Joint injections- wearng off/ lameness returnng.

poiuytrewq

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Brief history of the horse first.
Hunted I Ireland after being broken then in the UK used as a hireling for many years before his last owner purchased him. She hunted but also did quite intense schooling an dressage (I mean think 1x hours plus per day most days) until he went lame.
chucked out in the field and this is where I met him. I started work for his owner and he was my main charge. After trying to get him going several times over two years for her she made the call to pts. (during this time vets did get called and the effected fetlock treated)
I had him and got the joint injected again and brought him back into work again- this time very slowly and carefully.
We had a sound 2.5 years til now.
He's just not quite right on the same leg, there is no heat or swelling, there never has been but nerve blocks etc show the fetlock area.
I can trot him up for other peoples opinions and so far they just say he's a bit unlevel or short or "mmm, not hopping but yes not right"
He's less willing to go forward and in trot I can feel its wrong.
He's been in VERY light work recently as ive been concentrating more on my daughters pony and as this horses main purpose is to chill and enjoy semi retirement ive left him alone in this heat so its certainly not that ive over done things or anything.
Q is- Do I....

A- Keep going gently as in 20 min-30 min walks and see if either it gets worse or he works through it.

B- Get another jab done before it gets wore- Bearing in mind the steroid will become less effective each time ( we figured his last one would be the last as they had up to that point started taking longer to kick in and lasting a shorter time)

C- leave him out in the field doing nothing and try again in a week, a month, a few months?

He's 15 but a high miler ID x type. I don't like to give bute as he's suffered with his tummy in the past but he's been on Equine America Buteless since the last steroid jab, this is what I mainly put this longer bout of soundness down to.
 
I have No experience of joints being medicated due to lameness or fetlocks for that matter, but my horse has had his hocks injected after he threw in a few stops. Thry were repeated after just under a year about 5 weeks ago.

So a bit different as he wasn't lame and it was hocks but similar problem. Due to the fact the steroids become less effective, we also injected tildren, which the vet advised and said should make it last up to 2 years whereas we might be looking at steroids every 3 months

So that might be a route to take? It's much more expensive than the steroids (£500 I think it was) but we decided to do it as he's my much loved and very valued competition horse and it keeps him comfortable and doing a job he loves.
 
Crikey! If he's 15, you know the joint injections work and you get 2.5 years of soundness as a result, just get him injected again!
 
Again like Ahrena, my horse doesn't have the same problems as yours (front leg high ringbone and DJD) but we tried steroids which did help, but when we went for the follow up 8 months later we also opted for Tildren. Absolute god send for my horse so definitely worth maybe speaking to your vet about?
She is also 15, and is now sound with nothing other than a glucosamine supplement daily!
 
I will certainly ask about Tildren yes, anything is worth a shot.
Gunnerdog- yes it sounds a silly question but as far as I understand from the vet they were only willing to give it one more try, this being the last one he had as it was becoming less and less effective. I don't want to use up what could be a life line on barely there lameness if I can help it.

Typing all this I realise im not even 100% sure what my horses problem is, I assume arthritis but vets have always just spoken to me as if I know and we discuss treatment etc but I missed out on the actual diagnosis- not helped by the fact the old owners current yard manager who dealt with it before me is oddly secretive!
 
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