LASx Exam 1: Chronic Laminitis and Diagnosing Lameness in Horses Flashcards
Laminitis is considered chronic after ______ hours of
continual pain or when rotation of distal phalanx occurs
48 hours
What are the clinical signs of chronic laminitis?
Shifting weight to hind feet
Unwilling to walk
Sinking at the coronary band
Coffin bone rotation
Non-parallel growth rings
Non-weightbearing lameness is a huge risk factor for laminitis,
and if you see it, your immediate concern should be with
the _________ limb
CONTRALATERAL
Which Obel Grade does the following describe?
No lameness at walk, short stilted gait at TROT
Obel Grade 1
Which Obel Grade does the following describe?
Stilted gait at a walk, foot can be lifted
Obel Grade 2
Which Obel Grade does the following describe?
Reluctant to walk, resists lifting foot
Obel Grade 3
Which Obel Grade does the following describe?
Refuses to move, may become recumbent
Obel Grade 4
What are some therapeutic shoeing techniques that can
help treat laminitis?
Dorsal hoof wall resection, heart bar shoe, reversed horse shoe
This treatment is a LAST RESORT and is performed on
horses with quickly progressing laminitis as an attempt
to stop the rotation of the coffin bone
DDF TENOTOMY
Aladdin’s Slipper can develop as a result of
___________
chronic laminitis
What type of suture pattern is used to reconnect small
tendon lacerations?
Locking loop
What are the 2 tendons effected by trauma to the forelimb
and where do you see the severance?
Common digital extensor (CDE) tendon
and
Lateral digital extensor (LatDE) tendon
Between the FETLOCK and CARPUS
What are the 2 tendons effected by trauma to the hindlimb
and where do you see the severance?
Long digital extensor tendon (LongDE)
and
Lateral digital extensor tendon (LatDE)
Below the hock
What tendons are effected by overloading and
where does the severance occur?
Flexor tendons
Between the carpus/hock and fetlock
If you can hold the stifle and flex or extend the hock,
what did you just get a positive test for?
Tendon laceration!
Tendon laxity is seen in _______ with their toes pointed up
FOALS
If this tendon ruptures, you will have immediate NWB-lameness
Achilles tendon
Anytime you cast a horse, you must bandage the
________ limb for support
contralateral
What are the 3 causes of lameness in a horse?
Neurologic
Metabolic
Mechanical
If a horse warms into or out of a lameness,
what is the cause?
Osteoarthritis
_________% of lameness comes from the foot,
which is why you start here with hoof testers
80 - 90%
You will see increased gluteal excursion in the
______ limb
LAME
“Down on the sound” only applies to ________ lameness
forelimb
What AAEP Grade of Lameness does the following describe?
Difficult to observe and inconsistent lameness
Grade 1
What AAEP Grade of Lameness does the following describe?
Difficult to observe in a straight line, but consistently
apparent under certain conditions (like circling, hard surface, or incline)
Grade 2
What AAEP Grade of Lameness does the following describe?
Consistently observable at a trot in all circumstances
Grade 3
What AAEP Grade of Lameness does the following describe?
Obvious lameness with marked head nod, hitching, and shortened stride
Grade 4
What AAEP Grade of Lameness does the following describe?
Inability or reluctance to move, minimal or non-weightbearing
Grade 5
What are the 5 pathognomonic lamenesses diagnosed at a walk?
Peroneus tertius rupture
Upward fixation of patella
Stringhalt
Fibrotic myopathy
Sweeny
At a walk, a horse has weight bearing lameness but
is dragging his foot. During your flexion test, you can extend
the hock while the stifle is flexed. What is wrong with this horse?
Peroneus tertius rupture
How do you treat peroneus tertius rupture?
Strict stall rest for 3 months
T/F:
To help treat upward fixation of the patella,
you should give anti-inflammatories
FALSE!
You want inflammation locally to thicken the ligament!
How do you treat locking patella?
Medial patellar ligament DESMOPLASTY
to increase inflammation and fibrose the ligament
(or desmotomy in severe cases)
Fibrotic myopathy is seen in these muscles and results
in a shortened cranial phase
hamstrings- semimembranosus, semitendonosus
What joints are being flexed during distal limb flexion?
Fetlock
Pastern
Coffin
What joints are being flexed in proximal limb flexion?
Shoulder
Elbow
Carpus
The Spavin Test is a flexion test of this
proximal hindlimb
(not hock specific)
Why do you NOT sedate a horse for a diagnostic nerve block?
It can alter their gait
What is the most common agent for local anesthesia
in nerve blocks in a horse?
2% Mepivicaine (Carbocaine)
T/F:
You can use Bupivicaine/Marcaine for diagnostic nerve blocks
FALSE!
only therapeutically
What are the reasons that a palmar digital nerve block would fail?
Adhesion between the navicular bone and DDFT
Osteoarthritis of the coffin
Concurrent proximal disease
Improper/incomplete anesthesia
What nerves are being blocked in a Low 4-point block?
Lat/Med PALMAR nerves
Lat/Med PALMAR METACARPAL nerves
If you want to block the lateral and medial PALMAR nerves,
where do you inject?
Between the SL and DDFT
If you want to block the lateral and medial
PALMAR METACARPAL nerves,
where do you inject?
Between the palmar MC3 and MC2 + MC4
What block would you perform if you wanted to block
the origin of the suspensory ligament?
LATERAL PALMAR nerve block
What structures are anesthetized in a HIGH 4-point block?
Suspensory ligament
Some flexor tendons
Some MC3 and MC4
Which radiographic views are required in order to
diagnose osseous abnormalities as a cause of lameness?
Minimum of 4 views:
2 oblique
1 lateral
1 DP
This diagnostic imaging modality is best to identify
articular and osteochondral disease, and is great for
examining stifles.
ULTRASOUND
This diagnostic modality is utilized when the site of
lameness cannot be determined, as in grade 1 lameness, if multiple limbs are lame and not following the expected blocking pattern, upper limb/pelvic limb lameness, or suspected fracture
that is not seen on rads.
Nuclear Scintigraphy (Bone scan)
This compound is used in order to visualize abnormalities
on nuclear scintigraphy. It has a 6.5 hour half life
and is eliminated by the kidneys
Technetium-99 Labeled Phosphorus Compound
This is the modality of choice for imaging bone, and can
accurately delineate osseous lesions
CT
This is the modality of choice for imaging soft tissue
structures that are not accessible by U/S, such as
structures within the hoof capsule, and intra-articular ligaments
MRI
This modality can be diagnostic as well as therapeutic
Diagnostic Arthroscopy
What is Equinosis Q?
It is a tool that uses inertial sensors and a wireless tablet
to objectively detect and quantify body movement
irregularities
