Could be the end of the line....

[lucy007]

for my poor boy. I have a 7 yo 16.1hh tb gelding,who I have only had for 8 mths. Cutting along story fairly short we have had an unsoundness problem for 4-6 weeksish which had been discussed with the vet,who offered x-rays but felt that regardless of what they showed us there wasnt much that could be done. He also said that if we felt he was improving then carry on as we were, so this is what we did. Well I got to the yard saturday am to find that the problem leg (off fore) had swollen up beyond belief ,so vet came probable severe cellulitis so gave antibiotics and anti inflams and said would come back sunday am. Sunday am scanned leg fluid filled pocket over elbow, suspected abcess so lanced it and the contents were unpleasant to say the least and more of the same drugs. Monday had usuall vet out to look and said he wants to do the x-rays.Tuesday off for x-rays which showed boney changes to elbow joint dont look good but he sent to specialist for 2nd opionion. Heard back today unlikely he will ever be ridden again due to extent of damage and its possible he may never be very comfortable again and nothing they can do. So we are going to carry on with paddock rest and danilon and see what the next few mths throws our way.Heres hoping he may have some kind of future ahead of him,but we will just have to wait and see.
Thanks for listening (and for getting this far) just needed a vent you know. Lucy.

 

[Nari]

Fingers crossed for you.

 

[Natalie_H]

Good luck Lucy, keep us posted & I will keep my fingers crossed for his improvement. Huge hug from me to both of you x.

 

[ISHmad]

Let's just hope that somehow the time off helps and that your horse recovers. You must be devastated x

 

[henryhorn]

What a disappointing prognosis.
I fully endorse turning him away for a good few months, but would suggest a hilly paddock if you have one.
I have had numerous horses retire here with arthritis type lamenesses and all without exception appear much sounder after three months. I believe this is because the ground is so varied and undulating the joints are continually moving and this facilitates recovery. I bet your vet will say exactly the opposite but I could show you at least ten horses who have returned in some cases to normal type soundness.
The exceptions are often the navicular cases, they initially go sound then gradually deteriorate over time (often years).
I would also keep him on something like multiplex HA, it's a lot cheaper than Cortaflex and will help smooth the recovery.
Fingers crossed time makes a difference.

 

[brighteyes]

Time is a great healer and if he can have time without too much discomfort, then let him have it. Never say never, with horses. I wish you luck and a better day tomorrow and the next day.........

 

[carthorse]

What a sad tale ,I hope things improve with time

 

[lucy007]

Thankyou to everyone for your replies, just being able to let it out has helped.It's been so hard considering that this could be it for him because he is so young.He was bought as a project horse for me for the next 4/5 years and then was to be for my now 8yo daughter for pony club and competition.He is currently turned out 24/7and his paddock is fairly level on the top but he has to go up and down hill to the water trough, I also have him on his own so that he cannot be picked on (he is a big boy but is also abit of a softie). I havnt heard of multiplex can I get it from local feed merchant? Thanks to brighteyes we also feel you can never say never no matter how slim there is always a possibility and if we have to make the hard decision at some point in the future we need to know that we have given him every opportunity to make some sort of recovery, and I will keep you all posted. Thanks again Lucy.

 

[Gorgeous George]

Oh I am so sorry to hear this, I do hope the rest does the trick {{hugs}}

 

[greynightmare]

Positive vibes, plus hugs coming yr way, hp there is improvement in time and all works out for you x.

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

all the best x

 

[lucy007]

Hi everyone thanks again for all your best wishes. I would like to post some pics of Bobby (aka Wurzel) on here but cannot figure out how to do it. I have seen so many posts explaining how but I can't find them. Can anyone help me please. Thanks in advance Lucy.