Damage to LH upper suspensory ligament

[samp]

Hi Guys

My mare went back to the vets today for further investigations, she hasn't felt right for a while 1 - 2/10th lame LH on hard circle slightly worse in school. Worse on the right rein, my vet did neve block - slight improvement, scanned (disruption in fibres), xrayed (LH canoon not as sharp). He has said have 3 options really - paddock rest, paddock rest & shockwave, operation. His preference is op but has said it is my call. He just felt that with rest the chances were it would recur and as insured best to make most out of it.

Apparently day before he will do a lower limb nerve block to make sure it is the SL then he will do the specific nerve block and if improves then he will perform the op. Bit gutted as she had been going well until probably Feb time. Also unsure what to do with her

 

[TJ2010]

Read my post on my horses pulled sus ligament. I have just had the op!

However - concerned that your vet did not do an ultra sound on the ligament. This would have confirmed if it is a pulled SL. Then they do the nerve block after to be 200% sure.

I went straight for the surgery option as my vet said he is young fit and healthy and if you dont go for surgery you could rest them for 3 months and then they still may not be right. Then you have to go through surgery and another 3 months off! And my boy is not happy being in a stable so I opted straight for surgery.

He comes home tomorrow. (Had the op on Wednesday). Box rest for 4 weeks with walking 10 mins in hand daily increasing gradually and then can be turned out in the sick paddok. If you are insured I would go for the surgery.

 

[star]

i wouldn't just do rest but it is worth trying rest and shockwave if the injury hasn't been going on too long. my boy was 15 when he was diagnosed in his right hind. he had box rest, 3 lots of shockwave and was back in full work in 6mths. never caused him another prob. need to do box rest and gradual controlled exercise if you do the shockwave though. paddock rest isn't much good. i did months of in-hand then ridden walking with mine. the risks of the GA and the possible complications would have me trying shockwave first in most cases. if it doesn't work you'll know in a couple of months as they should be sound by then and you can always go for surgery then. does depend on the case though - shockwave doesn't work so well on chronic cases.

 

[Ludi-doodi]

My story is very simiar to Star's. Ludo did his last July and had 4 shockwave treatements and course of adequan. Box rest but with in hand walking from day one - only 5 mins twice a day. At 6 weeks rescanned showed big improvements and from then on building up to 50 minutes in hand walking before I got on board. Exactly 13 weeks from diagnosis to sign off. Everything working normally and have back jumping again in the last month.

 

[cavalo branco]

I am interested in everyone's stories and arguments for the operation. My boy(age turning 11) just felt unlevel, not lame as such, in january and was diagnosed with RH high suspensory strain plus some arthritic changes to the fetlock. He has been essentially on boxrest with a few occasions in a restricted pen since ie 3 1/2 months, along with 3 shockwave treatments and 8 Adequan injections at the start.
I'm feeling very low as the initial 6 week scan showed little improvement. Apparently he is (last week) slightly better at trot up but I have not been offered any other treatment although I'm insured. I have not been advised that I can walk him out let alone ride in the near future
I've read that the fasciotomy and neurectomy op has a 60-80% success but otherwise only a 40% chance of returning sound.

The other aspect is that my vet advised my farrier to give him heel wedges which he has now had for a couple of months. I am sure that his fetlocks have dropped on both hinds since having these which is also worrying me.

Any ideas from anyone???

 

[TJ2010]

I think it depends on the severity of the pulled/torn ligament. My vet did say that in severe cases they don't offer it because its an expensive operation and in the sever cases may not make much of a difference.

If it isn't sever perhaps ask your vet about surgery? Maybe because of the arthritis in the fetlock too is why they think that surgery would be an expensive route to take for your boy when it may have little or no effect.

 

[cavalo branco]

OK TJ2010, thanks for that information. sorry if I've hijacked the post!

 

[samp]

An update, last week my mare went back for the nerve block which confirmed the op would work and was the best option. When we first started working her she was sound (been rested for 5 weeks) however the further on we went the more obvious the lameness. This showed that 1 - after rest once returned to work likely to go lame, 2 - nerve block confirmed the neurectomy fasiotomy (sp) would work.

She has her op this morning so I am keeping everything crossed that the ops a success and she's back in the stable fairly quick

 

[paulineh]

I am interested in how many people are being offered the operation. My boy did his off hind lower SL back in September last year.

We did the normal u/s to find the lesion and then he was given 3 lots of shock wave and Adequan injections plus 60 mls of his own blood was drawn off spun down and the plasma re injected back into the lesion.

He was kept in a small area (He does not do box rest)fenced around one of my stables. He stayed there for a month and then we enlarged the area slowly until he had the whole yard.

I also added a number of Homeopathic pills to help support they system.

By Christmas we had started walking him out. Now 9 months down the line he is about to do his first endurance ride.

The lesion has healed very nicely and surprised my vet.

My boy has a wonderful trot and has remained sound even though we are now doing 20 minutes at a time.

 

[star]

they do stay lame if you just rest them, esp if just given paddock rest and not box rest, but there are a large number who will come sound with box rest, shockwave and controlled return to work. i think the op is being pushed a lot sooner than it used to be (wasn't even mentioned to me at first when my horse did it) and maybe horses aren't being given the chance to come right with shockwave and a proper return to work. the op has it's risks and i know plenty of failures despite them blocking out to the specific nerve block beforehand.

 

[samp]

My vet decided because of how long my horses had been grumbling he felt the shockwave & rest wouldn't really achieve anything and I had a 40% chance she'd come right. With the surgery risks etc he felt we had an 80% chance. I wanted what was best for the horse as she gets bored easily. The surgery went well on Tuesday and she should be home Fri, box rest till staples are removed then we can start walking her out (as she would have had 8 weeks rest).

 

[BlackSheep]

Really interested lo read all these posts.
My boy just diagnosed with SL in fore, and as we seem to hav ecaught it early vet suggested 5 days box rest and he'll reassess him them.
Whats my chances of a recovery in 5 days if its just a tweak? Anyone know?
And where's best for the op?

 

[samp]

Blacksheep forelimbs have a better prognosis with rest than the hind, so hopefully your one will make a full recovery. My mare is not liking box rest, she's pacing & trashing her stable - roll on Friday when staples are removed