Joint injections? Pros and cons

[TillyTrot]

Hi,

My mare, now 25 years of age, has been increasingly loosing her range of movement in her right hind leg over this past year.

It is a lot worse than her left hind which the vet says is suggestive of an injury. The range of movement particularly the lifting action is now limited to the point my farrier and I can no longer lift up her right hind leg to shoe and pick out her feet, but yet she can walk, trot and canter fine just with reduced lifting action of the hock.

I had my vet out to her who was unable to do a flexion test due to the fact he couldn't get her to lift up her leg to do it. He then did nerve block injections in her fetlock and hock and she was still lame suggesting the problem was above the hock.

My vet wants to now xray the hock and stifle area, but I'm not sure what benefit this will have especially if the problem is in the hip joint which he said they are unable to xray. From this I asked what the benefit would be to xraying and how this could help towards successfully treating it at her age.

The vet said they would be able to locate where the problem is and give her a joint injection which should show results in a week and then another if no result. I have read a lot about the complications of using steroid injections and I am reluctant to go ahead with it.

Has anyone experienced joint problems like this with an elderly horse? How did you manage it?

Has anyone had experience of using joint injections on an elderly horse and were they successful?

Any advice would be much appreciated

Thank you

 

[Wundahorse]

You really need to have a heart to heart with the Vet as with your horses age taken into account,do you really want to subject him to intrusive treatments where the efficacy cannot be guaranteed and the prognosis probably very compromised.I don't think anyone other than the Vet can offer the guidance you require.I do feel for you as it is so sad to see a much loved horse decline in health.Good luck.

 

[oldie48]

I have a 25 year old TB with some arthritis in the hocks, he also has cushings. he is still ridden quietly as the vet feels (quite rightly) that he is better doing a little gentle work than be retired to the field. He strides out with enthusiasm and clearly still love to get out and about. I had his hocks injected in october last year with steroids and it made a huge difference to him. I was concerned about him having a steroid injection because of his cushings but vet assured me that an injection into the joint was no more likely to spark lami than in any other horse without cushings. I've got very experienced equine practice on my doorstep and i take their advice and absolutely trust them, i'd read stuff on the net which frankly was scaremongering rubbish! I've made the decision to have his back shoes off as he's a bit uncomfortable being shod and my farrier and I think he'll be fine without them. I turned him out this morning and he went careering across the field bucking like a 2 year old, I'll know when he's ready to be pts but it's not yet. Follow your gut feeling and if you can trust your vet, take his/her advice.