How many really come sound??

Doormouse

Doormouse

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I am sorry to bring up the DDFT thread again but I am desperate to know how many horses actually recover fully from this injury. My mare has 3 tears in her DDFT where it runs over the back of her pastern. She has been very very lame since she did it which was now 5 weeks ago. It was properly diagnosed 3 weeks ago and the leg is now strapped and she has a wedge shoe. She has one bute a day which takes the edge off the pain but no more. I can't see any improvement in her since she did it and she is really unhappy on box rest. I have bought her toys, I pick her grass and dandelions twice a day, she has ad lib hay and I have now brought my other horse in from his holiday to keep her company but she still weaves, box walks, kicks the wall etc. I am getting to the point where I feel like crying every time I see her and I'm not sure if it is worth putting her through this.
Has anyone had any experience of this injury in this particular place and has anyone had a horse come back to full competition fitness with it? Please please help because I am at the end of my tether now . Thank you. (also in Veterinary)
 
Sorry to hear about yours - mine didn't have a DDFT but injured the proximal aspect of her Long Digital Extensor Tendon... which apparently is a rarity - I asked in two different continents, and apparently... it's true. Despite there being minimal prolapsed tendon fibres (should be good!), vet thinks she may never come sound again... though she looks completely sound to me when the trots and canters about (wonderful high dressage trot!!!), but then again, I don't have the ver's eye for this type of thing.

I can thus really feel for you... it's heartbreaking, and I may have to face having to let her go as a broodmare or keep her as a broodmare myself/companion. She's only 5 years old as well!
 
Mine came sound after DDFT injury, but be warned it took a long time - five weeks is nothing in the scheme of tendon healing!

My mare didn't do box rest, so on the vets recommendation she was turned out during the day in a small paddock and her bute reduced so she didn't hoon around too much while out.

The vet thought three months and she would be sound, but it took eighteen months and then I waited another six months before bringing her back into work, so two years in total.

I used cold poultices at first when there was heat and then magnetic boots overnight and added msm to her feed, other than that no fancy therapies, just good old fashioned rest and time.

She is now sound as a pound and can gallop and jump as well as before, so there is hope, but you may have to be very patient. I daresay it 'may' have healed quicker with total box rest, but she was happier out and it suited me more too. I would do exactly the same if it happened again with her.
 
Mine is sound!! Well sound enough to be doing hacking, jumping, schooling, low level comps - everything I want to do. She isn't sound at trot on a small circle on hard ground but that is more likely to be due to the sidebone she has. I don't tend to trot in small circles on the hard so that's not really a problem!! She had a tear to DDFT behind the navicular bone.

Your horse doesn't have to be in a stable. She only has to have her movement restricted. How about a tiny electric fencing paddock that you move daily to give her fresh grass? With her buddy fenced next to her? I know its a lot of work moving all that electric fencing and is dependant on how well your horse respects electric fencing and the facilities available to you but she might be happier and have a chance of the tendon healing.
 
Mine is sound too, touch wood.!! After an mri scan and over 18 months box rest and then 6 months field rest. The vets did not give any hope after his mri where he had bad tears in both front leg ddft along with many various other problems including navicular. A long rest, pref box but if not box field rest and i am absolutely convinced that correct shoeing is the key to this problem. Good luck and dont give up just yet! Ps, if i had this problem again, i would not do box rest but field rest only
 
sw4 said:
Mine is sound too, touch wood.!! After an mri scan and over 18 months box rest and then 6 months field rest. The vets did not give any hope after his mri where he had bad tears in both front leg ddft along with many various other problems including navicular. A long rest, pref box but if not box field rest and i am absolutely convinced that correct shoeing is the key to this problem. Good luck and dont give up just yet! Ps, if i had this problem again, i would not do box rest but field rest only
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sw4 how is yours shod? My mare had tears in both forelegs and the injury is over 2 years old. She had over a year off, mainly out in the field, and I managed to do a bit of light hacking last summer before she went lame again. She still looks lame in trot some days but can canter around the field quite happily. She's only suitable for light hacking though, and if you do any more than that she goes lame so will never be 100%. I claimed loss of use on her insurance as it was pretty clear after her mri scan last year that she would never jump/compete/gallop with a rider on board again.
 
He has natural balance shoes on front and his feet are always kept very short in the toe. He had this injury before I bought him despite having him 5 stage vetted!! One day he was lame then sound and eventually lame all the time. It has now been 3 summers since he was on box rest and every year we do a little bit more with him and he seems to cope very well, he is not ridden on any stoney or rutted ground, mainly on a surface and has just started jumping again. He is also turned out on his own but next to other horses so he has minimum loonys round the field. If it is icy or ground is very hard or there is anything going on outside which may whizz him up, he just stays in and he is quite happy which is lucky. He is 16 this year and was a complete vets write off 4 and 1/2 years ago. He also had tildren for the navicular, a steroid injection in the coffin joint and shockwave treatment at the time but i'm sure that has all worn off by now. He also has cosequin every day which i am too scared to stop in case he goes lame again!!
 
Thank you so much guys, this has really cheered me up, having looked on the internet a few weeks ago it seemed like very few did come sound so it is really good to hear a positive side. As for the field rest, I think you may be right because she is clearly very unhappy being in and I would rather it took slightly longer to heal and she was happy during the recovery. Also, I don't think she is helping herself at all with all the weaving and yesterday to my horror she stood up and started boxing at the pony next door! I don't mind how long it takes but I just didn't want to put her through too much if her chances of recovery were very slim but I will try and be more positive about it now and get out there with my electric fence! Thank you :)
 
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