Check Ligament and DDFT Injury - any point in rehab?

[Lola43]

My 15 year old mare was turned out after a month's box rest for an abscess on the back of her pastern and then proceeded to injure her check ligament and deep digital flexor tendon. So far we have done three months box rest and hand walking twice a day, but the latest scans (with a better scanner) now show that the tendon injury was worse than originally thought. So the vets tell me that whilst there has been some improvement, the damage was so bad originally that looking at the scans, it's still pretty bad.

Their prognosis is guarded and not particularly helpful, as they have no idea how it is all going to turn out. I may spend a year rehabbing her only to be able to retire her to a field. I may, if I'm lucky, get to do a bit of quiet hacking (whilst constantly worrying about whether she will break down for good). However, my very busy mare is extremely strong and forward going, and her preferred pace is FAST. She loves jumping like no horse I have ever come across, so I can't see that should any kind of riding ever be on the cards that she would adjust to a slower pace. Riding her has always been a battle of wills between us as to who is in charge and I think having to hold her back all the time would not only be very difficult, but no fun for either of us. I am told that at present the damage is such that any kind of turnout is off limits, and should we progress it will be in an outdoor pen about the size of her stable.

My thoughts are, is it fair to my horse to put her through the misery of a year's box rest and all the rest, when it might all be a waste of time, especially given her age? I have already spent thousands of pounds on vets fees (not insured - cancelled six months before this after ten years of never making a claim) and I am on full livery which is costing a fortune. The livery yard owner has been doing the hand walking in the mornings, but I think when I break the news that it's going on for another nine months she might start charging me extra. I simply can't afford all of this and I'm thinking there might be worse things than just having her put to sleep.

Anyone have any experience of this?

 

[expanding_horizon]

My 15 year old mare was turned out after a month's box rest for an abscess on the back of her pastern and then proceeded to injure her check ligament and deep digital flexor tendon. So far we have done three months box rest and hand walking twice a day, but the latest scans (with a better scanner) now show that the tendon injury was worse than originally thought. So the vets tell me that whilst there has been some improvement, the damage was so bad originally that looking at the scans, it's still pretty bad.

Their prognosis is guarded and not particularly helpful, as they have no idea how it is all going to turn out. I may spend a year rehabbing her only to be able to retire her to a field. I may, if I'm lucky, get to do a bit of quiet hacking (whilst constantly worrying about whether she will break down for good). However, my very busy mare is extremely strong and forward going, and her preferred pace is FAST. She loves jumping like no horse I have ever come across, so I can't see that should any kind of riding ever be on the cards that she would adjust to a slower pace. Riding her has always been a battle of wills between us as to who is in charge and I think having to hold her back all the time would not only be very difficult, but no fun for either of us. I am told that at present the damage is such that any kind of turnout is off limits, and should we progress it will be in an outdoor pen about the size of her stable.

My thoughts are, is it fair to my horse to put her through the misery of a year's box rest and all the rest, when it might all be a waste of time, especially given her age? I have already spent thousands of pounds on vets fees (not insured - cancelled six months before this after ten years of never making a claim) and I am on full livery which is costing a fortune. The livery yard owner has been doing the hand walking in the mornings, but I think when I break the news that it's going on for another nine months she might start charging me extra. I simply can't afford all of this and I'm thinking there might be worse things than just having her put to sleep.

Anyone have any experience of this?

How lame is she now? If she is sound in walk I would be tempted to turn away for six months and re-assess after that? I would really not want to box rest more than 3 months.

 

[teddy_]

I second the above. Have you considered just chucking her out as a last chance saloon? It is not unheard of for soft tissue injuries to right themselves enough in the field.

ETA: not the same, but for context I knew of a 4YO mare who suffered not insignificant damage to a hind suspensory from too much work, too soon. She was turned away in the field against veterinary advice for 18 months and went on to have a pretty successful career under saddle.

 

[Lola43]

She is sound in walk and I did think about just turning out and taking my chances. It is quite hard to totally go against veterinary advice, but if I'm even thinking about having her put to sleep, what have I got to lose if she breaks down in the field?

 

[lme]

I'd agree with turning away. My old girl, who I lost in her early 30s, retired in her early 20s and then had multiple tendon / ligament injuries caused by her being an idiot. Each of the injuries healed without box rest. I don't know whether she have stood up to ridden work, but she was field sound and very happy retired. These day's I'd probably also get a course of Indiba.

 

[teddy_]

She is sound in walk and I did think about just turning out and taking my chances. It is quite hard to totally go against veterinary advice, but if I'm even thinking about having her put to sleep, what have I got to lose if she breaks down in the field?

It's not easy, but like you say if PTS is already a consideration and you have the financial resource to turn her away - you don't have anything to lose and you eliminate the "what if" thoughts further down the line . No one will judge if you do decide to PTS, though.

 

[Lola43]

This has been really helpful, thanks. Having done four months box rest in total now, with daily hand walking, I'm finding it all quite soul destroying, never mind my poor horse.

 

[Julia0803]

My cob did a different soft tissue injury. We did months of in hand walking and box rest. It wasn’t helped that he also managed to reinjure it in the exact same place 5 months into the rehab (by which point he was having box rest with an hour in a stable sized pen and ridden work with small amounts of trot). He went back into the box for another 3 months and inhand walking then ridden walk. It was absolutely soul destroying.

When the vet came out for the review at that point he still wasn’t quite right- sound in walk on the hard but off on a circle on a surface. However he (understandably) was starting to be difficult with the ridden walk (he was normally a super safe easy boy and had been a true first pony).

The vet suggested turning away for 3 months- he said we (as in both horse and human) couldn’t continue as we were and either it would continue to slowly heal or it wouldn’t but he’d/we’d be happier and quality of life for both of us was important.

Luckily in our case it did heal.

However, he found the boxrest HARD, having been a horse that previously loved his stable, and we still have some lingering behaviours that relate to that time.

God forbid he ever did another soft tissue injury, but if he did, I’d turn away and hope for the best. I’d not do a long boxrest again for a soft tissue injury where things aren’t as clear cut. Not only did it make him seriously unhappy but as he’s now in his late teens, with arthritic hocks I would try and take all of that into account weighing up the possibility that boxrest might not actually even fix the issue.

I think your suggestion to try turning away and seeing how she goes is completely reasonable and what I’d do in the same situation.

Good luck.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

My mare damaged her ddft right near back of the pastern and initially had 6 months box rest she came sound but couldn't stand up to much work, so I box rested again and within a month she was lame again, so I retired her and just turned her away she was 14 she did have an mri and the problem was where the injury had healed it was just scar tissue which is weak hence why she just went lame after any work.

I personally would just turn yours away and pray the continuous box rest is horrible, my horses hated it and chewed a hole in her stable door the last time, I found it really stressful as well I ended up having her pts at 15 as she got laminitis so not a great outcome I'm afraid.

 

[claracanter]

If possible I would turn away. My TB did a ddft twice , wasn’t great at box rest so turned away and came sound.ended up being retired because of other issues but I would always turn away any other horse rather than prolonged box rest. It just doesn’t sit right with me.

 

[SantaVera]

If possible I would turn away. My TB did a ddft twice , wasn’t great at box rest so turned away and came sound.ended up being retired because of other issues but I would always turn away any other horse rather than prolonged box rest. It just doesn’t sit right with me.

^ this.