Knee or hoof problem. Opinions PLEASE!!

I was told when I got Kay that she had mild arthritis in her left front knee. She had been neglected, was under weight, etc., etc. when the woman I bought her from rescued her from the man who had her. She had Kay for 3 months. I've had Kay since March. I've had her hooves trimmed regularly. They crack and chip alot. Plus she has had a small abcess in her back left hoof. This has been cared for and doesn't cause her any problems. The issue is the left front. Her farrier recommended front shoes back in July, so we had that done. I've had the vet out twice for cortizone shots in the left knee, she still continues to limp, with no improvement after the shots. The vet has stated he doesn't believe it is arthritis or bone chips in the knee. Possible tendon problem??? However, now Kay doesn't seem to want to put alot of weight on the hoof, holds it up alot when she is standing still and stumbles alot on that hoof when walking.

I'm at a loss and don't know which issue to lean toward as the problem. Any advice or recommendations are welcome.

It may help to post pictures of the leg/video of her walking/trotting. Have you felt her hoof and leg for hot points?

Some pics of her moving would be good. Knees are pretty noticable. Also know that sometimes cortizone is not enough for a knee depending how far gone the knee is. Acid/cortizone mix could be needed. Acid will hold up longer, cortizone evaporates. Is the knee hot at all? When its injected, does he get fluid out of it? This is a HUGE key to your knees status. This is why I have a problem with so many vets who inject but never give time to get fluid out and look at it. Fluid can tell you how bad it is, good fluid is slightly thick and as clear as possible, as the fluid gets worse and worse it will get thicker and thicker, or very thin and watery, the color will get very yellow and darker, even bloody (which is really bad), and sometimes the knee can be completely dry (very bad). Is he injecting from the back of the knee or the front? If he is going through the front is he hitting both the upper and lower joints? This means he should be going in 2 spots on the front of the knee.

Yep, hoof pics & pics of her moving/standing. How old is she? How is/has she been managed/fed? Have you had x-rays done? Good nutrition/diet & good hoofcare & management may go a long way at addressing the issues. Hooves 'cracking & chipping a lot' can be diet related, &/or can be due to excess length. If problems have been long term there may be a lot of separation & 'seedy toe' etc.

I would not want to put shoes on a horse with unhealthy feet especially with possible tendon or arthritis problems. I believe barefoot is far preferrable in management & rehab of lame horses for a number of reasons, shock absorbtion being one. I use boots if/when necessary for the protection & comfort of weak feet. Hoofrehab.com & barehoofcare.com are 2 good sites for more info on the whys & wherefores.

No hot areas in the knee. Some minor swelling. The vet is injecting the front of the joint, upper and lower. He hasn't drawn any fluid out either.
The second set of shots he gave her where a very strong steroid, sorry, the name eludes me at the moment.
Is it possible she has a abcess in the hoof causing the limp?

Loosie, thanks for the threads.
As I said Kay was neglected by the man who had her last year and we have been rectifying her neglect since she was rescued. She does have alot of seperation in the front hooves. That's why the farrier recommended shoes. She was having large chips break off. The shoes have stopped this from happening. Also, you can see a HUGE difference in the condition of the hooves from the malnutrition to the healthy feeding. You're able to see a very visible, good healthy ring on the hoof. I will try to post pics today. Unfortunatly I'm not able to take video of her moving. She stumbles alot, on flat ground.

I wouldn't recommend shoes for wall separation/flaring. I would recommend a good barefoot trim with beveling to keep the outer wall out of ground contact. I might guess that shoes are causing the hoof pain as the weight is probably totally on the wall. OR pain hoof due to an abscess.. Very possible with flaring.. Pics of hooves would be good.. Take them from ground level straight on from the side, front and sole if possible

I have to agree with above post shoes are not the best way to treat separation/flaring. If there is an abscess you may want to try this tar stuff I can't remember the name but OMG I remember the smell. Also soaking the leg may help anytime I have a lame horse I use hydro therapy. Good luck

hmm, im not sure what he put in there.

Also the fluid doesnt have to be drawn out. When you put the needle in, if it is in the joint the fluid should come into the hub, and if there is a lot it will come out on its own, if there isnt a little bit of pushing around the area will being out some fluid. If you can't get any fliud at all, that means the joint is dry.

ETA: he could have an absess, but without seeing the foot or anything its hard to tell, especially knowing he has a knee bad enough to need injecting

Could be an abscess, could be founder, could be mainly the knee.... can't do more than rough guess without a lot more info. What are the answers to the other questions I asked? If the vet was pretty sure it's not arthritis, why is he injecting the knee?