For example, lameness is increased if the animal is walking uphill under a pack or when the animal is moving in a circle and the affected leg is closer to the center. Lameness increases with sharp turns on a sore leg.

In hanging limb lameness, on the other hand, lameness increases when the leg is farther outward from the center, since in this case the muscles must do more work for a longer stride than the muscles of the leg closer to the center.

With lameness of the suspended limb, the forward movement of the diseased leg is slowed down, the movement of the healthy one is not changed. With lameness of the leaning limb, the diseased leg is carried out slowly, and the healthy one too quickly.

A lame limb does not rise as high as a normal one. When viewed from the front, it can be seen that when moving, the wrist of the diseased limb always occupies a lower position than the healthy one.

With lameness, the ratio of the step length of a healthy limb to a lame one is not changed, i.e., the same as during normal movement, since the lame leg needs to cover the same distance as the healthy one, otherwise the straightness of movement would be violated. But the difference is that during normal movement the pendulum swing of the leg is divided into two equal halves, with lameness there is a change in the size of both parts of the step. The front or back half can be shortened and the other lengthened accordingly.

With lameness of a suspended limb, in most cases, half a step is shortened. This is characterized by a short forward step (Möller). In practice, the establishment of lameness of the leaning and suspended limbs greatly facilitates the determination of the localization of the lesion that causes lameness. But often there is a simultaneous disorder of the functions of the leaning and suspended legs, and then the so-called mixed lameness is observed. Mixed lameness can also indicate damage to certain groups of limb tissues.

The function of the suspended limb is due to the work of the muscles.

The first half of the translational movement of the limb forward passes under increasing flexion of the joints lying below the elbow, and due to the work of the group of shoulder muscles, thoracobrachial, head, biceps, supraspinous and corocoid-brachial. The second half of this movement takes place with increasing extension of the joints, mainly due to the work of the extensor muscles and, in particular, the triceps muscle of the shoulder. Therefore, if it was possible to establish lameness of a suspended limb with a shortening of the step forward, then it can be caused by diseases of the muscles that flex the joints, tendons and tendon sheaths. Both active and passive movements of these groups are accompanied by pain sensations. Therefore, in order to reduce the tension of the common muscle of the head, neck and shoulder (especially at the trot), the animal makes a nodding movement of the head. On the leaning limb, these lesions do not cause noticeable disorders. In addition, this lameness can be caused by paralysis of the brachial plexus, diseases of the shoulder and elbow joints, some diseases in the neighborhood (near) these joints, as well as skin diseases on the flexion surfaces.

With lameness of a suspended hind limb, the cause of lameness must be sought in the defeat of the iliac tensor of the wide fascia of the thigh, the tailor and comb muscles (working in the first half of the step) and the quadriceps femoris muscle (performing active work in the second half of the step).

Leaning limb lameness is more common than hanging limb lameness. At the moment of support, muscular work plays a very small role, and support stability is achieved by the work of the ligamentous apparatus. Lameness of the leaning forelimb indicates damage to the bones, tendons, joints and (most often) hoof disease. As an exception, lesions of the triceps muscle of the shoulder (ruptures, paralysis of it or paralysis of the radial nerve) are observed, since with this lesion there is lameness of the front leaning limb with bowing (flexion) of the joints at the time of leaning.

With lameness of the leaning hind limb (in the first stage of leaning), the cause of lameness is damage to the bones, ligaments, tendons, fascia and elements of the hoof. Here, as an exception, lesions of the quadriceps femoris muscle (ruptures, paralysis of it or its motor nerve) cause lameness of the leaning limb, flexion of the joints at the time of leaning. Disorders of the second stage of support may be located in the extensors. Mixed lameness indicates diseases of the joints, mainly the upper ones, diseases of the tendon sheaths, some diseases of the periosteum and bone tissue.

But, in addition, there is a whole series of lameness of the suspended limb, where abnormal movements are due mainly to the cessation or decrease in the functions of a particular muscle, or group of muscles, or nerves.

