Page 168 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

In most cases, the cause of lameness can be identified and a diagnosis made. The horse can

then be given the most appropriate treatment. However, one has to accept that there are
VetBooks.ir occasions when a diagnosis remains elusive despite a thorough clinical examination and
extensive investigations. The horse may have multiple sites of pain, making interpretation of

nerve blocks difficult and not every part of the limb can be desensitized by nerve blocks.
Lesions may be present without radiographic changes and not visible on a bone scan. The

lameness may be too low grade and intermittent to pinpoint. Horses undoubtedly experience
‘referred pain’ but our understanding of this is limited at the present time.