[Thyme]

One of my shearling rams has developed a bad limp in his right fore.  It started as a milder limp about 5 days ago, when he was still putting some weight on it, and then worsened so he was holding it up entirely and going on three legs.  2 days ago I tipped him and looked at his hoof thoroughly -- no sign of anything wrong there.  A little ragged and muddy but no irritation in the cleft, nothing stuck in it, no pockets, no swelling or heat that I could detect, nothing that looked like infection or damage.  I covered it with blue spray anyway, and injected him with intramuscular Alamycin appropriate to his weight.  The rest of his leg looks all right, nothing dangling strangely, nothing obviously swollen in ankle, knee, or shoulder.  Today he seems much the same, possibly a little bit improved but it's hard to be certain.  Aside from limping he seems to be doing well enough, he's grazing and cudding and hanging out with his friends, and is still motivated to come over and be petted.  I'm trying to judge what should be the next step.  Options seem to be:

1) Ask the vet to come see him -- but not sure whether there'd be anything for them to do?

2) Take him to the vet -- but a trailer ride doesn't seem like the best idea under the circumstances.

3) Ask the vet for anti-inflammatory to give him.

4) Confine him to keep him from moving around -- but that would also require a trailer ride, and I think he'll be happier staying where he is, which is a reasonably safe and secure pasture.

5) Let him be and just keep monitoring closely.

My best guess is that it's either a shoulder injury from slipping on the muddy hillside or from a fight with one of the other boys (although they seem to be getting along fine), or it's an infection that's deep inside enough not to show? 

Comments appreciated.  My vet is open Saturday mornings so I won't have to wait until Monday if they are needed, but I hesitate to call them out just to look at him and go "yup, wait and see".

[shep53]

2 OR 5  depends when you need him ready to work

[Thyme]

Won't need him to work until November, plenty of time.

[Foobar]

Keep monitoring, and have another look - maybe you missed something.


If it continues and there is no improvement at all take him to the vet in the trailer.  If he starts to make improvement then just wait.  Have you seen them fighting at all?

[Thyme]

I haven't seen them fighting but, that said, he's number two in the dominance hierarchy, so it's certainly possible that he and number one had a bit of a shoving match when I wasn't there to see, even though normally number one is a benevolent dictator and they all get along fine.  I'm confident enough that he's not being picked on now.

[moprabbit]

Have you given him any Metacam? 

[Thyme]

Have you given him any Metacam?

No, only the antibiotic.  Metacam is anti-inflammatory/pain relief?  He's okay in himself, not in so much pain that it's stopping him from behaving normally (aside from the limp).  But he is very tame so it's easy to catch him and dose him without stressing him too much more, if giving him Metacam or something else is worthwhile.

[Foobar]

You'd only be able to get Metacam from the vet, and the vet would probably need to see the animal in order to prescribe it anyway...

[Keepers]

If in doubt I give pen and strep and an antiflamitory like Loxicom,
give the pen and strep every day for 5 days and then see what happens

[Old Shep]

I'd monitor him for a week then take another look.  Just like us they can pull things and it gets better with time.

[farmvet]

I'd get the vet to see him, either take him in or vet out. If he's that lame you really need to know what your dealing with instead of guessing

[Herdygirl]

If in doubt I give pen and strep and an antiflamitory like Loxicom,
give the pen and strep every day for 5 days and then see what happens

Can't see the point in injecting stuff into him when you don't know what is wrong.
 

I'd get the vet to see him, either take him in or vet out. If he's that lame you really need to know what your dealing with instead of guessing

I agree with Farmvet, I would put him in the trailer and take him to the vet. 
 
 
 
 
Can't see the point in injecting stuff into him when you don't know what is wrong. 

[Thyme]

Thanks all.  I will monitor him until Monday and then if he hasn't shown definite improvement I will see about the vet.

[snowyriver]

Hi Thyme.
Just my own personal views on the posts above.

It started as a milder limp about 5 days ago, when he was still putting some weight on it, and then worsened so he was holding it up entirely and going on three legs.

The main worry for me is that it's got worse over the 5 days, suggesting that there could be a build up of infection there. I would have expected an injury or sprain to have been painful from day 1. There are Vets on here who are more qualified to advise you than I.

Can't see the point in injecting stuff into him when you don't know what is wrong.

There is logic to your point, but as he is clearly in pain, I’d personally give him something as a pain relief and anti inflammatory!

 

I'd monitor him for a week then take another look.  Just like us they can pull things and it gets better with time.

Absolutely, give him sufficient time to see if he can get over it without further intervention after the initial treatment. A journey to and from the vet in a trailer could make an injury worse for him. 

[Thyme]

Hi Thyme.
Just my own personal views on the posts above.

It started as a milder limp about 5 days ago, when he was still putting some weight on it, and then worsened so he was holding it up entirely and going on three legs.

The main worry for me is that it's got worse over the 5 days, suggesting that there could be a build up of infection there. I would have expected an injury or sprain to have been painful from day 1.

Yes, that is a main point of worry for me too.  It hasn't continually got worse, I would say over the past few days it has either stayed the same or possibly gotten a little better, but it was unusual that it got worse over the first couple of days.  Yesterday when I checked on him he and the others were in the wooded bit of the pasture that is very sloping and muddy, where they like to go when it's been raining for the tree cover.  So although I was able to go right up and handle him, and he got up and stood when I arrived, due to the footing there being risky I didn't want to push him to climb down so I could see him walk more.  He was putting the foot down while he was standing, but I think just lightly to rest it and help his balance, not with much weight on it.  I expect I'll be able to better judge today.

I am worried about him keeping his balance in the trailer, especially as it's not the smoothest and straightest of roads between me and the vet, even if I go slow and careful.  But I'll see what the vet thinks about that on Monday.  If I'm lucky they'll have some other nearby farm visit and can stop in for a quick look.