Arthroscopy for hock injury

[Halfstep]

My horse is scheduled for arthroscopic surgery to remove a cartilage fragment around his tarsocrural joint in the hock. He injured it somehow (bashed it in the stable I think) and has had effusion but no lameness for around a fortnight. Does anyone have any experience with this type of surgery? Any advice, or hope for the future? Vets said prognosis was good, so I'm hoping to get him back to normal work (dressage). But any info most welcome.

 

[clairencappelli]

My horse had an arthroscopy in her fetlock last july, its has been a very difficult year and a very bumpy road but we are getting there.

I will tell my story - apologies for the length.

Last april my horse came in with a very swollen and hot fetlock which she was lame on. Put her in gave her bute and called the vet the next day. Vet said too much swelling to tell if its a tendon so he needed to scan it. She had to obv stay in and had 2 danilon a day and was scanned the beginning of the next week. No tendon or ligament damage was found so it was a sudpected strain. She stayed in for a few weeks on bute as i was told but it didnt improved and the swelling subsited but the joint was infused like your horses. I took her back and they xrayed her and found no chips or fractures so they injected the joint with local anesthetic and she was better but still lame. It was decided to draw off some of the flid in the infusion to test for cartledge fragents and they have her a h/a and sterroid injection into the joint.

The synovial fluid came back clear of any cartlege fragment and she went back another week later for another sterroid+ h/a joint injection.Things seemed to settle after a few more weeks and she was sound so we treid to ride her again. But as soon as i did more than a 15 min walk or troted the infusion came right up! She also bucked which is something she had never done. vet was called again and after more rest it was decided the only way to find out was to go into the joint so in july she went in.

Im so glad i had the op done she has massive cartledge damage and the surgeon ( dr david platt ) said she should have been very lame on it not just 1/10th. What had happend was the cannon bone and smashed down into the fetlock shearing off one piece of cartledge ( this was rubbing her anular ligament ) and the rest of the cartlege was a mess.

She had the bits removed and the cartledge remaining tired up. We were all very shocked at the extent of the damage all the vet included. She was in horsepital for a week and came home. We had complications after from the pressure bangdage which made her tendon ballon when it came off.

Recovery was hard. She had 6 weeks solid box rest and wasnt allowed out only to be tied up then go back in. Then 6 weeks of ascending walking inhand on box rest- this was very hard as shes a full TB but we got by with the help of ACP and a BP and hat ). After 12 weeks she was allowed out into a grass pen during the day this increased in size for 2 months and on the 3rd month she had a big field on her own.

My vet came back out 3rd jan and we checked her for soundness and she was fine so i got on her there and then. By this time she had been out of work for 8 months but was a star to ride. Started slowley and built up, we have had 2 set backs where she has been silly and made the infusuion flare up but we have now been in work for 10 weeks and she is now just started cantering.

I dont know if she will jump again and we are not even going to consider it for at least 6 months ( i hope tp try a little jump in sept time ) but if her fetlock doesnt hold up then she will just do dressage.

Her surgeon told me to put her on the newmarket supplement as its the purest available and a cheapest rate to imporve the quailty of the fiberious tissus that will replace the cartledge. I was also advided to feed her green lipped mussle as this is being clinicly tested on horses and having very good results. It will help keep joint imflammation down and slow down the onset of arthritus later. I buy it from holland and barret or the internet and feed her 2000 mg a day.

I apologise if i have gone on but i did warn you it was a long story hehe.

If i can help with any specifc questions then please dont hesitate to pm me .

Just out of interest do they know for sure its cartledge damage of are the guessing? The reson we had trouble finding the reason was becuase cartledge damage is very difficult to detect.

I gave my horse cartrophen jabks for 6 months too but i really hope it all worth it after all this hard work.

Do let me know how you go with your horse id like to know.

 

[Halfstep]

Wow, thats some story. Fingers crossed for your horse.

They could see the cartilage flap on the x-ray, but are obviously not sure about the full extent of the damage. The vet was quite positive about it, but did imply that they can't know for sure until they do the arthroscopy. He has a bit of effusion but not too bad. Vet said around 10 days boxrest, followed by around 3 weeks walking, etc. But we will know more when they do the surgery. Horse has never been lame, which should imply that damage is limited, and we have caught it very early. I hope.

Thanks for your post. I'll let you know how it goes.