Roxylola
Well-Known Member
Bum. That's rotten to hear, I know how much you think of him. Just throwing this out there because it could be worth a thought with you mentioning bucking - saddle fit been checked and double checked?
Bum. That's rotten to hear, I know how much you think of him. Just throwing this out there because it could be worth a thought with you mentioning bucking - saddle fit been checked and double checked?
Some will dismiss it as "fashionable" but nerve impingements seem to be at the bottom of a lot more issues than we think, and could include both shivers and bucking. Have a chat with Yasmin Stuart, vet physio.
I fit his saddles myself.
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And I know you're clued up enough not to miss something like that normally just thought it worth mentioning as sometimes it's easy to look so hard at the obvious thing we can miss things - especially with knowing his hocks are impaired.
Best wishes for him and you
Sorry to hear this it, but I recommend Angela Holland very highly for this sort of issue. She a former senior equine vet at Leahurst who has additionally trained as a chiropractor.
https://www.equineveterinarywellnessclinic.co.uk/
Well worth getting her on it. You'll get an appointment earlier if you take him to her clinic at Whitegate Farm, Hope, N.Wales which has excellent facilities inc an indoor school.
They also do multi disciplinary clinics which are attended by Angela plus another experienced regular equine vet, a farrier, and a saddle fitter.
I've just had some x rays and scans taken of Ludo's hind legs because I had a niggling doubt there was an issue, in spite of him being as sound as a pound (maybe not such a good meme these days ?).
He has clean stifles and no sign of PSD but there is a small bone spur on each hock that the vet thinks he was probably born with. The right one catches occasionally causing a misstep.
The vet says it is possible they will become arthritic as he ages and there are good treatment options if/when he goes lame. I asked if we could do anything preventative to head this off and was told no, quite definitively.
On the basis only that 500 heads are better than one, and I desperately want to keep him going 20 years until I'm done riding, I'd be very interested if anyone has a different view of this. If you're a vet and need anonymity, PM me and no-one will ever know.
Thanks in advance.
I've just had my horse's hocks injected with Articell Forte. It is a treatment for arthritic hocks but my boy's hocks and the very mild arthritic changes were actually found by chance as he too is as sound as a pound. However, being the paranoid horseowner that I am, once found, I felt I wanted to prevent any worsening so my vet suggested the Articell Forte - which is stem cell replacement. My vet says it's good as a treatment but very good as a preventative measure. In layman's terms, I believe it builds on the cartilage forming a 'cushion'. Might be worth looking into?? There is a bit of a regime afterwards, 3 days box rest, then one week's walk work, then one week's light trotting, then you can introduce 'light' cantering, then, after vet assessment, you can go back to normal work. The regime is to allow the stem cells to 'stick' to the cartilages. Hope that helps - good luck!
Fingers and toes all crossed.I've had a good talk with the senior orthopedic vet and he's going tomorrow to have nerve blocks, if we can make him lame or buck enough to show up a difference .
If the block is positive then we will probably go straight for stem cell as his best chance of long term soundness. She says that starting steroids in a horse of his young age is unlikely to produce a good long term result and stem cell is our best chance right now. Either that or a very new treatment e-something, I didn't catch the full name, which would be made from his own cells. It's only been available in this country for a few months, apparently. I have told her I won't do chemical arthrodesis, I've seen too many failures.
Fingers crossed pleased that he blocks to the hocks, because those are most likely to be treatable long term and because I have zero idea where we would go from here if it's not his hocks.
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They managed to get him in quickly, good news. Everything crossed!
Was the new treatment PRP (platelet rich plasma)? Few horses on my yard have had it with brilliant results. Friends dog is potentially going to have it too.I've had a good talk with the senior orthopedic vet and he's going tomorrow to have nerve blocks, if we can make him lame or buck enough to show up a difference .
If the block is positive then we will probably go straight for stem cell as his best chance of long term soundness. She says that starting steroids in a horse of his young age is unlikely to produce a good long term result and stem cell is our best chance right now. Either that or a very new treatment e-something, I didn't catch the full name, which would be made from his own cells. It's only been available in this country for a few months, apparently. I have told her I won't do chemical arthrodesis, I've seen too many failures.
Fingers crossed pleased that he blocks to the hocks, because those are most likely to be treatable long term and because I have zero idea where we would go from here if it's not his hocks.
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Was the new treatment PRP (platelet rich plasma)? Few horses on my yard have had it with brilliant results. Friends dog is potentially going to have it too.
Sorry you're going through this. I can echo Scats suggestion of flexijoint, I've been using it with Rosie and she's looking the best she's ever looked (almost too well!).
Hope you have caught whatever it is early enough to get a hold on it.
The good side of the current economic crisis I think. I phoned last week to book a routine visit for vaccinations. I wanted a specific vet. I made the call at 11am and she was at my yard at 1.30pm.I was shocked! Last year it was a 3 week wait. 11am tomorrow booked at 11am today