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Member
Posts: 17
| Any suggestions?
Recommendations?
Surgery pros and cons?
Will she still be able to perform if is she has surgery?
She runs like the dickens would not know she had as issue.
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  If it Ain't a Paint it Ain't!
Posts: 8519
   
Location: Mansfield, Tx | crisfarr - 2014-08-01 10:31 AM
Any suggestions?
Recommendations?
Surgery pros and cons?
Will she still be able to perform if is she has surgery?
She runs like the dickens would not know she had as issue.
http://www.dynasplint.com/divisions/veterinary/equine/ |
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 Midget Lover
Location: Kentucky | Has she been looked at by a vet? Has she had an treatments thus far? |
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Member
Posts: 17
| Yes I inquired when she was born and he said not to worry she would straighten out. Shes been running around paddocks like a crazy girl thought it was the way she was standing (could not get a hold of her) now she's halter broke and standing and i can really see it now. The suggestion is a referral surgery and shoe. Pros and Cons?
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 Expert
Posts: 1584
Location: Central Texas | 4 months ago I had surgery done on a yearling filly. She was so contracted on one front leg that she walked on her tippy toe. I wanted to put her down, but I got out-voted. They cut her check ligament, not the deep digital flexor and put a cast and then a custom made long-toed shoe that was replaced every 3 weeks for 3 or 4 times. She appears to be 100% sound! There is no apparent difference in her front legs and hooves. According to the vet, she will have no problems being used throughout her life. We'll see. Sorry, no long term experience to report. |
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 Tough Patooty
Posts: 2615
Location: Sperry, OK | I have a 20 yo mare that had her check ligaments clipped at 18months... she has been sound since the day after surgery and is still sound today. |
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 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| I had check ligament surgery done on a foal this year. He was 2 months old and not straightening at the knee. His knees straightened out, but at about 3 months he began developing contracted tendons at the ankle. He was still being stalled at this point from the surgery, so as soon as he was able we turned him and his momma out to pasture to see if traveling and a lower quality diet would help. At 4 months he was not improving. We made the decision to try an oxytetracyline treatment even though we didn't expect to see results since he is older. We then weaned him and put him on a very restricted diet to slow down his growth.
This colt is very big and we think that is what is causing the problem. So we hope the weaning and diet change will take care of it. He also looks like he has some epiphysitis issues, also caused by diet. We are at about a week and a half from treatment and weaning. I don't think the oxytetracyline had much effect and more of the results we are seeing is a result of the diet change. His tendons have already relaxed some and he is looking closer to normal. Hopefully we continue to see positive changes and can avoid another surgery. |
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Member
Posts: 17
| SO this happens more that i was aware of. Made it sound that he has not seen this in years!
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Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| If you google flexural limb deformity or contracted tendons in foals you can find a lot of information. I think that many times the issues will self-correct in time. But there comes a point when intervention is needed. If you can, go to a vet that deals with this on a regular basis. I hauled over 5 hours to the vet that did surgery on mine. He examined mine and determined that time would not solve the problem. The surgery requires the vet to make a judgement on how much needs done to the ligament. Too much and it becomes too lax. Not enough and they'll have to go back and do it again.
I am under the impression that surgery will no effect future soundness. However, if not done you will impact the future ability of the horse to perform. You might try some of the other options first, such as the oxytetracyline or splints and toe extensions. Again I think that a knowledgeable vet can tell you if they think these other interventions will work or if surgery is necessary. |
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 Livin in the Dinosaur Age
Posts: 1993
Location: the other T-town, Oklahoma | I had to have this done 3 years ago on my then 16 week old filly. She was contracted and clubby on the right side, when I walked her out of the trailer the vet told me the right needed it and if we didn't do the left he would see me back in a couple months for a repeat. I opted to do both at that time, she was already lame on the right side and save on having to have her knocked out for surgery a second time. She also had a hernia from birth, 2 check ligaments and hernia repair $1200. She limped into the vet that day and has NEVER taken a lame step ever since. I also asked my vet about soundness and made sure he knew she wasn't going to be a pleasure/trail type of horse and that she would be in the barrel pen and roping arena if my plans held up. He told me not a problem that there are lots of horses on the track, speed event horses and hunter/jumpers that have had this done and have a had a successful career. I am very thankful I did it. Rehab was easy. If i remember right it was change the bandage every 3 days and hand walk 5-10 minutes twice a day. I had to keep her in a small pen for a week and bute only for the first 3 days. She has no visisble scarring from it and you have to really know where to feel to even feel a small scar from the incision under her hair. Good luck.
Edited by punkypower 2014-08-06 7:15 AM
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Veteran
Posts: 238
| I had check ligament surgery on a yearling filly that just wouldn't straighten out on 1 leg. She's about 11 now and has been sound since. |
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 Sweet Tea
Posts: 3496
Location: Home of the World Famous "Silver Bullet" | tetracyline is very cheap and will not hurt your horse. i know how stupid this sounds. it has a VERY high rate of success. IV them and a few days later do it again. talk to your vet or call university of florida, vet school. they will talk to you about it. maybe google it.
the younger you do this the better. i have seen 2yo's completely set down on their heels from walking on their toes. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 403
Location: Armuchee, GA, NW section of Ga | I had a colt that was very contracted since birth. He was rejected by his dam so I raised him on a bucket. He looked like a praying mantis on the front, bad. I had the vet out who suggested tet injections and clipping, with daily splinting too. But my mother was activity dying and other than feeding him daily I had little time to follow thru with vet recommendations. I turned him out with a pasture buddy older gelding in the next paddock and allowed him to grow and run. I did do the recommended supplements that the fellow boards suggested, heavy on supplements, and he straightened out on his own. He is a healthy 5 year old, no lameness, nothing. Good thing because my mother needed me more as she expired within a month of this foals birth. He is my baby, beautiful black & white tobi.
Jan |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 928
Location: Bigfoot Country | just curious....what are you feeding? mine was on alfalfa, or the mare was, and I put her on grass hay and she was markedly improved with a week. sometimes diet change can help. |
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| We saw really good results with this product made by Progressive. It looks like you can get a pelleted version, but we did the liquid. Ours didn't need surgery because she came out of it, but hopefully a lot of other posters have made you feel comfortable with the thought of surgery. I wouldn't hesitate if we have another with the issue.
http://www.prognutrition.com/pn/products/foal-supplements/rejuvenai... |
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