An animal can lame on one leg - front or back, on both front or both rear, on the front and back of one side or diagonally, or simultaneously on all four limbs.

Three degrees of lameness can be distinguished: 1) a strong degree (third), in which the animal does not rely on diseased limbs, 2) an average degree (second), and 3) a weak degree (first), when the affected limb takes on the weight of the body, but time movement and support of the limb is shortened against the norm.

In many cases, it is not possible to accurately determine the degree of lameness, since it depends on many factors: the nature of the ground (hard or soft), type of movement, animal temperament, age, etc. There are cases when lameness is so mild (initial stage) that only the rider notices, as it were, constrained movements, the wrong rhythm of hoof strikes, a decrease in agility, frequent unreasonable failures, early fatigue and sweating.

There are many varieties of lameness, and each of these varieties is due to a more or less distant suffering or disease of a certain group of tissues. Therefore, determining the type of lameness is of great practical importance.

Booley also said that the diagnosis of diseases in which lameness is observed as a symptom is a triple task: 1) detection of lameness, 2) location (localization) of lameness, 3) determination of the cause of lameness.

Sometimes for an accurate diagnosis of lameness, especially mild and moderate degrees, a number of studies are needed, which are advisable to conduct in a certain order: 1) anamnesis; 2) examination at rest (individual setting, limb burden, etc.); 3) study on the go; 4) research at a trot and in motion in a circle, on soft, hard ground and rough roads; a test of movement at a long distance with a load, etc .; 5) detailed examination of the limb and comparison with a healthy limb; 6) anatomical study; 7) study of anesthesia - anesthesia; 8) x-ray examination; 9) examination with an electrothermometer; 10) examination with an electric current; 11) wedge test (for diseases of the joints of the hoof); 12) diagnostic operation and diagnostic forging; 13) auscultation and percussion; 14) study of the pulse; 15) rectal examination; 16) attitude towards heat and cold.

DEFINITION OF LAME

It is not always easy to establish lameness and determine the limb on which the animal is lame, and often it is possible only after a methodical, thorough and comprehensive examination. The task of an objective study is: 1) to establish and determine the nature of functional disorders; 2) in the detection of anatomical changes.

Lameness of strong and moderate degrees is determined not only during movement, but also at rest of the animal. A weak degree of lameness at rest in most cases is not detected, but is ascertained either at a walk or when moving at a trot, since the diseased limb in these cases is burdened more heavily.

When examining the animal at rest (before posting), the diseased limb is detected by the following signs. If the disease is localized on one forelimb, then the animal exposes it in some cases to the side, in others - back, in others - outward (abduction) or inward (adduction). In this case, the animal rests either on the toe, or on the heel part, or on one of the side walls of the hoof. With very severe pain in the limbs, the animal either keeps the leg elevated or constantly rearranges it.

When suffering from both forelimbs, the animal substitutes the hind limbs under the body and significantly raises its head to transfer the weight of the body back.

When one hind limb is diseased, the animal puts it forward or backward, or out.

When both hind limbs are diseased, the animal gives them different positions: moving both forward, or both backward, or one forward and the other backward, depending on the localization of the disease. At the same time, the forelimbs are placed under the body, and the head is held down. The disease of one front and the same side of the hind limbs is accompanied by frequent stepping from foot to foot. In case of disease of one anterior and opposite posterior (diagonally), healthy limbs are placed under the body, and the diseased limbs are given the least painful position.

With lameness of a weak degree, to determine the diseased limb, it is necessary to conduct a study when the animal moves at a pace or trot (the gallop is unsuitable for research, it masks lameness).

It is best to test for lameness in an open area or in a large light arena. It is advantageous to have hard (pavement) and soft (sand) soils for research. Sometimes it is necessary to examine a horse under a rider or in a harness.

When examining, it is not advisable to hold the reins short, preventing the free movement of the head, and to excite and prod the horse, as all this can make it difficult to detect lameness. First of all, they lead the horse with a step on a free rein in a straight direction, then at a trot and, if necessary, observe the movement in the harness.

