degeneration of the suspensory ligament

[slambid]

Hi I'm hoping some one can help me here.
I just brought my horse back from the vets and I have been told he has Degeneration of the Suspensory Ligament. Apparently this can not be cured and will get steadily worse. He only went to the vets because after a hard days work eg XC training (we only compete local level) he is slightly 'skippy' behind in canter until he warms up.
My vet was very pesamistic basically said we may have 1-2 years left nothing much he can do long term though an opperation may help short term. Shoeing, alternative therapies, supliments won't help in my vets oppinion. He also said in his oppinion work won't make it worse but rest won't make it better so I might as well have fun for a year. I'm not sure if he means go off jumping etc or cut back to just dressage/ hacking any thoughts?
The options my vet has given me are Plantar Fascietomy and Neurectomy which is to my understanding an operation basically to remove the nerve so my horse isn't sore from this or Shock Wave Therapy combined with steroid injections probably an initial course of 4 sessions to be repeated as necessary.
I have my own thoughs and ideas and I have been doing some reseach on line looking at supliments, magnatherapy, Arc Equine even stem cell treatment.
I need to get some questions together to take back to the vet when I'm not in such a state of shock but I wondered if any of you have horses with this problem. How have you treated them and what sucesses or faliures have you had.
Until yesterday I hadn't heard of this so I'm just trying to gather all the information I can to make sure I get the best possbile for him.
Tom is my baby I'm not bothered if he can't do anything so long as he doesn't suffer.
Thank you so much in advance for any thoughts.

 

[Beau jangles]

I haven't had any experience with the suspensory ligament , but my horse completely snapped his front check ligament in two didn't go lame at all was a field injury and he has been ridden ever since just can't jump big fences anymore , to be honest I don't jump him as don't want to now risk his tendon.

I would maybe get a 2nd vets opinion and if its bothering him you could operate to have it cut , that's what my vet informed me was best to do instead of trying to heal it , just to cut it in half a lot of retired show jumpers get this done , obviously my boy saved me the bother.

Not sure if the same would apply as I said mine was the check ligament not the suspensory ligament .

Hope you get the answers your looking for.

 

[soulfull]

So sorry to hear this. You may not realise but you are fortunate to have such a good and honest vet
I had the same diagnosis at a well known teaching horsepital they found him lame on right fore and right hind. Said it was suspensory on hind but couldn't find what was wrong on front as was too lame behind. Also mentioned he had shown some lameness on hard ground on the other hind, but said rhey were not concerned by that
They Recommended the surgery you mentioned and then find out what was wrong with right fore
However it turns out this is often a disease eventually affecting all suspensories
So even after surgery he was not only still lame on the hind they operated on but the fore and opposit hind. I tried retiring him at 8. But within weeks he was in too much pain and I had to pts
I so regret putting him thro surgery for nothing.
I would always recommend having scans on other suspensories before going down the surgery route

I felt the horsepital should have known about the likelihood of it being the disease in the other legs and that they should never have done the surgery

So sorry as I know this won't be what u want to hear

 

[slambid]

To be honest id prefer honest answers than people trying to be positive so thank you for your thoughts. tom isnt lame at the moment the vet said it was so early on it took a bone scan ultra sound and xray to find it. Im not finding anything positive about the opp so think its unlikely ill go that route.