Lameness after stifle op !!!

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Thornsett1

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Ok I need to hear some voices of reason our horse had a stifle operation at the beginning of the year the left was more damaged than the right so a tidy up of the joint and some easing of the ligament was carried out as I recall nothing much was done to the right just had a look see. We have rehabbed him and done all we have been asked to do and all has been going fine until the last couple of weeks where he has started to step short on his right hind . There is nothing obvious causing this . We are going to take him back to the vets who operated on him as we are very nearly out of time and insurance money . We always new there was a risk but the odds were good . So here it is do we persevere or call it a day my daughter has not competed for a year she has done all the rehab with him he isn't good to hack and is a gelding . I feel really guilty about considering pts but having had to retire our last horse to suspensory issues that really should have been picked up at the vetting I just don't know what to do .
 
Stifle injuries are the devil , I have just retired one his stifles just won’t take any work I have been through all sorts of treatments and have now given up .
As you doing passive stretching with him if not I would get a acpat Physio in to take a look and show you how .You must ok this with the vet most orthopaedic type vets have a Physio they are used to working with .
A steroid jab might help you through a period of the stifle getting stronger .
 
Goldenstar thank you for your reply we have had the physio who is acpat registered she has been coming to him every 3 months we felt he wasn't quite right and having discussed it with her she said she would get him looked at again . Could I ask what problems you have had and treatments ? pm if you like. I do feel when we are at the vets they are brilliant but so busy we never have enough time to talk things through . I realise the stifle is the devils joint but am not sure how much we as owners and him as the horse can take or is fair .
 
Thornsett1 said:
Goldenstar thank you for your reply we have had the physio who is acpat registered she has been coming to him every 3 months we felt he wasn't quite right and having discussed it with her she said she would get him looked at again . Could I ask what problems you have had and treatments ? pm if you like. I do feel when we are at the vets they are brilliant but so busy we never have enough time to talk things through . I realise the stifle is the devils joint but am not sure how much we as owners and him as the horse can take or is fair .
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What was his diagnosis ?
 
Shellibob .... He was fine his joints were scanned and they all looked good vet said he will always look slightly worse at this time of year due to less turnout and less work . I think the moral is to keep them in as much work as you can that helps maintain the muscle over the joint and keep them moving !!! I realise this is easier said than done .We feel much better as we didn't want to do anything wrong and tbh the vet was really pleased with how he looked so we just have to crack on . Sometimes I think it would help if they told you to expect these things but I suppose they can't really in case it was something more serious .
 
Thornsett1 said:
Shellibob .... He was fine his joints were scanned and they all looked good vet said he will always look slightly worse at this time of year due to less turnout and less work . I think the moral is to keep them in as much work as you can that helps maintain the muscle over the joint and keep them moving !!! I realise this is easier said than done .We feel much better as we didn't want to do anything wrong and tbh the vet was really pleased with how he looked so we just have to crack on . Sometimes I think it would help if they told you to expect these things but I suppose they can't really in case it was something more serious .
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How is your horse getting along now?
 
shellibob said:
How is your horse getting along now?
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Hello Shellibob he is getting on ok we have done our first dressage competition with him a bit hairy but was ok . He gets tight in his hamstrings so the physio comes every 3 months which does help and she said he is better than the last time she saw him so that is positive we have still got some canter issues but I think that is a response to the pain he was feeling before the op so is something we are working on . TBH have learnt to take one day at a time I know whatever happens longterm I have given him the best chance that I can . I think you can wear yourself down worrying about things .
 
I wonder if your vets were correct giving you a good prognosis on stifle surgery. A friend's uninsured, classy WB six year old was mildly lame last year with a stifle problem. The vet said to my friend that there were things that could be done that she would try if the horse was insured, but although she knew my friend would do them anyway if she recommended them, the horse was unlikely to come right and likely to break down again if it did. She advised my friend to have him put down, so she did.

I know of one other ten or more years ago now, which was operated on but never came right.

Sorry you are having this problem after such efforts to get him right.
 
Thornsett1 said:
I do feel when we are at the vets they are brilliant but so busy we never have enough time to talk things through .
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I would not accept this.

