Hot spot hip area - scintigraphy

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GermanyJo

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After months of vets visits and chiro and not really getting anywhere, decided to go for a second opinion at a clinic - after a 4 hour work up with no answers, we decided to go for a bone scan.....got the results this evening.....very obvious hot spot around hip....Si and spine were perfect, no issues. We now need to wait for x rays (tomorrow or Friday)..... Vet mentioned possibility of old fracture :-(
Symptoms go back at least 18 months, slightly off RH, sometimes lame, sometimes just not looking quite through. I could kick myself as I have allowed everyone (including my usual vet) to convince me I was imagining it, or was told it was just a typical young horse loss of rhythm issue..... Now it appears this may have been there when I bought him :-(
Is killing me having to wait until Friday before they can x ray....

Anyone have experience worth a similar result from a scan? what was the outcome?
 
No experience of the hip area but what I would say is that the scintigraphy can give false positives. On my horse's recent scan hotspots were found in right hock (subsequently xrayed and found to not be an issue) spine (subsequently ultrasounded and no issue) solar surface of feet (ditto) si joints (subsequently ultrasounded and fairly standard issue diagnosed). His actual problem was finally diagnosed by nerve blocks and located in front splint, pastern and coffin joints, none of which showed on the bone scan. So yes the si joint problem did show on the scan but the major problems did not and a lot of other things showed up that were then ruled out. Just try not to panic until the xray results are in, it could well be that the scan is highlighting something which isn't actually a problem. Keep us posted thouh as am interested in other people's experience of the bone scan.
 
he showed some minor hot spots on one hock (non lame leg) and elbow LF but vet does not think these are significant, the hip unfortunately is showing as a very hot spot, but you are right... Gong to try to stop surfing the Internet until we have the x rays, is scaring me silly reading the Internet about hip prognosis
 
I know of a horse that was showing discomfort in canter. Appeared to have a sore back - was x-rayed and very mild kissing spines mentioned as a possibility but bone scan suggested to confirm. Bone scan revealed a hip problem rather than kissing spine problem and horse was treated with steroid injection. Horse now able to gallop and buck like a lunatic!




GermanyJo said:
he showed some minor hot spots on one hock (non lame leg) and elbow LF but vet does not think these are significant, the hip unfortunately is showing as a very hot spot, but you are right... Gong to try to stop surfing the Internet until we have the x rays, is scaring me silly reading the Internet about hip prognosis
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GermanyJo - I've seen your name pop up on threads re gastric problems - I've done a lot of reading and research recently and there is a huge amount of evidence out there that low level intermittent hindlimb lameness, esp right hind, can be related to hind gut issues? Just worth considering if you haven't already, if nothing conclusive on X-ray? Seems like it's often something that isn't always notable from the ground but more often detected from a strange feeling when on board?
 
ecrozier said:
GermanyJo - I've seen your name pop up on threads re gastric problems - I've done a lot of reading and research recently and there is a huge amount of evidence out there that low level intermittent hindlimb lameness, esp right hind, can be related to hind gut issues? Just worth considering if you haven't already, if nothing conclusive on X-ray? Seems like it's often something that isn't always notable from the ground but more often detected from a strange feeling when on board?
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Spooky - was just about to suggest the same thing. Try some equishuire if you haven't already - if there is an improvement you could be onto a hindgut problem.
 
kinnygirl1 said:
Spooky - was just about to suggest the same thing. Try some equishuire if you haven't already - if there is an improvement you could be onto a hindgut problem.
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I thought the same thing. My boy is so much better behind - straighter, pushing off evenly behind, no longer dragging right toe - since starting Equishure.
 
ecrozier said:
Kinnygirl I am waiting for equishure for my boy, based on reading various experiences on here! Fingers crossed....
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Make sure you let us know how you get on. It definitely helped my boy a bit although not a drastic effect. it was enough to convince me that there was defo something going on in the hindgut.
 
Scarlett said:
I thought the same thing. My boy is so much better behind - straighter, pushing off evenly behind, no longer dragging right toe - since starting Equishure.
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That's fantastic.....it's quite a simple thing to try anyway so worth a go at least IMO, OP.
 
Kinnygirl have you now managed to resolve your problems? Did you find something more effective in your horse's case than the equishure?
 
ecrozier said:
GermanyJo - I've seen your name pop up on threads re gastric problems - I've done a lot of reading and research recently and there is a huge amount of evidence out there that low level intermittent hindlimb lameness, esp right hind, can be related to hind gut issues? Just worth considering if you haven't already, if nothing conclusive on X-ray? Seems like it's often something that isn't always notable from the ground but more often detected from a strange feeling when on board?
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Hi
sadly have already gone down that route .. it was my other horse who had the issues with ulcers ... and had the same thinking in the summer last year and tried him on several different things ... thought that we might be heading in the right direction as it looked that we got some improvement , but then went backwards again.
This one is out 24/7 has 24 hour access to hay, is fed low sugar/ low starch diet .. I wish it could be that , but sadly that is already ruled out :-(
 
ecrozier said:
Kinnygirl have you now managed to resolve your problems? Did you find something more effective in your horse's case than the equishure?
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Yes, I am managing his problem much better now. Biggest change has been a move to a yard where he lives out 24/7 on a good quantity of rough scrubby grass. So far the ulcery symptoms have not recurred so I am hoping this is a solution for him.
 
ecrozier said:
So did a change of management alone see the biggest change? Glad you've sorted him - gives the rest of us hope!
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Yes I think that has made the biggest difference. He had a lot of anxiety issues even after the stomach ulcers had scoped clear....which I thought may have been caused by hindgut ulceration. I sent him to a think like a pony trainer for a month and she seemed to overcome some of those anxieties... We ended up staying at her yard where all the horses live out so its hard to say what exactly has helped the most but certainly he is a lot better than he was this time last year!

Edit to say... He no longer moves awkwardly on right hind either.
 
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Interesting thanks. I'm hopeful that mine would come right in his ridden behaviour if I can just sort the pain I think he is in.... He's occasionally anxious but not to the point that it's a major problem.
So glad yours is doing so well!
 
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ecrozier said:
Interesting thanks. I'm hopeful that mine would come right in his ridden behaviour if I can just sort the pain I think he is in.... He's occasionally anxious but not to the point that it's a major problem.
So glad yours is doing so well!
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Best of luck....it's so frustrating when you just want to help them but can't be sure exactly what's wrong.
 
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