My poor sister!!!!

[fitzaud2]

Was at the vets with my sister today. Her"elephant" as I call him(17.1hh) was back for more xrays, etc. He slipped on Ice 6 weeks ago, damaged his hock. It swelled, then went down after a few days, week later balooned. Cortizone injections, bute, anti biotics, 3 times, no improvement. Vet drained it today to test the fluid, he said not normal fluid, but is very concerned at lack of response to treatment, as had all that three times. He's now on his fourth anti-biotic, vet was very pesimistic today, said if this anti biotic doesnt work, then he's out of options. She's gutted, and broke from him. 290 euro today alone, 780 altogether in the last 6 weeks. anyone got any ideas, sometimes, you guys are better than any vet!!! She's running out of money and options. he's only 13, and is by cavelier royale, really dont want this boy written off just yet!!!

 

[Angelbones]

I would have said ask the vet to look for a possible sequestrum (a piece of dead bone where the blood supply has been compromised by the initial trauma and is only showing up now) as the body treats it like a foreign body and hence the swelling / infection. BUT as he's had xrays and the vet hasn't picked up on it as a possibility then I guess not.

PS this suggestion comes out of having just had a horse operated on 3 times for a sequestrum which followed a really small puncture wound above his fetlock which initially healed well and then a couple of weeks later, boom. I am therefore paranoid now but do not want to be alarmist!

Hope it gets sorted.

 

[fitzaud2]

Thanks angelbones, I'll tell her to ask the vet, as he said to keep in touch before he goes back. I must be rubbing off on her, It's normally me that gets the fecked up horses. I spent 3000 euro on my horse in 2009 before i finally had to admit defeat, as he was diagnosed as pedal degenerative disease, and was pts.
vet today reckons if the anti biotic doesnt work, then turn him away for 3 or 4 mths and if he's still fecked up, then either look after him as a field companion for the rest of his life or pts!! nedless to say, she's open to other info that might help. I saw the xrays, you can see the joint being changed by the "fluid" compare to the initial xray. Man, you learn something new every day, never seen this before!!