bone spavin problems :( please help! !

HorsesandParrots

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Hope you don't mind reading! Comments will be appreciated but please nothing nasty!

I've had my Highland pony 13 years- since we were both 7- she's now rising 20. She was a broodmare, then I show horse before i got her. With me she has hunted, shown, done dressage and jumping. She's 13.3h and was doing around 1m-1m10 tracks.

She was retired at rising 14 due to a tendon injury that my vet thought would never heal- thought to be caused by her workload and that she is slightly pigeon toed. She did come sound and from the age of 16 until last summer she was a light hack and did lots of in hand showing. She was then retired to be a companion to my 2 youngsters in the field.

However, she got a nasty kick in the field which I happened to see, that made her very lame instantly. My vet couldn't come so I got a different vet to come look at her. This vet had just qualified and thought she had broken her hip. She was on box rest and bute etc. I got my vet to come out as there was no improvement. He said there was no way she had broken her hip and it was misdiagnosed. He thought she had bone spavin, and the kick had aggravated it. The box rest had made the lameness better but with being in a little stiff. He said to turn her out and she's been on devil's relief since. This was around June time.

However, over the last 2/3 weeks she's been getting progressively worse. I thought it was just me at first being paranoid about it but this last week her hind leg has got so bad she doesn't put weight on it like normal- it drags then she walks and when she stands she puts her 'good' hind leg under her middle so that supports her weight instead of her 'bad' leg.

My vet is coming tomorrow. But please could you share your thoughts on this? It's heartbreaking to see her like this as I can't remember her never being here- I've had her since I was 7.

Sorry it's so long!!
 
In which case I think the pony needs a proper work up asap as at the moment it could be anything! - and I don't think much of your vet diagnosing spavin, after a trauma without any xrays to confirm. What did he do to suggest spavins?
 
Thank you. And he did flexion tests and that her hock is very 'bony'.She has also been getting stiff over the last couple of years, nothing to worry about, just taking a little longer to loosen up etc.

I've decided to try a different vet, to make a clean slate and get it sorted/diagnosed correctly and make the right action for her. So j will let everyone know what happens and what is wrong.
 
I think that is a good plan, I don't think that was enough to do to diagnose given the circumstances and as she is getting worse again. My lad is 21 now and does get a bit stiff at times/needs a longer warm up but only to a point that we know it is his age rather anything more sinister and keeping on top of his soft tissue with regular physio really helps him.
 
That's what I though of at first- that's she's done a lot and getting older, but I shouldn't have got that bad this quick. Though today she seems a he'll of a lot better. Been reading up a lot like you do, as sounds maybe neurologica, but you never know! Hopefully a different vet will shed some light.

I have a massive exam coming up, so the vet is coming late next week or early the week after so I do t have too much on my mind. Obviously if she gets worse he'll come out.

I'm hopeful how she looked today is promising. Bearing weight on both legs almost equally, especially when stood still- she just appears wobbly. Trotted over for her feed!
 
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