LankyDoodle
Well-Known Member
Or at least to exaggerate things?
My normal vet came to Lanky two weeks ago on Thursday and was convinced it was puss in the foot, but like my farrier, could find nothing. The fetlock looked slightly swollen and had slight heat and a pulse in it. The vet prescribed IM Penicillin for 4 days, when he would return to have another look. The Pencillin did nothing, and while the box rest meant Lanky had improved slightly in terms of lameness, the fetlock was still swollen etc. So we were referred to an Equine Clinic where they could do all the tests on site, as well as any necessary invasive treatments.
We took Lanky up there last Monday night, and on Tuesday afternoon I received a call from the vet that had been working on him, to say that he'd done nerve blocks and the only one that showed any improvement in his level of soundness was the one into his stifle and that there was some slight puffiness here (ignoring the fact Lanky had a swollen, heated fetlock!). He said he had, therefore, xrayed the stifle and this had shown some changes (which he says are OCD), and that he didn't have time to do an ultrasound that day but would do one in the morning. He said he felt there could be a meniscal tare (the cartilage between the bones in the stifle is called the meniscus) and that this, with the OCD, could be causing the lameness. He said to me that it would be difficult to see much on the ultrasound, but that he should be able to see enough to indicate whether or not that is the problem (the issue with this joint being that so much is hidden away). I said that was fine, because what if it wasn't the meniscus? It could have been a random ligament or tendon causing the lameness, and the OCD a red herring? Afterall, he'd landed awkwardly on his fetlock several weeks beforehand, and had also lost the shoe on that foot... he could have tweaked something (and it was only after this awkward fall on the fetlock and some shoeing problems, that I noticed any difference in his soundness).
The following day I waited and waited and waited for a call. I got through to them and they said the vet was busy. I then got a call at about 3pm saying that he'd been waiting to hear from an ortho surgeon at Liphook to give his opinion on the xrays. He said he had taken the liberty to also xray the other stifle and that there were some very minor changes there as well, but only very slight. I say liberty, but of course I've had to pay for that xray to be done, and will now pay in the way of insurance because they will also exclude that leg. This surgeon had got back to the vet at WC clinic and said he agreed about the OCD and an arthroscopy would be needed to assess the level of damage. I assumed they'd done the ultrasound, but I wanted to know what they had found on it, so I said 'right, so you did the ultrasound this morning and what did that show?' He stuttered a bit and then said 'oh I didn't think it would show anything so I didn't do it' which made me a bit upset because my own vet could have done the nerve blocks and xrays at home, and the ultrasound could have thrown something else, less serious up! Also, if he had no intention of doing the ultrasound, I could have collected Lanky on the Tuesday, rather than paying £50 for a second day's livery at their clinic when he wasn't needed up there!
I went up to collect him that night and they'd injected the joint, put him on daily danillon and box rest, which he is still on now, awaiting his arthroscopy (by the Liphook surgeon) on 14th September. I'm starting to get a bit peed off with them because both me and my farrier saw how Lanky was placing weight on the leg and questioned whether it really could be something so serious (Lanky wasn't weight-bearing even when he was on bute, but now he is). I contacted the clinic and asked for a quote for the surgery (important as my insurer won't cover it all I don't think) and for the xrays to either be emailed to me or my vet so that I can discuss with normal vet so that I have a better idea of what is going on (I feel a bit in the dark at the moment as they don't seem to have a great bedside manner). They emailed them to Liphook, I paid for the xrays to be done, it's my horse, and I don't see why I should not be able to see them and talk to my vet about them. They are totally ignoring my contact! I have emailed three times now, and phoned as well but there was no one that could help me with my query!
I went to Lanky this morning and his fetlock is now even more swollen and hot, and I am beginning to think this whole thing has either been exaggerated so that they can perform costly (to me), profitable (to them), invasive (to my horse) surgery on my boy, OR that they have got it all wrong and he wasn't sound on that nerve block at all. I am just in such a daze with it all and don't know what to do. Now that they have dxd bilateral OCD, I may as well make use of the insurance claim to have the arthroscopy, but while he may have OCD, what if it's not tht causing the problem? Why would stifle OCD cause so much bother with his fetlock?!
