Pen test fail?

[Kirsty87]

Hello everyone. One of the things the vet found was my horse failed the pen test as she didn't react at all. For anyone this happened to, what was the cause? Arthritis in the hocks the vet thought. Getting x rays next week. Anxious 😬X

 

[SEL]

SI issues with hocks secondary pain with mine - although she did a very good job of being stubborn and refusing to react anywhere first time (stuck her head in the air and braced herself). Distracted with food for 2nd pass to get reactions.

 

[ycbm]

Do you mean when they run a pen down the spine?

I cant see how that diagnoses anything but whether the horse has feeling in the skin on it's back, and how stoic it is about that feeling? How would it diagnose arthritis in the hocks?

.

 

[ycbm]

Kirsty you've now started four different threads in less than two weeks on the forum about trying to bring your nineteen year old arthritic mare back into work after two years unridden, having received some unbelievably bad advice from your vet about how to do that. Can I suggest you'd be better off waiting for the results of the x rays you've got booked for Tuesday?

https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/...hocks-😔-advice-please-x.782121/#post-14134944

 

[Pinkvboots]

I have just read your other post and agree with above, wait until you know the extent of the arthritis before doing anything because what you have described so far points to it being quite advanced.

I have a 14 year old horse with mild changes in his hocks he also did a suspensory in the nearside one, I wouldn't lunge him for long periods any more, and when he came back into work after nearly 6 months field rest, I walked in straight lines for 6 weeks increasing the time slowly after he had his joints medicated, fingers crossed his been ok I think I would be tempted to use a different vet she gave you terrible advice.

 

[Kirsty87]

I have just read your other post and agree with above, wait until you know the extent of the arthritis before doing anything because what you have described so far points to it being quite advanced.

I have a 14 year old horse with mild changes in his hocks he also did a suspensory in the nearside one, I wouldn't lunge him for long periods any more, and when he came back into work after nearly 6 months field rest, I walked in straight lines for 6 weeks increasing the time slowly after he had his joints medicated, fingers crossed his been ok I think I would be tempted to use a different vet she gave you terrible advice.

Yes I agree, I rang another vet and the first thing he said was don't lunge. Vet who saw her said she couldn't see any lameness but believes is a touch arthritic, I don't know what to believe can't wait for X rays. Thank you, x