It is necessary to observe the movement not from one, but from all sides. The researcher stands on the side, then on one side, then on the other, for better observation of the movement of the limbs, head and croup. In this case, the researcher should pay attention to the sound that occurs when the hooves hit hard ground;

since a healthy limb strikes with more force, the sound it produces is louder than when struck by a diseased limb.

The researcher then forces the horse to lead (stand in front) to determine if the forelimbs are raised and thrown out evenly, if there is an abnormal deviation of the left or right leg outward or inward, and if the movement in the shoulder joints is normal (does not occur in them jerky movements or separation from the body). Finally, an examination of the movement from behind is made, in which the features of the movement of the croup are established (the croup always rises on the affected side at the moments of support) and abnormal rotation in or out (rotation) of the hind legs. Sometimes it is necessary to force the animal to make sharp turns, which reveals a painful condition in the phalangeal joints and their ligaments.

The lameness is aggravated under the rider, but the rider should not lift the horse's head too much or pull on one rein.

Movement in a circle often makes it possible to detect not only the diseased limb, but even to establish the localization of the lesion. If the active apparatus is affected (mainly the muscles of the upper part of the limb), lameness will increase if the limb moves in a circle from the outside (farther from the center), since this increases the work of the muscles of the suspended limb and, in addition, the outer limb travels a longer distance during circular motion, than the one closer to the center. If there are lesions in the passive apparatus of the limb (bones, ligaments, joints and tendons), then lameness increases when the diseased limb is inside the circle (closer to the center), since during this movement most of the weight of the body falls on the side that faces the center of the circle. Lameness increases when turning to the side of the affected leg.

An animal that does not limp on a flat road sometimes begins to limp on a sloping road. Lameness is found in some cases when sloping to the right (burdened on the left side), and in others - to the left (burdened on the right side). If in this study the diseased side is burdened, then lameness will be revealed or intensified.

Movement uphill or downhill can also reveal lameness. When moving uphill, the dorsal part of the hoof is more burdened and lameness is detected when this part is diseased. If the passive apparatus is damaged with lameness of the leaning limb, lameness increases on hard (stone) ground and decreases on soft; with heterogeneous soil, lameness is variable. Sometimes lameness is aggravated when moving on soft, viscous ground (sand), as the work of muscles increases on viscous ground (lameness of the suspended limb).

If the horse raises its limbs abnormally high, then to avoid loss of vision, you can use obstacles (elevations) on which the animal stumbles in case of visual impairment. It should always be borne in mind that some lameness are detected only after strenuous work and disappear at rest (intermittent lameness) and, conversely, lameness appears only at the beginning of movement and may disappear or decrease during work (rheumatism, spar).

It must always be taken into account that if a horse is nervous, or not led or handled properly, this may be feigning a slight lameness or masking a lameness.

When both forelimbs suffer and with severe pain, trotting is either impossible or very difficult. With mild lameness, the moment of encumbrance of diseased limbs is shortened. Animal abnormally quickly protrudes the unburdened limb forward to loosen and reduce pain in the other burdened limb. This creates a particularly characteristic, as if springy, tense gait. All the time the animal tries to keep its head up to transfer the weight of the body to the hind limbs, and if the horse is forced to lower its head (trok), then lameness increases.

If both hind limbs are diseased, the animal either cannot trot at all, or takes short steps, quickly changing legs (with diseases of the knee and hock joints), or puts its hind legs too far forward (with diseases of the dorsal part of the hooves). At the same time, a staggering of the buttocks and keeping the head down or on a straightened neck are noticed.

It is difficult to diagnose when an animal has one front and one hind limb affected at the same time. When two lateral limbs suffer, although movement is difficult, but not so much that the animal cannot trot, because in each diagonal pair there is one healthy limb, on which it can alternately transfer the weight of the body. When leaning on a diseased forelimb, the animal throws its head far back and to the side opposite to the position of the diseased limb, in order to transfer the weight as much as possible to a healthy hind leg located diagonally.