My normal vet came to Lanky two weeks ago on Thursday and was convinced it was puss in the foot, but like my farrier, could find nothing. The fetlock looked slightly swollen and had slight heat and a pulse in it. The vet prescribed IM Penicillin for 4 days, when he would return to have another look. The Pencillin did nothing, and while the box rest meant Lanky had improved slightly in terms of lameness, the fetlock was still swollen etc. So we were referred to an Equine Clinic where they could do all the tests on site, as well as any necessary invasive treatments.
We took Lanky up there last Monday night, and on Tuesday afternoon I received a call from the vet that had been working on him, to say that he'd done nerve blocks and the only one that showed any improvement in his level of soundness was the one into his stifle and that there was some slight puffiness here (ignoring the fact Lanky had a swollen, heated fetlock!). He said he had, therefore, xrayed the stifle and this had shown some changes (which he says are OCD), and that he didn't have time to do an ultrasound that day but would do one in the morning. He said he felt there could be a meniscal tare (the cartilage between the bones in the stifle is called the meniscus) and that this, with the OCD, could be causing the lameness. He said to me that it would be difficult to see much on the ultrasound, but that he should be able to see enough to indicate whether or not that is the problem (the issue with this joint being that so much is hidden away). I said that was fine, because what if it wasn't the meniscus? It could have been a random ligament or tendon causing the lameness, and the OCD a red herring? Afterall, he'd landed awkwardly on his fetlock several weeks beforehand, and had also lost the shoe on that foot... he could have tweaked something (and it was only after this awkward fall on the fetlock and some shoeing problems, that I noticed any difference in his soundness).
The following day I waited and waited and waited for a call. I got through to them and they said the vet was busy. I then got a call at about 3pm saying that he'd been waiting to hear from an ortho surgeon at Liphook to give his opinion on the xrays. He said he had taken the liberty to also xray the other stifle and that there were some very minor changes there as well, but only very slight. I say liberty, but of course I've had to pay for that xray to be done, and will now pay in the way of insurance because they will also exclude that leg. This surgeon had got back to the vet at WC clinic and said he agreed about the OCD and an arthroscopy would be needed to assess the level of damage. I assumed they'd done the ultrasound, but I wanted to know what they had found on it, so I said 'right, so you did the ultrasound this morning and what did that show?' He stuttered a bit and then said 'oh I didn't think it would show anything so I didn't do it' which made me a bit upset because my own vet could have done the nerve blocks and xrays at home, and the ultrasound could have thrown something else, less serious up! Also, if he had no intention of doing the ultrasound, I could have collected Lanky on the Tuesday, rather than paying £50 for a second day's livery at their clinic when he wasn't needed up there!
I went up to collect him that night and they'd injected the joint, put him on daily danillon and box rest, which he is still on now, awaiting his arthroscopy (by the Liphook surgeon) on 14th September. I'm starting to get a bit peed off with them because both me and my farrier saw how Lanky was placing weight on the leg and questioned whether it really could be something so serious (Lanky wasn't weight-bearing even when he was on bute, but now he is). I contacted the clinic and asked for a quote for the surgery (important as my insurer won't cover it all I don't think) and for the xrays to either be emailed to me or my vet so that I can discuss with normal vet so that I have a better idea of what is going on (I feel a bit in the dark at the moment as they don't seem to have a great bedside manner). They emailed them to Liphook, I paid for the xrays to be done, it's my horse, and I don't see why I should not be able to see them and talk to my vet about them. They are totally ignoring my contact! I have emailed three times now, and phoned as well but there was no one that could help me with my query!
I went to Lanky this morning and his fetlock is now even more swollen and hot, and I am beginning to think this whole thing has either been exaggerated so that they can perform costly (to me), profitable (to them), invasive (to my horse) surgery on my boy, OR that they have got it all wrong and he wasn't sound on that nerve block at all. I am just in such a daze with it all and don't know what to do. Now that they have dxd bilateral OCD, I may as well make use of the insurance claim to have the arthroscopy, but while he may have OCD, what if it's not tht causing the problem? Why would stifle OCD cause so much bother with his fetlock?!
