Equine lameness Flashcards
1
Q
Grade 1 lameness
A
Only perceptible under certain conditions
2
Q
Grade 2 lameness
A
consistently perceptible under certain circumstances
3
Q
Grade 3 lameness
A
consistently perceptible in a straight line and circle at a trot
4
Q
Grade 4 lameness
A
consistently perceptible at a walk
5
Q
Grade 5 lameness
A
Non-weight bearing
6
Q
FL lameness
A
- head goes down when the sound leg is down
- head goes up when the hurt leg is down
7
Q
HL lameness
A
- sacrum/pelvis hikes up more when lame limb strikes the ground
- Sacrum/pelvis falls when the sound limb strikes the ground
- +/- contralateral head bob
8
Q
If suspect fracture, don’t do what?
A
don’t make horse move
don’t apply nerve blocks and make the horse move
–> can make the fracture worse
9
Q
Drugs used for regional anesthesia ( nerve blocks )
A
- lidocaine ( 30-45 min duration )
- Mepivicaine ( 90-120 min duration )
- Bupivicaine (4-6 hrs duration)
10
Q
90% of all equine lameness is where
A
the FOOT
11
Q
Imaging best for Bony lesions
A
- Radiographs
- CT scan
- nuclear scintigraphy
12
Q
Imaging best for soft tissue lesion
A
- MRI
- Ultrasound (anechoic area)
13
Q
Broad tx for lameness
A
- rest + rehab
- NSAIDs
- Muscle relaxants
- joint injections
- cryotherapy , bandaging
- shock wave therapy
( increase healing, decrease pain + inflammation, increase neovascularization ) - regenerative tx
- Sx
- therapeutic shoeing/trims
14
Q
6 most common causes of lameness
A
- foot abscess
- laminitis
- DJD
- Soft tissue injury
- Navicular disease/ heel pain
- Fractures
15
Q
Causes of foot abscess ( aka sub solar abscess )
A
- poor hoof quality
- bruises
- nails
- wet/dry footing
- poor conformation
- laminitis
- idiopathic
16
Q
CS / Dx of foot abscess
A
CS - variable lameness, * heat in hoof, * increased digital pulse, nonspecific hoof tester sensitivity , sensitive site on coronary band
Dx - hoof testers pinpoint location
-+/- radiographs
17
Q
Tx of foot abscess
A
- +/- pull shoe
- Soak or Poultice the hoof
- let abscess open and drain
- open up pocket with hoof knife –> follow the tract
- bandage foot
- +/- NSAIDS
- rarely systemic abs
18
Q
4 causes of laminitis
A
- endocrinopathy ( often pasture associated )
- insulin dysregulation
- Cushing’s disease - Inflammation/ SIRS ( w/ infix )
- Retained placenta
- Colitis
- Grain overload - Support- limb
- when contralateral limb is
non-weight bearing - Trauma ( repeated trauma )
19
Q
Laminitis vs abscess
A
- abscess usually affects one limb
- laminitis usually affects more than one limb
20
Q
Classic mild laminitis CS
A
- mild reluctance to move
- short-strided gait
- increased digital pulses
- mild weight shifting
21
Q
Classic severe laminitis CS
A
- won’t move
- sweating, painful
- SHITFING WEIGHT between limbs and from FL to HLs
- camped under
- +/- recumbent
22
Q
Hoof capsule with rings =
A
chronic laminitis
23
Q
Coronary band = abnormal ledge –>
A
sinker
24
Q
acute laminitis rad changes
A
- usually no changes , too soon
- +/- mild thickening of the dorsal hoof-lamellar zone
25
chronic laminitis rad changes
- remodeling ( "ski-tip" ) of dorsodistal P3
| - thickening of dorsal hoof-lamellar zone
26
Hallmark Treatments ( laminitis )
1. Anti-inflammatories
(NSAIDs, pentoxyifylline, cryotherapy )
2. Analgesics
3. Hoof/ frog support
4. Tx underlying issue
additional: etc
- deep digital flexor tenotomy
- SC
- DMSO ( anti-inflammatory )
- Ace ( vasodilator in hoof )
27
Egg bar shoe
takes the pressure off the heel
28
Heart bar shoe
takes the pressure off the toe
29
Degenerative Joint Disease
| (pathophys)?