When burdening the diseased hind limb, the animal lowers its head and holds it slightly to the side in the direction of the diagonally located healthy front leg. Movement is greatly hindered and trotting is impossible when the front leg of one side and the hind leg of the other side are affected, since alternate relief of the diseased limbs is impossible.

A lame horse is a serious problem for its owner, and knowing how to treat lameness can positively affect both the speed and success of recovery. This article covers various aspects of lameness management in horses, from physical therapy to medical intervention. Just see step 1 below to get started.

Steps

Reduce Inflammation

Allow the horse enough time to rest. For many horses, stable rest is the mainstay of lameness treatment. Depending on the nature of the lameness, the horse may need to rest from a few days with a sprain to weeks (or even months) if the injury is more severe.

• Resting places are less demanding on the injured ligament surface, while continued use of the horse will lead to further inflammation. Continued use of a lame horse could potentially lead to further physical damage. For example, an inflamed cartilage pad can break off, resulting in permanent damage.
• In addition, the use of a lame horse provokes the production of additional prostaglandins, and therefore further increases inflammation. By letting the horse rest, you are trying to break this vicious cycle.

1. Water your horse's leg with cold water from a hose for 20 minutes a day. Cold water dousing is a simple form of hydrotherapy aimed at reducing swelling in a limb. The technique involves dousing the lame leg with cold water from a garden hose. This is usually done for 20 minutes once or twice a day. This is done because cold water removes the heat that is released in the tumor. In addition, the flow of water massages the tissues and helps to disperse the flow of fluids.

   • Ideally, the water should be very cold. The advantage of using a hose is that the temperature stays constant and the water doesn't get hot (much like using an ice pack). 20 minutes is the ideal time, as it is enough to disperse the heat, but not enough for the cold to slow down the blood circulation in the limb.
   • It's a good idea to lubricate the horse's heel with petroleum jelly or grease before watering. This will prevent the heel tissues from softening under the constant pressure of water, which can lead to cracking and infection.
   • Watering is done by two people - one person waters, and the other holds the horse (this procedure can only be carried out by one person if the horse is very well educated). Depending on the nature of the injury, your veterinarian will tell you how many days you need to water before the swelling resolves.

2. Try hot hydromassage for lower limb lameness. Hot hydromassage is used to treat the lower extremities if you suspect an abscess or a foreign body in the hoof as the cause of the disease, as hot hydromassage softens the tissues and helps the infection to clear out. This process involves immersing the foot in a bucket of hot water (100 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius) containing Epsom salts to soften the sole of the foot and allow the infection to clear out.

   • Before immersing the hoof in clean water, always clean it thoroughly. If necessary, use a hoof hook to clean the sole and frog of the hoof, then rinse the hoof with water before starting the massage. It's a good idea to remove the handle from the bucket so you don't accidentally get your foot caught between the handle and the bucket.
   • Fill a bucket with hot water and add a cup of Epsom salts. Place the horse's leg in the bucket and hold it there for 15 to 20 minutes. Since the water cools down over time, you can remove your foot and add hot water to the bucket. After 20 minutes have passed, place the hoof on a clean towel and dry it well. The procedure can be repeated up to 3-4 times a day.

3. Use hot compresses to treat abscesses and upper limb infections. The indications for the use of a compress are the same as for hydromassage (suspected infection or abscess), but compresses are used when it is necessary to treat the upper part of the limb, which is impractical to be immersed in a bucket.

   • To apply a hot compress, soak a clean towel in hot Epsom salt water and wrap it around the swollen or sore part of your leg. Place the second towel in the bucket of water and Epsom salts.
   • When the towel wrapped around your leg has cooled, replace it with a hot one from a bucket. Continue this process for 15 to 20 minutes, and do it 3 to 4 times a day.

