MRI results - help!

T

toomanyhorses26

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 October 2007
Messages
2,652
Visit site
My horse had an mri yesterday and I picked up the results today and from the little I know I don't think its great news. I have a telephone consult booked with my vet tomorrow but now I have the report in my grubby little mitts I cant stop reading it.

The diagnosis has been given of
1. Bilateral mild navicular bone modelling
2.Bilateral DSIL desmitis
3.Bilateral distal DDFT damage/dorsal fibrillation
4.Bilateral mild synovitis of the DIP joints
5. Bilateral aseptic osteitis of the palmar processes of the distal phalanx
6. Bone bruise of the lateral palmar process of the distal phalanx.

It was also noted that in the left fore there are mild changes in the collateral ligaments of the DIP joint but unsure if they are clinically significant at this time.It was also noted that on the right fore the pastern axis is broken back (farrier is aware of this and has been trying to bring this more into line )

Obv the report goes into much more detail with 13 points of interest noted on the left fore and 9 noted on the right fore (right fore is noted as having limited evaluation as the left was thought to be the issue)

Obviously im gutted so much appears to be wrong but can anyone explain any of this in laymans terms ?
 
I am sorry but I cant translate for you but what I would say is how old is your horse and if he is of any good age then maybe the majority of this is age related and would be found in most horses. My boy was diagnosed with Navicular/cyst on the nav bone and I was told the prognosis was not good. Anyhow after 10mths off due to lameness, barefoot and hoof boots, the odd bute and we are out and about enjoying ourselves so chin up it may not be as bad as it sounds :)
 
Wow, thats a lot to take in. But I do wonder how much of that may show on a sound horse if it were to have a scan.
I'm in no way experienced enough to make any comments on the points but hopefully your vet can clarify what might be going on.
Mine is going for MRI tomorrow afternoon.
 
He is 12 years old and even though he was a racer - he only raced 12 times over 4 years. I have his history from his previous vets and the only lameness related entry is an abcess and when he pulled a shoe and half the horn with it. Thanks Bounce - hope all goes to plan for you ? Where are you heading for it ?

x
 
I'm going to B&W equine at Breadstone. Hoping they will give me a rough idea of the results on the day but I guess I will have to wait and see.
 
First things first: take a deep breath :).

It looks like a big list, but bear in mind that many of the things there are related, and if you find one you'll expect the other (such as changes to the navic bone along with soft tissue damage).

In the broadest terms, points 1 to 3 would be called navicular.

4 means that there's fluid in the joint, which could be arthritic, but not necessarily.

Points 5 and 6 mean that there's inflammation and bruising to the pedal bone. This can happen when the soles are very thin and providing inadequate protection to p3.

In your position I would get straight on the blower to Nic at Rockley Farm. These sorts of issues really are her forte.

Fingers crossed for you.
 
Thank you - I kind of knew in my heart of hearts it was going to be navicular of some severity. Its justthe other points that were concerning me more at this stage. They have said that they believ it to be wear and tear rather than osteoarthritis at this stage. They have said that the bone bruise is the likely cause of most of the lameness at present as the signal in the navicular bone is not appreciable suggesting any changes are relatively in active at present. In the right foot, the synovial fossae are severely increased in size and number and in the left moderately so. Im just gutted to have both horses out and lame at present with conditions that are only manageable not cureable :( I will drag myself out of the hole but I need to eat my own bodyweight in chocolate and wine first :P
 
Do you have any photos of his feet?

A lot can be done by growing new, healthy hooves, and whilst there's no guarantees, don't give up hope before speaking to Nic. The enlargement of the synovial fossae is also typical in navicular cases.

Navicular is curable, so keep your chin up :).
 
