Arthritis in the neck

[Emma Smith]

Hello.

I am hoping someone can give some advice on my horse's arthritis problem. I have a 16.1 ISH chestnut mare who is 13 and doing Medium dressage. In June 2013 she went lame on the left fore literally overnight. This continued for a couple of months and so I called the vet out, who originally thought it was her shoulder, and my back person out to take a look at her, and she improved after a few months with some electrotherapy from the physio and was then sound in around October 2013. This lameness then came back in around January 2014 and so I tried some acupuncture which seemed to help after the 3rd or 4th session, but unless it was done weekly, she was still lame. I then called the vet out again who then x-rayed her neck and then diagnosed her with having arthritis in C4 and C5. She then gave her steroid injections, which worked initially, but only lasted 2.5 months. I then bought myself a Tens Machine to use on her neck one or twice a week to try and replicate what the physio had been using on her. We then tried some shockwave therapy, but this only lasted a week or so and then she was lame again. We then did another lot of steroids and also a weekly injection of Pentosan for 4 weeks in August 2014 and this seemed to work until around February this year and she was then intermittently lame every other week, until going permanently lame a couple of weeks ago, but this time on the right fore. I have just had the vet out again last Tuesday and had another lot of steroids, but this has only lasted 6 days and she was lame again yesterday. The vet did point out that the arthritis had gotten worse. She has been on Maxavita Maxflex and NatureBute, but these are only assisted around 2-3% as the main anti-inflammatory is the steroids - according to the vet. I have asked if there is anything else that can be tried and the vet has confirmed that there isn't after this if the steroids don't work.

Has anyone else experienced this type of arthritis and has anyone got any suggestions of anything else that can be tried? I am willing to give anything a go if it might help.

Thank you for any help in advance.

Emma

 

[ester]

I know one who was about 6 and very promising, owned by a dressage rider. He was sold to a farmer type to hunt but the change in his routine seemed to help- out most of the time, head down grazing in a huge field and hacking out on a loose rein. - he never got round to hunting much. Someone else then started to school him occasionally and was successful dressaging him again at a level higher than before though am not sure if still going! I was surprised how well he came back to it.

 

[Birker2020]

Hello.

I am hoping someone can give some advice on my horse's arthritis problem. I have a 16.1 ISH chestnut mare who is 13 and doing Medium dressage. In June 2013 she went lame on the left fore literally overnight. This continued for a couple of months and so I called the vet out, who originally thought it was her shoulder, and my back person out to take a look at her, and she improved after a few months with some electrotherapy from the physio and was then sound in around October 2013. This lameness then came back in around January 2014 and so I tried some acupuncture which seemed to help after the 3rd or 4th session, but unless it was done weekly, she was still lame. I then called the vet out again who then x-rayed her neck and then diagnosed her with having arthritis in C4 and C5. She then gave her steroid injections, which worked initially, but only lasted 2.5 months. I then bought myself a Tens Machine to use on her neck one or twice a week to try and replicate what the physio had been using on her. We then tried some shockwave therapy, but this only lasted a week or so and then she was lame again. We then did another lot of steroids and also a weekly injection of Pentosan for 4 weeks in August 2014 and this seemed to work until around February this year and she was then intermittently lame every other week, until going permanently lame a couple of weeks ago, but this time on the right fore. I have just had the vet out again last Tuesday and had another lot of steroids, but this has only lasted 6 days and she was lame again yesterday. The vet did point out that the arthritis had gotten worse. She has been on Maxavita Maxflex and NatureBute, but these are only assisted around 2-3% as the main anti-inflammatory is the steroids - according to the vet. I have asked if there is anything else that can be tried and the vet has confirmed that there isn't after this if the steroids don't work.

Has anyone else experienced this type of arthritis and has anyone got any suggestions of anything else that can be tried? I am willing to give anything a go if it might help.

Thank you for any help in advance.

Emma

Hi Emma,

I am afraid my horse was diagnosed with calcification in the spinal column with narrowing around C3, C4 and C6 (with C6 being the worse case scenario). He had reared and gone over backwards in the field causing the damage to his neck. After a lot of to-ing and fro-ing with a useless veterinary practice who misdiagnosed his ataxia as EHV he was diagnosed with wobblers syndrome at Liverpool using a comprehensive xray machine. He was pts on veterinary advice (under humane grounds) aged ten.

There was nothing that could be done as he had too many vetebrae affected and so surgery wasn't an option. However this was in 2004 and I believe new surgical treatments have become available, I believe some hroses are fitted with something called a bagby basket but its a complex operation, costing many thousands of pounds.

Rommy had a narrowing of 17mm in his spinal column (normal horses of his size/build have an opening of 51mm). The narrowing pinched on the nerves running off the spinal cord which caused the ataxia.

Front leg lameness can often be caused by neck problems - my physio told me this is a fairly common scenario. My horse was never lame with his wobblers but he had a very strange canter at times which pushed you out of the saddle upwards. He was very strong through his neck and had to be led in a chifney everywhere.

When Rommy had his third and final ataxic episode and my vets had decided he didn't have EHV after all they agreed to my nagging for a referral to Liverpool. He was given finadyne for four or five days to stabilise him prior to travel to the hospital.

The only thing I would suggest is if your horse is fit to travel or can be stabilised to become fit to travel, then ask your vet if he can be referred to Liverpool as they may be able to assist if there is any possibility your horse may be able to have the operation (if this is in her and your best interests). It depends on the quality of life your horse would receive as a result of the operation.

