PSD rehab and outcomes?

[NooNoo59]

My welsh section d 9 this year was diagnosed with this in January, he has had shock wave and six months off, started work in June light hacking and then started doing a bit in the school. He has started to try and avoid the camber on the road and after going quite sweetly in the school he has become lazy again off the leg and seems reluctant to trot, my mate rode him the other day and she really got after him which is something I am not keen on doing as I am worried about his reaction as am post major surgery. Even with getting after him he seemed he would rather canter and walk than trot and was fine then looked lame although he looks sound on a trot up in hand on the hard. I think he is struggling again but if he doesnt look lame then what? Even with my bad riding (slightly shut down from my leg) it should not be that tricky to get a horse to trot round a school. I am at my wits end and am thinking no more schooling and light hacking only which is what the vet originally warned me was a potential outcome. Going to send a ridden video to the vet tomorrow, see what he thinks. Anyone had any similar experiences, its so frustrating as he is not lame but he is not right. I am also thinking now that maybe there is a SI problem as well although physio is happy with him.

 

[tda]

I'm not an expert by any means, but uncomfortable in trot on a soft surface, I would think soft tissue or internal hoof issue

 

[IrishMilo]

Not being quite right is being lame. It's often difficult to tell to us non vets but he is still most likely 2 or 3 10ths lame if not looking OK and being reluctant to go forward. Is it chronic or acute and what was the extent of the damage?

Shockwave is known to be extremely hit and miss and I've had a fair few vets tell me it's not really worth the money. Rest alone for PSD is also not known to be the most successful way to treat. It's possible you'll always have a horse who is NQR due to the nature of suspensory issues or you may need to go down the surgery route with extensive rehab.

 

[Bellaboo18]

Horses with psd do as a rule find it harder on a surface. I agree with IM that he sounds lame. I'd be very reluctant to push him when he's telling you he's not happy.

I'd see what your vet says but would say on the treatment provided a life of steady hacking seems a very good outcome.
My mares had the surgery and is retired from schooling but then I'm always baffled when people expect and even want these horses to do the work again that caused the injury in the first place.

 

[NooNoo59]

Not being quite right is being lame. It's often difficult to tell to us non vets but he is still most likely 2 or 3 10ths lame if not looking OK and being reluctant to go forward. Is it chronic or acute and what was the extent of the damage?

Shockwave is known to be extremely hit and miss and I've had a fair few vets tell me it's not really worth the money. Rest alone for PSD is also not known to be the most successful way to treat. It's possible you'll always have a horse who is NQR due to the nature of suspensory issues or you may need to go down the surgery route with extensive rehab.

It was quite bad picked up on an xray. But had a scan about half way through and ligaments were looking clean and straight. He was lame for a while but diagnosed with hock arthritis but just didn't come sound so then the cloudiness in the ligaments showed up on an xray picked up a different vet so it chronic rather than acute

 

[myheartinahoofbeat]

One of our horses has been off with PSD since end of May. We are back to the vets this week for a re assessment as he has not come sound. The vets are now thinking something else is going on which doesn't surprise me as I always though PSD was secondary. We went to Rossdales as a referral and all they found was chronic PSD.Sounds like yours could have another issue going on if the PSD has healed.

 

[FlyingCircus]

Sadly my experience with PSD in my Welsh was not great - she was retired due to that along with abnormalities found in her spine.

 

[NooNoo59]

Sadly my experience with PSD in my Welsh was not great - she was retired due to that along with abnormalities found in her spine.

My vet said his hind leg confirmation is not great we have d on the yard who been diagnosed with the same thing. I am so tired by all of this he was going to be my last horse but we have done very little because of life events and on going lameness issues. All I want is to be able to hack and do a bit of low level dressage before I get too old and broken to ride!

 

[Lucky Snowball]

My D had psd at 4 and resolved with field rest and gentle rehab. No further issues and in full work. Let’s hope you’re lucky.

 

[timefort]

I absolutely sympathise with your post, Indeed I've been considering posting asking for successful PSD stories. J was not quite right over the summer, originally treated as arthritis in coffin joint, then scanned when no improvement and psd diagnosed. We've had 2months box rest with in hand walks, started turning out in tiny paddock and 3weeks later she's lame again. Interestingly, unlike op's horse J has always been willing and really keen to be doing stuff.

Op, you say he's seemingly sound in hand on hard surface, is he sound on surface without a rider? Any chance ridden reluctance could be due to saddle fit, or struggling to balance with a rider after time off?

