Any thoughts on annular ligaments

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Bertybaby

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So about 6 months ago my guy developed what look like huge wind puffs on his kind fetlocks. He was never once lame or off at all. We gave him time off and had him ultrasounded and the vet said his annular ligaments were swollen so we injected the left one (the worse one) to be safe. We were told they should just be blemishes. The swelling went down considerably but progressively the left one is considerably larger than the right. He's not unsound but it just doesn't look right and his pastern is holding fluid as well. Any thoughts?
 
I think windgalls are funny things - they can be something and nothing. I have had a few horses with them which haven't caused a problem yet my last horse tore her manica flexoria (random bit of cartilage) and had a very swollen annual ligament and basically it just looked like a big windgall. She was pretty lame though so fairly apparent she'd done something major!!!

At first we only thought it was the annular ligament as you cannot see the manica flexoria without an amazing scanner. Might be worth sending your horse to a big vet hospital if you are worried that it is something that needs looking at. However your horse isn't lame so I wouldn't be panicking just yet.
 
Mine damaged his annular ligament on one hind leg while I was out riding - it was very sudden and severe as he pulled up cantering and then we had to hobble home. He then threw a massive windgall. After various investigations and misdiagnoses (he has arthritis too so it was complicated and box rest was a very last resort) a scan showed annular ligament inflammation. The inflammation had affected the tendon sheath (or vice versa, or he had damaged both, I can't remember). He needed an operation in which his annular ligament was cut (yuck) and scar tissue removed from tendon sheath. After rehab he's come back fine despite the vet giving me a very bleak prognosis. He just has a dodgy looking leg!
However it's a bit odd that your horse would damage both in an accident so it's probably something else other than what I have just described.
 
noblesteed said:
Mine damaged his annular ligament on one hind leg while I was out riding - it was very sudden and severe as he pulled up cantering and then we had to hobble home. He then threw a massive windgall. After various investigations and misdiagnoses (he has arthritis too so it was complicated and box rest was a very last resort) a scan showed annular ligament inflammation. The inflammation had affected the tendon sheath (or vice versa, or he had damaged both, I can't remember). He needed an operation in which his annular ligament was cut (yuck) and scar tissue removed from tendon sheath. After rehab he's come back fine despite the vet giving me a very bleak prognosis. He just has a dodgy looking leg!
However it's a bit odd that your horse would damage both in an accident so it's probably something else other than what I have just described.
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But could this be the case if there is not heat and he's perfectly sound?
 
My horse has just started work again after 7 months off due to an annular ligament injury.
She is 22, and it is common amongst older horses I was told.

I got her in from the field one day lame, ok in walk but pretty lame in trot. It was obvious she has been galloping around the field a lot as it was covered in skid marks, so I assumed she had tweaked something. After 10 days of rest, and still lame, I called the vet and arranged to take her up there for a lameness workup. She was assessed, nerve blocked, and scanned.

The nerve blocks didn't really change anything, and by the time they had done these she was so sore on that hindleg that she was about 8/10 lame, having been assessed that morning as 5/10 lame. Scan showed an inflamed annular ligament, apparently this can be solely an annular ligament injury, but this is often caused/contributed to by a tendon sheath injury. In my mare, luckily, there was no tendon sheath damage that could be seen, and just the annular ligament swollen.

Vets offered 3 options, rest (c. 80% chance she would be the same in 6 months), steroid injection into the area (50/50 as to whether it would help), or surgery to cut it. They were 80% confident this would cure her.

My mare has had steroid induced laminitis about 2 years ago so after discussion with other vets in the practice, this option was eliminated - not worth the risk.
She also has a lot of allergy problems, so for her, I don't think surgery was the right thing to try first off. She scratches herself until she bleeds, which /I am convinced she would be like after surgery, and I would then have to try and box rest her - near on impossible.

I took her home uncertain what to do. I spoke to a family member who had had shockwave therapy on her horse for a tendon injury. Thought it might be worth a chat with my vet. I googled it, and whilst rare it has been used for annular ligament problems before. Spoke to vet and he said, not a certain but for this mare certainly worth a try! She had 3 sessions of shockwave therapy, 2 weeks apart at £200 a go. she was then field rested (restricted space), for 3 months after which I increased the space up to her usual field.
After 6 months I took her back to the vets for assessment, whilst the swelling hasn't 100% gone (it is squidgy now rather than rock solid as it was), she is sound! on flexion she did show slightly to this fetlock, but she is 22 years old! Vet said to walk her (ridden) for 10-15 mins for a month and they will look at her again then. She now has had 3 weeks of work and to me is equally as sound as when we started, hoping to the able to increase this soon.

There is no guarantee there will not still be a weakness there, but the way she has been hooleying around the field I think I would have seen by now if this is a significant weakness!

Long reply but possibly another treatment to consider!
 
My boy damaged a front annular ligament a few years ago, possibly when we were out for a canter. You could see a sort of 'snatch' when he put his foot down, there were 2 stages to putting it down instead of one smooth movement of you see what I mean.

He is a light hack anyway due to ringbone in the other front leg so vet advised a week of bute twice a day and turnout 24/7. He came right within a few weeks.

Vet suggested current thinking has moved away from box rest as when they heal they are more likely to damage it again as they have healed "still". He is fairly quiet out in the field though (more interested in scoffing!)

Eta- he never looked "lame" just not 100%. No head nodding or shortness of stride, just the "snatch" to his walk
 
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