I don't at present - he has got I hate to say it but typical tb feet - tendency for long toe,no heel which has been worked on by my farrier (who I heart btw - he really has been awesome through everything my horse has had - farriers hitting him, one winter of abcessing like a trooper (only one winter never happended before and hasn't happened since) and some seriously rubbish feet when I first swapped over to him. Horn growth isn't at an amazing rate so we can get the odd crack coming down from a nail hole. I don't know whether I am imagining it but his feet get worse if he has a holiday/time off/I break myself :p Ihave popped her an email so hoping she will reply as my insurance company have been weirdly positive when I mentioned Rockley .
 
That's interesting, which insurance company are you with? I know PetPlan have been showing some interest lately. It makes sense I suppose, given its relatively cheap and has very good results - business isn't interested in tradition if it costs more and achieves less, after all ;).

Apologies if you've already answered this somewhere (my memory isn't brilliant!) but have you looked at the horse's diet? If not there may be some very helpful changes you can make now to promote healthier foot growth.
 
He is out from anywhere between 7 and 13 hours a day on average grazing which is well cared for (**** picked everyday,has just had the full works done on it - rolled,harrow,dressed and reseeded in places (literally in last two weeks),haynet at night (eats about 8-10kg) has had hay from this farmer for the last 3 years, currently fed alfa a molasses free, was on 2 kg a day of show improver cubes but now having 1kg of show and 1kg of high fibre as he isn't doing anything, approx 1kg wet weight of fast fibre and again was having barley but now isn't due to the no work and a codlivine supplement. I do struggle to feed him as he is a big horse 17hh and a long horse 7'3'' and a rather backwards thinking horse when ridden so I need a balance - always happy to take on board any ideas though . Its nfu but I believe they had some issues with a lady who wanted to take her horse there and got taken to court/ombudsmen (cant quite remember) and the client won so perhaps it has opened their eyes - no written conformation though so no guareentees
 
Ah, NFU... that makes sense :D.

Finding a diet that works for a tricky horse and is hoof friendly is no small matter! The show improver pencils and barley are both high in starch, so they may not be ideal. Have you considered saracen's re-leve or dodson & horrell ERS pellets? They're both high energy feeds but low in sugar and starch. May be worth a peep.

You could also soak hay, if possible. I know it's a PITA, but it can be really useful for reducing sugars.

Then you could add a decent supplement, but before doing that I would tot up all the hard feed you're giving and check selenium levels. Pro balance + is a good supplement for hooves, and as a general balancer. Or if you're worried about ODing on some things, then you could just try straight magnesium, copper and zinc - these tend to be lacking in hay/grazing/hard feeds, so can be safely supplemented up to the levels contained in Pro Balance +, for eg.

Lol, just read all that back and it's probably information overload! I'm sure Nic will get back to you soon with some good advice, anyway :).
 
buggar just typed a reply and lost it - but basically tried the releve a few years back and he was fairly flat on it - puthim on the endure which worked well for a few years but seemed to lose the benefit for him the older he got. I tried straights which seemed to work well but it needed a work plan to get the best of it. I will have a look at the supplements as I have tried the codlivine to try and put the bloom back as he hates winter - couple of weeks of sun and better grass we have had and it looks like a different beast :)
 
I know it sounds daunting but keep positive as i have ex racehorses and had one with navicular and other joint problems that i thought he would never recover from and neither did the vets! he is now a very happy horse and sound with no medication! Got to hear of a bloodflow product, which is vital for any injury and another product that produces 200% collegenthan the body can make itself, cant remember the name of this but will try and get the name if interested. Anyway good luck, keep positive!:D
 
Its just been a crap couple of weeks as my other horse got diagnosed with severe changes in both hocks at the age of 8 and now my giraffe is off games as well. Just need to regroup and sort out whats best for my ponies :)
 
Oh poor you i know exactly how you feel!! I have racehorses and they are always getting in trouble. Keep me posted as to how things go.
 
Thank you :) and will do - have give a good shout to my insurance companies as they have been fab - petplan and NFU I salute you and I promise I will stop crying down the phone at you both :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top