General Anasthetic - Stifle Athroscopy Rehab.

Loubiepoo

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My horse is going for stifle athroscopy at the end of Aug, vet has not even made mention of any risks from having a gen anasthetic, should I be worried??? I've read that 1 in 100 die just from having a gen anasthetic :(

Also can someone outline what sort of rehab time I'm going to be looking at, I'm guessing 6wks box rest, and then 6 weeks of what? Confined turn out or continued box rest but with walking in hand??

Thanks :)
 

Halfstep

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Vets will advice about aftercare; after hock arthroscopy my horse had 3 weeks box rest, followed by around six weeks hand walking/turn out in a small pen, building up to ridden work in walk straight lines, and was back to competition fitness in around four months.

As for GAs, of course they carry a risk factor for the horse. However, modern anesthetic techniques are a lot better than they used to be, and unless the horse is under for a long time the risk is considered minimal. My horse has had two GAs and had no ill effects from either. So long as the vets and anesthesiologist know their job, all going well your horse should be fine. Good luck!
 

sye777

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Hi sorry to hear your horse is having stifle arthroscopy. May I ask why? has he OCD or other problem?
My boy had bilateral stifle arthroscopy in June. Nothing terrible had shown on his scans or xrays but it was suspected ocd. He had endured a lot of investigations to get to this point. Unfortunately OCD wasnt the case and he has extensive cartilage damage. He has since had IRAP (bit like stem cell) and I gingerly clambered back on board on friday!
His prognosis is still very guarded and there is major concern he will never weight bear again so we currently walk once each rein then dismount.
After surgery and IRAP he had a further 2 weeks in a stable and then what should have been walking in hand turned into being put in a pen that gradually grew bigger till back in his field. He was far to dangerous to work with so we had to change tact! My vets were very supportive and his rehab has changed accordingly. He is a highly strung chestnut TB who had been stuck in a stable for almost 4 months. He is now back to his normal temperment and his rehab is very early days.
As for GA I was advised of all the risks but tbh we had no choice. My vets were mainly worried that he would try to get up to quick as he is a bit of a div however he was a perfect patient and really good afterwards.
There is minimal stitches with this surgery and my boy came home after 3 days.
I really hope yours goes well and anyhing you want to ask pls feel free.
Good luck.
 
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loopylucifer

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Do be aware of the risks of GA. The main risks are the recovery as they can panic and damage themselfs. Have known of some having complications after such as colic too. mortality rate is 1 in 100 (higher for colic) and these are for normal horses with no other health problems! mine had GA last year i knew the risks my other horse had had a GA with no side effects vet was confident that there were no reasons for things not to go well. We too had no real choice if we wanted a chance of her to come sound. however she was very nearly the 1 in 100 on moving o recovery she went into cardiac arrest her pupils were fixed and dilated, some they got her back and she made a full recoverey but it certinaly made me very awear of how real the risk is up until then i knew the risk but did not appricate it. its only thanks to my vets that she is still here.
as for the arthosocpy side of it ours was fetlock had two small wounds couple of sitches now hardly noticably rehab uite stright forwards but sure your vet will help with that
 
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Loubiepoo

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I took my lad to the vets for forelimb lameness and the vet decided that as well as his foreleg lameness he was also slightly bilaterally lame on his hinds there was also swelling on one stifle. So they nerve blocked that and he came sound. I never saw the lameness tbh, was too busy running up and down trotting him in hand for vet and had previously been so occupied with the forelimb I never even noticed the hinds. We took some xrays which didn't show any OCD or cysts so vet decided athroscopy was the next step. I've pushed the vet for what it could be and he suspects cartilage damage :( Vet says prognosis and further treatmene will depend on what they find during the athroscopy.

I'm not so worried about the box rest following rehab, he's quite happy in his stable and I can occupy him with lots of turnips/apples/treat balls etc its the walking in hand or turnout that I'm concerned about. He is very big, spooky and highly strung and it will just be dangerous for me to try and walk him out in hand each day after a long period of box rest. He's in a mini paddock now because he was doing more damage than good when we tried walking out in hand previously. I'm hoping that after the set period of box rest the vet may give me some sedative and advice me to TO in a small, small paddock.
 

applecart14

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It is a worry but to put it in perspective that is only the average. It might be that one in a hundred die, but sometimes it will be one in 150 or 200 in that clinic, but the national average is 1 in 100. To put it into perspective my 13 year old WB x TB had three general anaethetics in 3 weeks and he was ok although each time he came round took longer.
 