I realise the stifle is the devils joint but am not sure how much we as owners and him as the horse can take or is fair .
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You don't owe the horse a continued life. You owe him a good death. A dead horse cannot suffer.
 
ycbm said:
I wonder if your vets were correct giving you a good prognosis on stifle surgery. A friend's uninsured, classy WB six year old was mildly lame last year with a stifle problem. The vet said to my friend that there were things that could be done that she would try if the horse was insured, but although she knew my friend would do them anyway if she recommended them, the horse was unlikely to come right and likely to break down again if it did. She advised my friend to have him put down, so she did.

I know of one other ten or more years ago now, which was operated on but never came right.

Sorry you are having this problem after such efforts to get him right.
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We were given a 50/50 chance of coming back to work. Went ahead and pony is fine but we did have risk clearly explained. Pony's temperament was also a factor as we knew he would cope with box rest and slow return to work.
 
Surely it depends what is wrong with the stifle in the first place?!

OP glad he is back in some form of work. Long may it continue, but best to have the ‘what will be will be’ kind of mindset
 
ihatework said:
Surely it depends what is wrong with the stifle in the first place?!

OP glad he is back in some form of work. Long may it continue, but best to have the ‘what will be will be’ kind of mindset
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??? The horse is unsound and they are considering putting it to sleep.
 
ycbm said:
??? The horse is unsound and they are considering putting it to sleep.
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Post 9.09am

I wonder if Vets were right to give a good prognosis?
Your friends horses injury may or may not have been the same, personally I only feel confident making statements in comparable situations, of which there is insufficient info in this case.

OP sorry to divert. My bad. Go with your gut as you know the horse the best.
 
ihatework said:
Post 9.09am

I wonder if Vets were right to give a good prognosis?
Your friends horses injury may or may not have been the same, personally I only feel confident making statements in comparable situations, of which there is insufficient info in this case.

OP sorry to divert. My bad. Go with your gut as you know the horse the best.
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I am completely confused why you quoted me pointing out that your post didn't appear to refer to the OPs problem, and then gave a response which has nothing to do with the post you quoted?

Regarding your criticism of my 9.09 post, OP asked for other people's experiences, and while it's blindingly obvious that none of us know if our cases are the same (but thanks for pointing it out anyway :D) I'm always happy to provide information that other people ask for.
 
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But the horse isn't unsound and they aren't considering putting it to sleep right now, it has been out doing some dressage?
 
ester said:
But the horse isn't unsound and they aren't considering putting it to sleep right now, it has been out doing some dressage?
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We have rehabbed him and done all we have been asked to do and all has been going fine until the last couple of weeks where he has started to step short on his right hind .

.......

So here it is do we persevere or call it a day my daughter has not competed for a year she has done all the rehab with him he isn't good to hack and is a gelding . I feel really guilty about considering pts
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...
 
^^ that was the beginning of december, this was yesterday, post #7 just before you posted, so obviously making good improvement at the moment.

Thornsett1 said:
Hello Shellibob he is getting on ok we have done our first dressage competition with him a bit hairy but was ok . He gets tight in his hamstrings so the physio comes every 3 months which does help and she said he is better than the last time she saw him so that is positive we have still got some canter issues but I think that is a response to the pain he was feeling before the op so is something we are working on . TBH have learnt to take one day at a time I know whatever happens longterm I have given him the best chance that I can . I think you can wear yourself down worrying about things .
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Ok everyone I will just clarify all was going well until December when the physio came and he came out of the stable stepping short we were all gutted but may have been to do with field turnout etc !!! I was posting before we had taken him back to the operating vets who said all looked good on the scan but we had to accept that he would have days especially if he had been stood in / winter when he may come out looking a little stiffer than normal but as long as it didn't persist we were to crack on and keep up the work . His original prognosis was good considering his original problem was not due to injury just breeding etc . He is in work and looking good but I have come to accept that with horses you just don't know there is no hard and fast rule you can just do your best and if you have done that c'est la vie !!!
 
He had a tidy up of the meniscus in the right hind and some smoothing and the ligaments loosened over the joint the was no damage to the left but the ligament was loosened I think that is right by daughter could tell you the technical term
 
when you say loosened do you mean he has a locking or catching stifle,? am interested as we have one with occasional locking up, otherwise known as upward fixation of the patella, and the op is called medial patellar desmotomy
 
He never had a locking stifle and never showed any symptoms like that but yes it was loosened over the joint so I am guessing you could say that . He wasn't bringing his right hind under him as much as his left and was swishing his tail on one rein they were the only signs but his right stifle did have a small amount of swelling .Hope that helps not your classic signs though as I have seen a properly locking stifle and no signs of toe drag etc
 
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