Cartilage stifle damage and recovery

[EquestrianFairy]

Worded it better this time.

Anyone had any horses go through cartilage damage/stifle arthroscopy and come back into full work?

 

[ycbm]

I know only bad results, I'm sorry. And one of the most respected orthopaedic vets in this area recommends uninsured clients to PTS.

I know that this is not what you want to hear, but in your shoes I would want to know.

I hope you beat the odds.

 

[Goldenstar]

I have only dealt with a this once it did not go well .
A friend however has a horse that is doing well

 

[EquestrianFairy]

She’s insured to the max thankfully- Just not sure if it’s worth putting her through all the IRAP/injections.

Vet gave a 60% chance but they aren’t good odds to mr.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

IRAP gave my horse immediate relief and we got him paddock sound and for light hacking. Unfortunately lost him to something else 2 years later so have no longer term observations.

 

[greygirlie]

We were given 30% chance of soundness in 7 yo mare. Never got her sound enough to do anything much, kept her for 6 years as companion, when she went very lame after a farrier trim pts. If we hadn't had her at home would have made decision much sooner.

 

[Dynamo]

No, and I wouldn't put a horse through it again. I think part of the problem is the interconnectedness of all the hind limb, hip and spinal apparatus, and the crucial role that the stifle plays in that, and the fact that horses cannot be told to put their feet up and watch telly for six months, so even on post-op box-rest that whole apparatus is still under a degree of stress. By the time a stifle issue is diagnosed, there will often have been other, perhaps lesser, damage elsewhere, and while a stifle arthroscopy in isolation can be deemed a success in so far as the stifle joint itself can be made clean and smooth, it's not unusual to end up on a goose-chase of other, often less obvious issues, or the horse just never being quite right.

 

[Abi90]

My mare had a stifle issue and is now absolutely fine but luckily she came sound after steroid injections and 12 months later is still sound but we think it was a growth thing. I’m not sure I would have put her through the surgery though.

The bit consultant I used had a young horse with horrendous OCD, she said it looked like someone had thrown tippex on the x-ray. Horse had arthroscopy several years ago and is now showjumping. A friend’s horse had an athroscopy and came back sound as well.

There are a lot of bad news stories about regarding stifle problems. I found very few good ones when I was looking but they are out there. It’s just a very tricky joint and hard to predict.

 

[gunnergundog]

Okay...given that I was the only respondent to your other thread on this subject, just 24 hours ago....what was the problem with what I posted that caused you to re-post saying, quote, 'worded it better this time'?? Was it just not what you wanted to hear or did I in some obtuse way cause offence? This is what I said:


Didn't work with mine....sorry. Had grade 3 bucket handle tears in the medial meniscii of both stifles. Was a young 5, rising 6 year old horse. At the end of everything, arthroscopy, stem cell, IRAP, laser, box rest, injections, in hand walking, 6 months in a 20 x 20 he was only ever going to be field sound and that was so long as we could keep his weight right down. I was advised 3 x 1 hour turn out slots on grass a day, with the rest of the time on an inedible surface that he could move around on a lot. He was PTS as in my opinion, the above is no life for a 5, rising 6 year old, for the next 20 years. He was a 3/4 TB x 1/4 ID and a very good doer.

Sorry you find yourself in this situation. Would I do it again? Depends on so many factors: the temperament of the horse, the availability of finance/insurance, the type of horse, quality of horse, level it was working at....what I was happy to accept as the worst possible outcome.

Whatever the answer to the above questions it is not a good predicament to find oneself in.


Intruiged and bemused...

 

[AmyMay]

GD, do you not just think OP was looking for some more responses?

Good grief.

 

[gunnergundog]

If they were just looking for other responses, then they could surely have just 'bumped' the original post???? Am not sure what the 'worded it better this time' is supposed to imply or convey? As I said above, just intrigued as not how I would handle such a situation...no big deal.

 

[AmyMay]

It obviously is, otherwise you wouldn’t have posted 🤔

 

[gunnergundog]

Au contraire.....just intrigued by the motivations of others who behave differently to what I would expect as a 'norm'.

 

[AmyMay]

What, the norm being wanting more responses?

 

[gunnergundog]

The 'norm' being, how one goes about soliciting more responses.

 

[EquestrianFairy]

Worded it better ie: simpler!

I didn’t get many answers from my other one so I simplified it to get more responses.

There wasn’t anything more to it I’m afraid.

 

[gunnergundog]

Thank you!