- cartilage and soft tissue damage in a joint --->
leads to
--> instability + inflammation-->
--> more joint damage
* arthritis of any joint
30
Hallmarks of DJD
- older horse usually
- joint effusion
- osteophytes
- cartilage damage
31
Rad changes (DJD)
- decreased joint space
- osteophytosis
- bone sclerosis
- +/- effusion
32
Ultrasound changes (DJD)
- cartilage + soft tissue damage
- degree of effusion
- synovial proliferation
33
Tx ( DJD )
- rest + rehab
- Anti-inflammatory
- Joint injections
- shock wave therapy
- arthroscopy
- arthrodesis
34
Dont confuse DJD with idiopathic synovitis / effusion of common structures: like..?
1. Windgalls - MC/MT- phalangeal joints
2. Thoroughpin - tarsal sheath of DDFT proximal to tarsus
3. Bog Spavin - tibiotarsal joint
35
Soft tissue injury
| esp. in sport horses
- injury of tendons, ligaments, joint capsules
36
Acute vs chronic soft tissue injury
- acute = heat, pain, welling
| - chronic = mild thickening , pain on palpation
37
Superficial digital flexor tendon "bowed tendon"
-
38
Deep digital flexor tendon
- " clubbed foot "
| - rupture with chronic navicular disease
39
Suspensory ligament
- " breakdown injury " associated with sesamoid fractures in racehorses
40
Distal ligaments of the pastern
-
41
Ligaments and menisci of the stifle
-
42
Ultrasound findings: ( Soft tissue injury )
- disruption of fibers
- edema
- hematoma
43
Soft tissue injury tx
- Rest and REHAB
- Anti-inflammatories
- LESION INJECTIONS
- shock-wave therapy
44
Navicular syndrome / heel pain
- very common in FLs , QUARTERHORSES
- Heel pain
- complicated etiology :
hereditary, conformation, vascular
- chronic and degenerative
45
Rad changes ( navicular syndrome)
- synovial invaginations
- flexor surface sclerosis
- enthesiophytes
- deep digital flexor tendon damage
46
side bone
ossification of the cartilages of the third phalanx
- thought to be due to repeated concussion of the quarters of the hooves
47
Canker
suppurative hypertrophy of the frighted and the sole that is foul smelling and chronic
48
keratoma
benign keratinized mass that develops between the hoof wall and distal phalanx
unknown cause
49
pedal osteitis
demineralization of the solar margin of the distal phalanx
- usually due to inflammation
50
quittor
name for the chronic infection of the collateral cartilages of the distal phalanx
- usually secondary to a wound or sometimes a quarter crack in the hoof
51
bucked shins ( " dorsal metacarpal disease " )
an acute, painful periostitis of the dorsal aspect of the third metacarpal bone
52
tx ( stress fracture )
- screw fixation (+/- osteostixitis)
53
tx ( periostitis )
- rest until soreness resolves
- anti- inflammatories
- analgesics
- cryotherapy ( ice )
54
MC site of OCD
distal intermedial ridge of the tibia "DIRT lesion"
55
other common sites with predisposition for OCD
- lateral trochlear ridge of femur
- lateral trochlear ridge of the talus
- medial malleolus of the tibia
- medial femoral condyle of the femur
- dorsodistal mid- saggital ridge of the 3rd MC or MT bone
56
Hallmarks of Sacroiliac disease
athletic jumping horse w:
- intermittent HL lameness localized in the croup (rump )
- evidence of back pain
- swelling over the tuber sacrale ( "hunter's bumps" )
57
Overlapping vertebral spinous processes " kissing spines "
- problem of thoracic and lumbar vertebra under the saddle area
- in short-backed eventing horses
58
Cauda equina (polyneuritis equi)
- can cause gluteal atrophy
| - also causes tail paralysis , urinary and fecal incontinence, perineal analgesia/ paresthesia, and mild HL ataxia
