Posted 2015-07-25 9:03 AM Subject: What to do next?
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1008
I have a horse who slipped and came up slightly off. Vets couldn't' figure out what was wrong. Seemed to be stifle issue- injected and slight improvement but not good enough. Turned out for almost a year and he still came back the same. Ended up doing a bone scan which lit up his left SI and right stifle. X-ray and ultrasounded the stifle to find a bone chip in outside compartment. It was healed up from the time off. Injected the SI and had great improvement until increased the work and speed. Was still off in the stifle so did that and this time did both compartments. Again good at the walk, etc. until started to doing more work. With more work seems to be the same as before. Not really sure where I should go from here? I'm pretty desperate to get this horse back but can't spend a fortune on him either.......even though I'm about there for the year already.
Posted 2015-07-26 9:10 PM Subject: RE: What to do next?
Elite Veteran
Posts: 898 Location: Mountains of VA
You might want to try Pentosan Gold. I'm sure you have been legging up SLOWLY.........it will take a lot of time to get your horse back into shape. After all I have been through with stifles and S.I. soreness on several different horses, I would not waste my money on injections on any joint, period.
Retirement might be the only option for your horse.
Posted 2015-07-27 9:22 AM Subject: RE: What to do next?
Texas Taco
Posts: 7499 Location: Bandera, TX
I so feel your pain.
I just started riding my mare again after more than one year. She just fell apart on me last spring, practically overnight. She had EPM among a few other issues. Once we got that sorted she still wasn’t right. Also did a bone scan and that revealed a rear suspensory injury. She was never lame… more time off…
Now we will see. I’m still fighting muscle soreness and see a chiro very regularity. Some days she moves great, others not. I have a hard time telling of she is hurting or being spoiled form being off for so long. Trying to take it slow and being in tune with her body. I pray she comes back sound…
Posted 2015-09-13 8:20 PM Subject: RE: What to do next?
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1008
Had him rechecked and no soreness in his SI or back now. More of a 3/5 on lameness scale though (2/5 at previous appt.). Tried blocking him out and he didn't block sound. Would think if it was suspensory it would have shown on bone scan? Very testy with pressure on one hock. Thinking maybe the initial SI pain was covering up other areas? The chip doesn't need to be removed as it is not in the joint according to vets. Trying hocks and then giving acupuncture a shot. Will consider whorl bones if this doesn't work. Pelvis should have lit up on bone scan if an issue there but plan to x-ray eventually if we can't get to the bottom of it.
Also have had this horse tie up- wondering if this could be something mixing in too? Haven't had him tested but plan to try hair test.
Posted 2015-09-15 12:16 AM Subject: RE: What to do next?
Have your vets explained to you that stifle problems are usually caused by muscle strains that allow the joint to move which affects every joint it is connected to by changing the angles of bone //joint structure??
The stifle joint is nothing but the knee joint for the rear legs of a horse ... the nice bulky muscle you see over the joint area on a horse with good conformation is the only thing holding the joint in place.
Vets attack the ligament usually to shorten it since the joint moved downward to take up the slack in the ligament. Due to angle changes in the worn grooves of hips, stifle joint, hocks and all the way to the suspensory ligaments .. here come the injections to mask the problem(s). And you become a continuous bill payer without having a sound horse to depend on.
Time is your best friend of absolutely no riding for 12 months with pasture turnout ... then a long easy 6 months of nothing but pasture riding to get his muscles toned back up ... to fit his new angles in all of his joints in his rear end ..
If he is in great condition and fails to become sound to barrel race ... you have you a nice family horse .. no sense in wasting your money trying to fix something that can't be fixed ...
Posted 2015-09-15 5:46 AM Subject: RE: What to do next?
Elite Veteran
Posts: 618
Just out of curiosity is this the right side? I have a gelding who was off in his right hind end and would crossfire when trying to lope to right. We blocked from the bottom up and still off. Suspicious of soft tissue the vet put him on msm and stall rest for 3 weeks and at 're check he was sound so we didn't do scintography (sp) however he still wasn't right once we started riding him. Long and short I stumbled across an article on ulcers and had a light bulb moment. He had every symptom including the right side lameness issues. Sure enough he had them. We treated him and I'm leggging him up slowly now. It was suggested to get chiropractic and massage work done to help realign his muscles/skeletal systems bc he had been using his body incorrectly for so long.
What to do next?
