Bone scans?

[Sammy**]

Hi hope someone can help me.

My 12 YO DWB mare is going to see Andy Bathe at Newmarket in 2 weeks. A few weeks ago she appeared odd in her gait and she was pretty explosive - but only on one rein, I got my vet who after flexing her declaredd she was 3/10 lame. She has hasd x-rays and scans on both hinds as she is lame in both - and all these have come back perfectly clear. They tried medicating teh hock as there appeared to be an improvement from the block in that area although as I say there was no evidence of a problem.

What would the bone scan shoe atht the other xrays and scans haven't? I am very very upset as I lost my very special mare at christmas due to lameness problems.

 

[lucym]

my mare was bone scanned for sacroilliac problems. The horse is injected with a radioactive isotope that binds to the site of any bone damage. My mare had severe arthiritis in the pelvis, and so the bone scan showed up as a more dense colour in this area.

Maybe if your horse has an old injury, bone wear and tear in the hock it would show up, and then allow you to treat the problem acordingly.

For me, the bone scanning did help, as it pinpointed the problem, that xrays previously hadnt detected, altough I dont think that the procedure is particuslly pleasent for the horse, but you just have to think of the long term.

hope this helps, good luck with your mare, xx

 

[dixie]

Hi, I am sorry to hear about your mare and hope you get to the bottom of her problem.

In my case the bone scan identified areas that needed x-raying, which is in effect the opposite to what you have done.

However, it should highlight any other problem areas that haven't been x-rayed such as the sacroiliac joint in the back etc.

Good luck & I have my fingers crossed for you.

 

[lastresort]

Hi sorry for your trouble. Im having a similar problem at the moment, though on the right fore. I was jumping a couple of weeks ago and my mare had a bad landing, cut a long story short she was 10/10 lame and prognosis was bad. 2 weeks on she has had 3 scan and loads of xrays. She was ok nerve blocked from the hock down but they couldnt pin point the areas doing different parts around the foot pastern fetlock etc she is now 2/10 lame with still no definate prognonsis. They have now said im to go back in 4 weeks. if she is still lame she is to have an MRI scan as this will show anything else missed. I think they are hoping she will be ok in 4 weeks. Its a mystery and because they are not sure what it is they wont give a diagnosis> my vet was at newmarket for 4 years before moving. He is fantastic and believes that having breaks between treatment might avoid doing anything un necessary with regards to diagnosis. He has said that MRI wil give a complete picture from everything else she has had. It shows the ligamants too.

Let them do it. If you have had xrays and scans its the next step. Its frustrating i know im fed up too but the vet has said do everything in stages. Haow long has it been going on for? what do you do with her?

 

[Sammy**]

thanks for teh replies guys. The behaviour has been odd, but worsening for th e last 6 weeks or so? She is a new horse to me, and had a virus when I first ad her, so assumed taht as she was feeling better she had just got hotter. She has had her back done, but has only really been lame for the last 3 weeks or so? Bute has no real effect on her.

The mare SJ'd 1.30m classes in Holland up until 2005 - then seems to have stopped for 18 months prior to coming to England - suspect?

Since I bought her we have mainly been SJ, but only courses up to 1.10m because she is strong and hot into a fence and I wanted to get it right ove the smaller tracks first...

 

[lastresort]

That sounds odd that she stopped SJ for a while. my mare was stopping prior to injury and they suspect it was the reason as before she would jump anything you put in front of her at any stride or angle. When she saw osteopath did they look at just her back? If bute isnt helping either (as anti inflamm) sounds like it could be muscle damage poss? or what about her cartilages. This wont show on xray or scan only MRI. What are they suggesting and there reason for bone scan??

 

[RachelB]

Basically, bone scans highlight areas of increased bone "activity", for example where the bone is healing after an injury. They give an accurate idea of where the injury is. There are always good articles about this type of thing in the HHO archive:
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/horsecare/1370/47689.html
All I can say really is good luck, I hope you find out what it is and how to treat it as I know just how worrying undiagnosed lameness can be.

 

[Sammy**]

The Osteo looked at her all over rather than just her back. Apparently you can see on an x-ray if there are any changes in teh cartalidge by how thick the line appears - not the best description, but Iknow what I mean, and they all seemed to be fine.

I guess muscle is a possibility - but would that make her lame? To start with she was only lame after flexion, now just is lame.