4. After training, apply poultices to reduce swelling. Poultices are used for a number of reasons - they shrink tumors after strenuous exercise and also draw out infection from an abscess. Bran poultices have traditionally been popular, but with the advent of many excellent commercial poultices (such as Animalintex), the need to mess around with homemade poultices has been eliminated.

   • Commercial poultices come as an impregnated sheet with a shiny side (place it away from the animal) and an absorbent side (apply to the injury). First, cut your poultice to the correct size so that the area of ​​injury is completely covered. You can use the poultice dry (ideal to reduce swelling) or wet (to draw out infection). Both methods are similar, but when using a wet poultice, the cut material is first dipped in hot water and allowed to cool to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius).
   • The poultice is placed over the injury or swelling and held in place with a bandage (such as Vetwrap). The bandage is tied tight enough that it does not fall down, but not too tight that the circulation in the limb does not stop.
   • The poultice should never be left for more than 12 hours and it is recommended to change them 2 to 3 times a day.

   Pain Relief

   1. Use pain medication to help treat lameness. Pain relief is very important in the treatment of lameness. Modern painkillers (analgesics) have a dual effect - they reduce pain and inflammation. They belong to the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

      • The job of NSAIDs is to inhibit the action of the cyclooxygenase enzymes (COX-1 and COX-2). It is the COX enzymes that release prostaglandins, which cause inflammation and pain. By blocking COX enzymes, we reduce the amount of inflammatory mediators (prostaglandins), so pain also decreases.
      • The most commonly used NSAIDs for equine bone and joint problems are aspirin, flunixin, and phenylbutazone.

   2. For mild pain, give your horse an aspirin. Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is effective against mild pain, swelling, and discomfort. Some aspirin-containing drugs can be bought over the counter from pharmacies, making them useful as a first-line treatment for mild lameness.

      • AniPrin contains acetylsalicylic acid mixed with a flavored molasses base so that it can be mixed into horse food. The dose is 10 mg/kg once a day.
      • For a 500 kg horse this results in 5000 mg (or 5 grams) of AniPrin. The product comes with two measuring cups: the larger one contains 28.35 grams and the smaller one 3.75 grams. Therefore, for a typical 500 kg horse, 1.5 small cups of AniPrin should be added to the food once a day.
      • If your horse is already on medication, never give him aspirin without first checking with your veterinarian. Also, always give her enough fresh water.

   3. Use phenylbutazone to reduce pain and fever. Often referred to as "bute" among horse owners, it relieves pain and fever. Phenylbutazone is a prescription NSAID and must be prescribed by your veterinarian first. It should not be used in combination with other NSAIDs, steroids, and should not be given on an empty stomach.

   4. Get a flunixin prescription to help reduce pain and inflammation. Flunixin is another prescription NSAID sold commercially under the name Banamine.

      • Banamine is a powerful inhibitor of cyclooxygenase. Its inhibition leads to inhibition of prostaglandin, and therefore to a decrease in inflammation. It is rapidly absorbed from the stomach and small intestine, and each dose works for 24 to 30 hours.
      • The dose of Banamine is 1.1 mg/kg once a day by mouth. Therefore, a 500 kg horse requires 550 mg (0.5 g), which is equivalent to one 20 g sachet containing 500 mg of flunixin.

   5. Be aware of the possible side effects of NSAIDs. NSAIDs can reduce blood flow to the stomach and kidneys. Although this is not a problem for healthy, well watered horses (especially if drugs are given with food), NSAIDs should never be given to horses that are thirsty as this can lead to over concentration of the drug and this will increase the effect of kidney damage.

      • Other side effects of NSAIDs are stomach ulcers and possible worsening of kidney disease (if they are already sick). This can manifest as loss of appetite and increased thirst. Treatment consists of stopping NSAIDs and taking activated charcoal to protect the stomach lining.
      • A horse that has been diagnosed with kidney failure may need intravenous fluid therapy to flush out accumulated toxins that the kidneys have failed to clear.