⚠️ Not veterinary advice. This guide is for education on minor issues only. If you are unsure, or your animal is in pain, call your veterinarian. In an emergency, call immediately.
Lameness / limping in horses and donkeys
Should I call the vet?
Typical signs: Head bobs or hips hitch at the trot, short stride, pointing or resting a leg, reluctant to turn.
Call your vet now if you see
- Won't bear weight on the leg
- After a fall, kick or trailer accident
- Wound, puncture or swelling over a joint or tendon
- Hot, swollen leg with fever
- Lame on more than one foot, or rocking back (think laminitis)
- Getting worse over hours
What you can do
- Stop work; don't ride a lame horse.
- Pick out the foot; look for a stone, nail, bruise or lost shoe.
- Feel for heat and a strong digital pulse in the foot, and heat or swelling up the leg; compare with the other side.
- Hand-walk on firm, level ground to see which leg; video it for your vet.
- Rest in a stall or small paddock on soft footing.
- Give NO pain medication unless your vet directs it — it can hide how bad it is.
When to call the vet
Within 24 h if still lame; immediately for any call-now sign.
Normal adult vital signs (at rest)
Horse
| Vital | Normal | Concerning |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 99.0–101.5 °F | Over 102 °F or under 98 °F |
| Heart rate | 28–44 /min | Over 60 at rest |
| Respiration | 10–24 /min | Over 30 or labored |
| Gums / CRT | Moist pink, refill < 2 s | Pale, white, dark red, purple, tacky |
| Gut sounds | Gurgles both sides | Silent |
| Hydration | Skin pinch back in 1–2 s | Tents > 2–3 s |
Donkey
| Vital | Normal | Concerning |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 98.0–100.5 °F (37–38 °C) | Over 101.5 °F |
| Heart rate | 36–68 /min | Over 70 at rest |
| Respiration | 12–28 /min | Over 30 or labored |
| Gums / CRT | Moist pink, refill < 2 s | Pale, dark, tacky |
| Gut sounds | Present both sides | Silent |
| Behavior | Alert, eating | Dull or not eating = urgent (hyperlipemia risk) |
Young animals differ. Learn each animal's healthy baseline and record it.
Sources
More from Should I Call the Vet?
All 51 topics · Horse records · Donkey records · Parasites & toxic plants by state
Other horse topics
- Minor cuts & scrapes
- Hoof abscess
- Mild colic warning signs
- Thrush
- Rain rot / rain scald
- Eye irritation
- Laminitis (founder) warning signs
- Choke (esophageal obstruction)
- Mild cough / nasal discharge
- Scratches / mud fever
- Puncture wound / nail in the foot
- Nosebleed
- Fever (high temperature)
- Diarrhea (adult horse)
- Not eating (off feed)
- Not drinking / dehydration
- Tying-up (muscle cramping)
- Leg swelling / stocking up
- Hives (raised bumps)
- Weight loss / poor condition
- Dental problems / quidding
- Foaling problems (dystocia)
- Retained placenta (after foaling)
- Newborn foal problems
- Stumbling / neurological signs
- Snake bite
- Toxic plant eaten
- Cast horse (stuck lying down)
- Lost shoe / hoof crack
- Tail rubbing
- Vaccine reaction
- Lice / mange / skin irritation
- Heat stress
Keep every record in one place
Herd Papers keeps vaccines, Coggins, vet and farrier visits, weight and body condition for each animal, and reminds you before things come due.
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