Gutted - latest scan showing minimum healing of tendon

[Doublethyme]

I'm gutted, took my mare back for her 8 month scan on her annular ligament and SDFT injury on her pastern area and whilst she is now sound in a straight line and not reacting to palpation over the injury site, she is still slightly lame on one rein on a circle.

Scans revealed that the annular ligament has surprisngly gone back to normal! BUT the SDFT injury just isn't healing - still a big black bit on the scan

My vet was gutted too and can't understand why its not healing and his initial reaction was that if it hasn't healed by now, its not going to

. X-rays revealed a largish area of calcification on the tendon, so he thinks that this may be aggrevating the tendon and not allowing healing.

At this point, I suggested retirement, as I am pretty much stressed out with it all, to the point its making me ill. My mare is comfortable and happy in retirement, but at the age of 13 its devastating to make that decision.

My vet though is adamant that he isn't ready to give up on her yet and is going to talk to the senior partner to see how viable it is to operate and clean up the tendon and calcification to aid healing. Trouble is its a bit of a delicate area to operate on, so it really depends what odds the surgeon can give me on success as to whether I go that route.

Feeling very fed up and sad today

I almost want a decision either way, so I can get on with retiring her and find a more suitable yard set up for that - as she is currently at a yard with facilities that is costing me a fortune.

My sister and nieces spent all day yesterday trying to convince me to put her in foal next Spring. Juries out on that one, my sensible head is telling me it will be easier to retire her and just save up and buy a 1/2 year old to keep with her, then to put her in foal, but my less sensible head and heart are pulling me in that direction!!

 

[scotsmare]

That's such a shame - did she have adequan when the original injury occured?

 

[Doublethyme]

Nope she has had nothing for the tendon except rest, but I believe its in a difficult place to treat with other things, as it is right down at the bottom of the SDFT at the back of the pastern - my vet says it is an extremely rare injury site and hence they don't have much information on recovery times, if even if it will recover.

 

[hellybelly6]

Do not give up on her yet.

My horse split his DDFT and the manica flexoria around the back of the fetlock joint. They thought he would not be comfortable pottering around a field, but miraculously, we are back to riding again.

He had a tenoscopy and debridement.

It takes 12-18 months for a tendon to heal. I was advised to give my horse gentle regular exercise and eventually turnout in a very small paddock, gradually increasing this until he had all day turnout. I also fed my horse Tendoneaze from GLobal herbs and I think this helped.

Jake was still lame at 8 months and I did not circle him until about a year after his surgery.

I am not a vet, but I wonder if a tenoscopy and debridement of the tendon would help and encourage healing?

Good luck

 

[Llwyncwn]

Oh no, Im so sorry she hasnt healed after all this time. I am going through something similar myself atm. Has your vet suggested stem cell implants? This treatment has a very high success rate. There is a horse on the yard who had the implants to four holes in her DDFT a month ago and she is due for a re-scan next Monday. The vets are very positive about the outcome. Providing she is healing as planned, ridden work can start.

Im waiting to see how the re-scan goes before I decide to have the stem cells for my own mare.

Dont give up yet DT, we are all rootin for you!

 

[Doublethyme]

Thanks so much hb6 - your post has raised my spirits a bit, as one of things in the back of my mind is that she needs more time, plus my vet is discussing the op you mention I think with the senior vet to see if it is possible.

My vet did say that his boss always says there are two types of tendon injuries - 12 month ones and 18 month ones and nothing earlier than that healing wise. Think we were just both disappointed at the lack of any significant healing at all.

My vet is of the same opinion as your post in that we should hang in there and not give up yet - its just hard (as I am sure you know).

Glad your horse is back in work - long may it continue for you.

 

[Doublethyme]

Thanks Llwyncwn for you kind words. I'll ask my vet about stem cell when I see him on Monday.

Sorry to hear things aren't going so well for you either and hope that it gets better.

Sometimes I do wonder if there are easier hobbies to have!!

 

[henryhorn]

I reckon on 12 to 18 months before you can say an injury has healed, so perhaps put her in foal next year and then wait and see.
Our mare came up absolutely sound after 14 months, and has competed happily over XC courses since.
I think age wise not sure I would go down the op route unless the insurance were paying, by the time she recovers (a year at a guess) she would be 14 and getting perhaps past her best competitively, but if you just wanted her for hacking then age isn't an issue.
Otherwise if you turn her away on undulating pasture there is a good chance of the constant movement stopping any arthritis building up, it may not fit the vet science idea of healing but I do know it's improved so many horses here by doing that.
We had one arab retire here with the worst tendon injury I'd seen in my life. he was written off by the insurers and had a massive leg after an op and rest failed to fix him. Five years on you can barely see the injury and he is totally sound and rideable again. Time can work miracles sometimes.

