Articular facet arthritis?

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ribena73

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My horse has mild neurological problems, mostly hypersensitivity across the back, which my vet tested for after he collapsed (horse not vet) when being girthed. My vet x rayed yesterday suspecting kissing spines, but there is no evidence of that. So now we're booked in for a bone scan in a fortnight to try to find the root of the problem. My vet thinks it may be an inflammation around the articular facets in his spinal cord, possbily arthritis.

Does anyone have any experience of this or know of anything that may cause similar problems?
 
I did ask if the vet thought it was wobblers and he said no, it looks like his reaction is pain related rather than lack of coordination/ instability. He doesn't show any symptoms at all when being lunged, its only when ridden (slight unevenness on right rein, reluctance to take contact, but both improve dramatically after jumping) and obviously he had that dramatic reaction to being girthed.
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At the moment the not knowing is killing, I was all geared up for kissing spines diagnosis yesterday (and vet even had spinal needle in car), but its back to waiting again now
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I'm not sure if I am talking out of my backside here but my horse had xrays taken of his neck using the vets portable xray machine and I was told there wasn't a problem. However this was not the case, it was simply that his machine was not powerful enough to penetrate the neck muscles to pinpoint a problem and therefore reach a diagnosis. Upon my insistence he was referred to Liverpool where after comprehensive xrays using a huge machine he was PTS. I know that the back is not the same as a neck muscle wise, but I would still be wary of a portable xray machine. Girthiness is one of many symptoms of KS, but is usually accmpanied by lack of willingness to go foward, bucking/rearing, walking off whilst mounting, the trot is often okay, but the horse seems to struggle to maintain a three-beat canter and frequently gets disunited, irratability when the girth is done up or when groomed along back, change in stride length, irritabilty when saddled, tenderness in withers and lameness. I think you are doing the right thing by getting the horse referred for a bone scan. At least this will enable you to get a correct diagnosis. I wish you luck and I am glad your horse does not have wobblers at any rate x
 
All those symptoms you mentioned of KS are classic of my horse, apart from the bucking/ rearing which he's never done. My vet did moan a lot about the quality of the x rays but he could see the spinal processes pretty clearly. I think because the symptoms are so similar to KS, my vet is inclined to think it is a similar thing but lower down in the back, which is why he's thinking along the lines of problems with the articular facets. He said he's not worried (which if you knew my vet that is a very good sign!), but the usual google search by me brings up all sorts of nasty problems with varying outcomes.

Sorry to hear about your horse, what was the problem in the end (if you don't mind me asking?)
 
No I don't mind you asking at all, I am happy to share my experience if it helps others. My horse had late onset wobblers aged 10 following a fall in the field the previous year.
Unfortunately there was nothing they could do as the operation to insert a bagby basket was not an option due to the nature of the extent of calcifcation along the spinal column interferring with the nerves and spinal cord. He had been incorrectly diagnosed by my vets with EHV due to the ataxia he had. I kept going on forums and surfing the internet looking for the answer I needed as I was convinced it wasn't EHV. I asked for a referral in the end as the horse had suffered another very bad ataxic episode (his third).He was put down within 2 hours of arriving. I'd had him 2.5 years.

THe KS symptoms I wrote about in my reply to the OP are what my present horse demostrated late last year/early this year and I was concerned it was KS, but it turns out it isn't its just plain old bone spavin for which he's been treated for and overcompensation of the muscles surrounding, which caused the girthiness. x
 
My horse had this problem last year, looked as if he was drunk when seen from behind, and when vet pulled his tail to one side to get him to brace himself he nearly fell over. He had 4 months off and has greatly improved though not right. Vet said due to pressure on the spinal cord by narrowing of the channel in which it sitsHe only hacks about though, and at present not even doing that as he has an unidentified lameness now ! .
 
Applecart- sorry to hear about your horse, I've done a lot of reading about wobblers since realising my boy has neuro problems so really feel for you. I guess I can internet search all I like and will come up with all different possibilities but I just neet to wait for the scan now. He collapsed again last night with saddle on (and girth was loose)- had him tacked as vet wanted him lunged in saddle- but no more saddle now until we've had the scan. He's collapsed three out of the last four times I've saddled him, the other one time I lunged him first for twenty minutes in a lunging aid to make him stretch his back, and rode him then and he was fine, so I do wonder if it is some kind of compression in or aroundhis spinal cord....

Hoffy- What were the symptoms other than those you've described? Mine looks fine in movement (unridden) and no problems with tail pulling?
 
When you rode your horse last in canter did his canter feel really strange like he was all concertinered together and did it feel as if the gait was throwiing you up and out of the saddle? Has he ever rubbed his hind fetlocks together, or failed to make a jump whilst doing a jumping round and just crashed through it? Has he ever struggled with jumping oxers? Is he very strong through the neck, so sometimes he takes off with you either ridden, but particularly whilst being led? My wobblers had all these symptoms. He never used to collapse though, that sounds like cold backed due to pain somewhere in back area. You say you are having a scan, but I am surprised as I would have thought an MRI was the best way of picking up impingement of the spinal cord whereas a bone scan wont (to my knowledge show this). I think I may have been offered an MRI if the xrays weren't conclusive but would probably have declined due to the GA risks. Will be on the forum tommorow as leaving work now. x
 
His canter used to feel concertina'd together but its actually improved recently and it's become more open and more together (been doing a lot of lungeing with him to build up his back muscle). He does brush at the back but I don;t think its rubbing his hind fetlocks together- he seems to destroy one boot more than the other so I guess if he we rubbing fetlock together he'd destroy both equally? I've only just started jumping him, and so far he's flown over everything I've put in front of him (not ambitious mind so only gone up to 3ft!) He's not that strong in the neck really, and hasn't taken off ridden or on the ground.

My vet seems to think that the bone scan will pick up areas of rapid regeneration in the bone, so if there is inflammation in or around his spine it will be detected. The plan is to find those hotspots and then X ray them to look for bony problems. It does sound like being cold backed doesn't it, is all very strange......

Thanks for the advice x
 
Mine went lame on the hind leg and when I went back to the yard and asked someone to trot him up he looked drunk then. Hadnt noticed anything previously. Lameness was due to acute arthritis in the hock and was given joint injection. Whether it was a general arthritic flare up I dont know. I hadnt noticed anything previously. cannot X ray mines back as he suffers from very dipped back and cant get picture, tried before when went lame on the front !
 
We've not had any hind lameness at all, only front right lameness in school when going round on the right rein, and then only when I'm trying to make him work in an outline (which he hates). When lunging he is perfectly sound though, and works in a lovely outline with fab paces, so its all very strange but clearly something in his back that causes him a problem under saddle.

This waiting is a killer.... and NFU have already informed me they are putting an exclusion on my policy and they don;t even know what the problem is yet!!!!
 
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