Fetlock lameness - is it worth trying to treat?

[jumpthemoon]

hypothetically, if a horse has had a fetlock injury of some kind (unknown cause), has been lame while being out at grass for 5 years, is it worth trying to treat it? What would be the chances of it ever coming sound?
Thanks!

 

[skint1]

Having broke my heart and bank over a lovely ginger fellow with all kinds of arthritis who has been retired for two years and really I must say goodbye to soon... no I wouldn't go there. He has been lame in the field for 5 years? is he on any kind of pain killer at all?

 

[jumpthemoon]

No, he's not on any painkillers. He's not hopping but he's lame in trot and if he charges around it gets worse.

For the record, he's not my horse.

He's due to be pts but he's so lovely it seems such a shame

 

[Pinkvboots]

from experience I would say if his not sound after 5 years in a field he probably never will be, I tried for nearly 3 years to keep my mare sound with various treatments box rest, turning away periods and she would be okay for a month or 2 then go lame again, unfortunately some injuries never heal as heartbreaking as it is sometimes you just have to accept it and move on.

 

[Honey08]

Have they done any tests or X-rays before or during those 5 years? Our gelding was very mildly lame for a few months and we turned him away for the winter, then when he didn't come sound we xrayed and he had a tiny bone chip in his fetlock. The options were to operate or try joint injections and supplements. We did the latter and he has come sound enough for hacking. He won't be doing any heavy work or jumping, but he's fine for us the way he is.

 

[jumpthemoon]

Honey08 thanks for that. I hadn't thought of the possibility of a bone chip. He was bought from an auction so history is not known. Since then he hasn't had any examinations or anything on the fetlock. It's big, so could well have been broken. It's hard to know what to do.

 

[Honey08]

Poor old chap, he sounds like nobody has ever cared enough. My X-rays for our horse were just over £200. Even without insurance it's not much to spend to find out once and for all.

 

[Sheik]

If it was one of mine I would be getting X- Ray's done to find out exactly what is causing the lameness , then you can make any decisions.

 

[Pinkvboots]

I know this is not your horse but if you have an equine vet it might be worth ringing them up and explaining the situation and say you want some investigation done, I know my vets are very good at keeping costs down if you ask them, at think at the very most you will need the leg X rayed and then scanned most vets have mobile machines for both so you will pay a call out fee on top.

edited to add just because he has a lump on the fetlock it may not have been broken, soft tissue injuries can cause a lot of scar tissue and for as a lump, I know as my mare had lumps in the pastern area at the back of the leg which was a build up of scar tissue.

 

[Goldenstar]

I know this is not your horse but if you have an equine vet it might be worth ringing them up and explaining the situation and say you want some investigation done, I know my vets are very good at keeping costs down if you ask them, at think at the very most you will need the leg X rayed and then scanned most vets have mobile machines for both so you will pay a call out fee on to

edited to add just because he has a lump on the fetlock it may not have been broken, soft tissue injuries can cause a lot of scar tissue and for as a lump, I know as my mare had lumps in the pastern area at the back of the leg which was a build up of scar tissue.

OP IMO opinion this advice is madness .
You have no right to discuss this horse with a vet and vet will do nothing to the horse with out the permission of the owner .
Keep your hard earned cash for your own horses .
I think it's disgraceful that horses who is lame are treated in this way but there's nothing you can do .
At least the owners are finally getting round to doing the right thing .

 

[ester]

I don't see the point in investigating after 5 years, even if it were a chip that could be removed at considerable expense if it has been floating about it is likely to have done other damage given the length of time. IMO it shouldn't have taken 5 years to get to the stage of PTS when no one knows why he is lame.

 

[Pinkvboots]

OP IMO opinion this advice is madness .
You have no right to discuss this horse with a vet and vet will do nothing to the horse with out the permission of the owner .
Keep your hard earned cash for your own horses .
I think it's disgraceful that horses who is lame are treated in this way but there's nothing you can do .
At least the owners are finally getting round to doing the right thing .

I obviously would not recommend for anyone to discuss anyone's horse with a vet without the owners permission, but if the owners and this person are talking about the next step ringing a vet to see how much it would cost would be the obvious thing to do.

For whatever it's worth I have said on my previous post that after 5 years it's not really worth it and if it were me I wouldn't bother.