 

[Doublethyme]

Thanks Henryhorn - I do so appreciate all the posts and support.

The op would be on insurance, but will only be considered by me if they can give me pretty good odds, otherwise its just short term "retire" and see. I am definitely coming round though to your way of thinking and just letting her be for a year or two and see how she goes.

She owes me nothing, even though I can't afford another horse directly, I will in a year or so (or possibly go down the route of breeding from her), so she can have as long as it takes or be a pasture pet (although quite expensive to do that here in Sussex!).

If I'm perfectly honest, whilst I enjoy competing and she certainly has the ability, her temperament never really enjoyed it, so I'm not that worried about getting her back up and competing. I suppose I just feel it would be nice to have her back for some hacking and maybe low level competing at some point, just because I love her and love riding her. But equally I love her anyway and enjoy her company.

Just hard this time of year when everyone else is out and about enjoying their horses. Plus I've had her since she was 4 and we've struggled through things together, so I just feel really sad that part of our life together may be ending. Natural and I'll get over it - she already has - am sure she swaggered off the horse box as if to say "jolly good my early retirement plan starts now....!!"

 

[hellybelly6]

I feel for you, I really do, I remember how devastated and distraught I was. What kept me going was that I was determined J was going to get better and I refused to give up. I was so determined that J would be ridden again.

Another treatment my vet suggested was a steroid injection into the tendon. He had this twice and didnt need any further treatment. Another good way of stimulating healing is ultrasound therapy.

Poor J was on 3 legs and before the surgery, we did not know the extent of the problem, but I am glad J had it as otherwise we would not have known the full extent of his problem and he had the torn tissue trimmed and tidied up. I am sure he would not have made such a good recovery without it.

I was also concerned about the anaesthetic risk, but had to give J every chance.

You are the only person who will know if surgery is the right way to proceed for your horse.

http://www.gla.ac.uk/faculties/vet/equinehospital/

Here is a link to the place where J had his surgery. At the bottom of the page is a video and J's surgery is about 16 minutes in. It will give you an idea of what is involved. J is the big grey horse.

Whatever you decide, I know you will decide what is best for your horse. Good luck x

 

[hussar]

I do feel for you - I was disappointed when I took my boy (small DDFT tear above the fetlock) back for an 8 week scan and there was no sign of any healing. I'd have been knocked sideways if there was nothing after 8 months.

My sports massage therapist recommended gently massaging the area in an upwards direction daily to reduce the chances of calcification - probably easier to do above the fetlock than on the pastern.

Whatever you decide to do, I really hope it works for your mare.

 

[cellie]

You sound like you have had some very good advice the only thing I would add is that my vet recommended a good quality glucosomine product .I used newmarket joint supplement for my horse when he had his injury.Hope things improve for you both.I know how you are feeling had two bad years with mine and hes still lame.

 

[hellybelly6]

Oh I forgot, I also massaged J's leg daily for about 10 months, in an upwards direction.

 

[Daisychain]

Put her on good quality msm, turn her away and dont worry about it for a year, SHE WILL come sound, dont worry! I wouldnt bother with any op's nature is fantastic at doing its job.

 

[measles]

We've had tendon and ligament injuries over the years and, hard as it is, it's time that heals. We put one of ours in foal after injury and she had a super filly the following summer and was sound again when she was weaned. Somehow this made us feel that it was a productive 18 months off but this is clearly very much a personal decision.

Good luck

 

[zulu705]

My mare had an injury in a similar place, at the back of te pastern, the medial branch of the SDFT , in 2006. She was on box rest for 9 months and started in hand walking from day 1. ridden in walk after about a month, walk/trot for 3 months then canter work. She had ultrasound scans before each increase in work but the scans did show healing and she was only lame in walk/trot for a month or so. Her injury was caused by hitting a jump.
She has been back to normal work now including jumping though she now has hock spavin which may limit our jumping.

 

[Doublethyme]

Thanks everyone for your advice and encouraging words.

Zulu705 - that's interesting, as Minnie's injury is thought to be an impact injury in the field (goodness knows how) and my vet said it was an extremely rare place.

Unfortunately Minnie has been on paddock rest since the first 2 months box rest, hope that hasn't been the cause of our problems. Maybe she needs to go back on box rest, I'm seeing my vet on Monday and will see what he says - although the thought of working this particular horse off the box after extensive box rest is not appealing at all and this may have coloured his decision on the turnout issue.

I have my head round it all a bit more now and have a few plans in place depending on what the next advice from my vet is. Turning her away and possibly putting her in foal is a popular choice at the moment (none of her problems are hereditory and she is a reasonably nicely put together mare with reasonable papered breeding).

Oh well life with horses can never be said to be boring and monotonous can it!!!