This chap is a very good authority - Antonio Cruz from the University of Guelph

http://www.equiworld.net/horses/horsecare/erc/wobbler.htm

 

[Emma Smith]

Hello

Thank you for the advice below. I am really sorry to hear about your horse having to be pts. It sounds very similar to what my horse has in that the spinal column is narrowing. I have the vet coming out again tonight to have a look at her and to discuss options for her. Unfortunately I just don't have the money for an operation like that, as I have used the insurance money for the year allowed already trying steroids and shockwaves etc, but would have looked into that if the vet thought it would help. I will speak to him about it though to see if he thinks it might be worth looking at and go from there.

Thank you

Emma

Hi Emma,

I am afraid my horse was diagnosed with calcification in the spinal column with narrowing around C3, C4 and C6 (with C6 being the worse case scenario). He had reared and gone over backwards in the field causing the damage to his neck. After a lot of to-ing and fro-ing with a useless veterinary practice who misdiagnosed his ataxia as EHV he was diagnosed with wobblers syndrome at Liverpool using a comprehensive xray machine. He was pts on veterinary advice (under humane grounds) aged ten.

There was nothing that could be done as he had too many vetebrae affected and so surgery wasn't an option. However this was in 2004 and I believe new surgical treatments have become available, I believe some horses are fitted with something called a bagby basket but its a complex operation, costing many thousands of pounds.

Rommy had a narrowing of 17mm in his spinal column (normal horses of his size/build have an opening of 51mm). The narrowing pinched on the nerves running off the spinal cord which caused the ataxia.

Front leg lameness can often be caused by neck problems - my physio told me this is a fairly common scenario. My horse was never lame with his wobblers but he had a very strange canter at times which pushed you out of the saddle upwards. He was very strong through his neck and had to be led in a chifney everywhere.

When Rommy had his third and final ataxic episode and my vets had decided he didn't have EHV after all they agreed to my nagging for a referral to Liverpool. He was given finadyne for four or five days to stabilise him prior to travel to the hospital.

The only thing I would suggest is if your horse is fit to travel or can be stabilised to become fit to travel, then ask your vet if he can be referred to Liverpool as they may be able to assist if there is any possibility your horse may be able to have the operation (if this is in her and your best interests). It depends on the quality of life your horse would receive as a result of the operation.

This chap is a very good authority - Antonio Cruz from the University of Guelph

http://www.equiworld.net/horses/horsecare/erc/wobbler.htm

 

[Birker2020]

So sorry to hear about the insurance money. At the end of the day though surgery may not have been the best approach to take anyway. Do update us on what the vet says, by the time I have read you reply you will have had the vet out, I hope you had some good news.

If your mare has to be pts (I know this is of little help to you at the moment) , but in the long term it may help but my horse was PTS on humane grounds as the vet recognised that he would have a poor quality of life if he was left alive, and would possibly be a danger to others because he was so unsteady on his feet. Whatever reasons he gave were endorsed by the BEVA under the 'pts under humane grounds' (think I have that right) and I did get a pay out which helped me get my current horse Bailey.

Obviously money was the last thing on my mind and during the consultation at Liverpool I pleaded with the consultant to allow me to take Rommy home and just let him live out his days in the field, as a non ridden horse, (I can only afford one horse at a time) but fortunately for him (and I suppose for me) he talked me round and he was PTS as I suppose in my heart I recognised that he would not have a great life, even retired.

 

[Emma Smith]

Thank you for your reply. I am so sorry that you have had to go through all of that. It's awful and I am dreading the day it will come to me (and her). I am really glad you have found another horse though.

I had the vet out yesterday, and fortunately it wasn't her neck that was causing the lameness this time. He blocked off her left fore (near side) and she was better, but still lame, and then blocked off the entire fetlock up to the knee and she was sound trotting up on hard ground and on a circle on soft ground so am really relieved it wasn't the neck! We have having some x-rays done hopefully tomorrow on the fetlock and then we can go from there and see what's wrong. He also checked her for Wobblers by asking her to turn tight circles in walk and said that he can't see any signs of it at the moment so that's also good. I will keep you updated when I know more...

Emma

 

[Birker2020]

Brilliant news Emma, and whatever is the problem with the fetlock/cannon bone area will hopefully be sorted quickly and easily.

I am so pleased for you, I was dreading your reply thinking it would be bad news.

 

[Emma Smith]

Thank you, I am relieved also!

I have since had the vet out again and he has x rayed her feet and fetlocks which showed nothing was wrong, no fractures or anything like that. He nerve blocked her in the fetlock joint directly and she was completely sound within 10 minutes. The Farrier has been out and shod her, and the vet says the farrier is doing a really good job and is happy with her feet etc. It appears the lameness is on the left, whereas I thought it was on the right. It sounds stupid, but I have been monitoring her lameness over the last couple of weeks or so as to when she is lame to see if there is a pattern, and she seems to be worse when the weather is hot. Last week she was lame all week when the weather got hot (from Monday 6th) and then the weekend just gone was a lot cooler and she was perfectly sound and feeling well again, then on Monday of this week when it got hot again, she was lame as anything, and has been all week so far, so I am not really sure if this relates to anything or is just a massive coincidence of the heat, but would be interested to hear if you have heard of this before? I haven't ridden her at all the entire time so have had a completely clear vision if you see what I mean.

I did ask the vet if the nerves from her neck could be running down and causing her lameness in her leg/foot, but he said he didn't think it could be. There is absolutely no swelling or heat in any of the legs (apart from normal temperature heat which is the same in both legs) at all, so I am completely baffled!