Inflammation in joints - worth turning away?

[Rosanne L]

I'm confused and looking for opinions. Horse has been lame since May, inflammation in joints, treated with steroid injections but lameness worsened to the point vet thought it was actually soft tissue damage/tendon issue that had been missed on first MRI. 2nd MRI and CT has been completed and it shows no soft tissue and no ligament/tendon issue but still swollen joints, particulary in coffin joint and pastern. Shoes have been removed and waiting to hear what next steps will be but is turning away pointless for this sort of issue? I don't want to prolong any unneccessary suffering if you see what I mean. Horse currently on one danilon a day and looks comfortable but not 100%. I am more than happy to give him as much time as poss but would that even help in this circumstance. Any info gratefully received.

 

[Alexanderevan145]

Turning away might not fix it if the root cause isn't found. Steroids failed and imaging only shows swollen joints, so there's likely an underlying issue like bone disease or arthritis. Ask your vet if rest alone will help or if more diagnostics are needed. Without a clearer answer, extended rest may just prolong the problem.

 

[Bonnie Allie]

Take all your diagnostic material and reports to a Veterinary rehabilitation practice and ask for a plan back to soundness. They will also communicate with your diagnosing vet practice on your behalf, or with you in the process if that works better for you.

We have had great success with such a couple of times now. It does involve taking a bit of an ecosystem approach and also you need to be committed yourself to work with the practice on delivering the programme.

Vets are amazing - their technical knowledge is just so deep and wide but they don’t have the time, resourcing or infrastructure to do the long term rehabs. I’m pleased there are now more practices being set up by vets specialising solely in rehab.

Be prepared to pay as well, it’s not cheap.