minmax

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I wonder how many horses are now being diagnosed with OCD?
My 4 yr old went to Rossdales for arthroscopy this year, after my local vets had said they wanted to do it but I felt they wanted 'to play' and hone their skills. They also said he was fat so was a risk to anesthetic. I asked at Newmarket and they said he was fine?
He has bilateral OCD in hocks and stifles, one stifle really bad cartilage damage. Unfortuanity my YO wasn't very helpful so he had a small turnout pen away from the yard, after watching him gallop flat out up and down the equiv to 2 stables lengh my nerves couldn't cope. I ended up putting him back out with my other horse, who promptly kicked him on the knee!!!
If you ave been advised to have the op, do, as it will hopefully sort the problem out. At least you know what you are dealing with.
My horse probably won't be anything more than a hack, even though I hear alsorts of people thinking that cartilage damaged horses seem to continue a competitive career?
Mine should have been my next dressage horse.
Good luck with yours, hope its something treatable.
 

GreedyGuts

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More recent surveys suggest that anaesthetic risk is now more like 1 in 300, and don't forget that that includes emergency cases that are sick in the first place and haven't been prepared in advance for anaesthetic. There is no harm in asking the clinic what their complication rate is- they should be able to tell you. The main risks for your horse are a flukey injury during induction/recovery and colic post surgery, usually due to caecal impaction.

I'd have a good chat with the vet about it to put your mid at rest, but don't worry too much because the risks really are very small.
 
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My mare recovered fabulously from GA and was home in 3 days after stifle arthroscopy (x-c injury) in Feb - 6 weeks box rest, then 8 weeks in paddock, with cortisone injection - jumped out of small one, so had to re-arrange paddock - ho hum. Also got lymphangitis which put riding back. Started riding June 1st walk ok but trotting showed that she has slight lameness, so badk to vets for cortisone injection number 2......48hrs box rest, week in field and then LYMPHANGITIS again, so another week off and starting to ride again on Sat with 3 weeks walk.....it's a long process in my case, i hope yours is easier! Good luck. keep us posted.
 

star

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my 8yr old Welsh had arthroscopy on both stifles in April after a month of low grade lameness that wasn't improving on restricted paddock rest. He was found to have bilateral OCD and inflammation of his cruciate ligament in his right hind (the one he was lame on). He did 6wks box rest ever so calmly although walking out in hand was limited to the grass strip in front of his stable - any further and he trheatened to exploded. He then got turned out on a stack of ACP, went hurtling round the field like a loony and managed to come in lame on his other hind with a big swollen hock. back on box rest for a week with cold hosing and bute and then we tried turnout again. Slightly more successfully this time until recently (been out about 6wks now) when he has decided he hates being not ridden and that my other horse is getting far too much attention so he has started charging repetetively at the fence (he is split off from the others in his own corner of the field so as not to run around too much). Last week he slid on his bad leg at the fence, it buckled underneath him and he went hopping lame on it, couldnt' put it to the ground for several mins. It improved quite quickly but he has remained lame in trot to the same degree as pre-op. It's now 5mths since he went lame and he's no better. I'm losing hope for him. The vet has now advised I get back on and try riding him for 20mins in walk each day to try and give him something to do again. Well I tried tonight and he catapaulted me across the school and I landed headfirst in the sand - I managed half the long side on his back before he reared vertically and then fly bucked until I hit the deck (horse has never bucked in his life!) I am ready to give up on him :(
 

Loubiepoo

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Oh Star, I'm so sorry to hear your of your troubled times. I am preparing myself as well for the worst, my horse is a loony at the best of times :( He reared up and pulled free from me when bringing him in from his mini paddock last night and ended up galloping round the big field several times before letting me catch him again, not good. Did the ACP not touch your horse at all? I'm wondering if my vet would actually come out and sedate my horse to some extent before turning him out for the first time following the box rest we are going to have to endure. Have you tried any calmers? Can you persevere with the turnout?
 

star

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the ACP made him look completely drunk and wobbly, but then he'd just snap out of it suddenly, run around and then go back to wobbly again! I've had him on many calmers in his life coz he's a spooky thing and nothing's ever made much difference. Cant say I've tried anything since he's been on paddock rest as felt if ACP wasn't doing the trick nothing much else would either.
He is still out 24/7 at the moment. Have got someone else to get on him tonight as my shoulder is now seized up from landing on it last night. i'm hoping he'll settle down with the riding after the initial excitment has gone but I'm really not hopeful for long term soundness at the moment. :( stifle injuries can be a real nightmare to heal. i hope you have a better outcome.
 
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know what you mean! mine went out in bigger field this eve after 2 weeks in restricted paddock, but advised with lymphangitis to get her moving - she was v sound, so now have everyting x'd that she does nto ping around overnight. Like yours, she is a loony in small field as slides into fnece and then jumps out :( have not seen her this sound since November last year. Is it all worth it, eh?
 
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