 

[LJF0664]

I would get both your vet and physio to visit and give him the once over, if they are both happy you may need to be pushing him more to work correctly. We are 6 months into rehab and do find that while she is probably the fittest she has ever been, now we are back in the arena she will do 20 minutes of good schooling then start to avoid working correctly as the affected leg tires. I'm not a strong enough rider to push through this and build up the time she can maintain correct work, so my instructor is riding her through this to up the time slightly each session, and we are introducing more lateral work on the advice of her physio (which is building up my leg strength as well as hers!). I also realised that I had stepped back the ground exercises (rein back, walking over poles, stretches) and how consistently I was making her work correctly out hacking as we moved back into the arena, which definitely set us back - I think I psychologically felt we had moved onto the next step, so let the basics slip.

Fingers crossed it is good news from the vet and you can push forward with the rehab x

 

[LJF0664]

I absolutely sympathise with your post, Indeed I've been considering posting asking for successful PSD stories. J was not quite right over the summer, originally treated as arthritis in coffin joint, then scanned when no improvement and psd diagnosed. We've had 2months box rest with in hand walks, started turning out in tiny paddock and 3weeks later she's lame again. Interestingly, unlike op's horse J has always been willing and really keen to be doing stuff.

Op, you say he's seemingly sound in hand on hard surface, is he sound on surface without a rider? Any chance ridden reluctance could be due to saddle fit, or struggling to balance with a rider after time off?

To second this one, get your saddle checked. My mare became incredibly sore from the saddle she has had for nearly 7 years as she changed shape with the rehab. She was perfectly comfortable over her back at the previous physio appointment, but about 6 weeks later lunged and bit me when asking for rein back in hand. This was incredibly out of character and when the physio came out she was so uncomfortable over her back we actually halted the ridden rehab in favour of never putting it on her again! Luckily the fabulous Sam Rhodes at Chunky Monkey saddles managed to fit me in within a few weeks, so it didn't set us back too far.

 

[irishdraft]

I haven't had personal experience of PSD but there is a good Facebook group and people put up their various experiences after surgery etc which makes interesting reading, maybe some ideas there x

 

[NooNoo59]

Saddler and physio came two weeks ago, he was slightly tight down one side of his back but that was all but she didnt see him ridden. He has been improving in the school but from last week backing off again and not wanting to trot and the camber thing has been noticed by me and two other riders. I agree that he needs to work correctly over his back and that is not going to happen overnight but at the moment I am just wanting him to walk and trot and work long and low. Its difficult to describe the sensation he gives you but he sort of curls into himself so its like he is backing up underneath you this sensation had gone but has come back which is why I am worried. I am giving him this week off, then reassess after speaking to the vet.

 

[Pinkvboots]

My horse has had suspensory issues and he has hock arthritis also coffin joint arthritis he is 19 now though, all were treated he had gel and steroids and shock wave last summer.

His not great in the school won't go forward and just feels stuffy and reluctant so I don't really ride in there we just hack.

When he first went lame with all this he didn't want to trot properly either just kept breaking into canter.

I would definitely get the vet back it's worth checking the hocks it often goes hand in hand with suspensory problems it can often affect the si joint as well but it's often canter that suffers with that.

 

[scats]

My sports horse has mild but chronic PSD. She is in light walk and trot work though has had a substantial amount of time off as I had a bad fall from her and unfortunately she has been lame on and off this summer. Now sound and returned to her low level walk and trot walk, though currently just on the lunge. Unsure of what my plan is really, but I may well fully retire her out next year. She’s 13 now and has other issues aswell.
Unfortunately with PSD, lots of other wheels fall off as a result.

 

[ester]

Quite likely lame on both which is why you aren’t spotting it. The trouble is psd/hocks/SI issues often seem to go together especially if been a bit dysfunctional for a while so I’d be wanting diagnostics to cover all of those before deciding on the psd situ

 

[NooNoo59]

So vet thinks he looks sound in the ridden video although I don't and neither does the Lady riding him. Week off then low level hacking no schooling. We might never found out the root cause of all of this but there is something I have been around horses long enough to trust my gut on this and he is not a nasty pony but he was aggy to ride in the school and that tells me he is trying to tell me something. So not sure I will ever do very much with this horse and not sure I can be arsed to go thru all this shit again. So am prob going to have some lessons at a riding school to satisfy my schooling fix and just potter on the boy see where we are in z few months

 

[Bellaboo18]

Sorry if i've missed this but have you had his feet xrayed?

Eta but I think you're right if you feel he's not right/happy the chances are you're right.

 

[NooNoo59]

Only the off side front where he has a fractured side bone this has also been injected with arthramid

 

[Pinkvboots]

Only the off side front where he has a fractured side bone this has also been injected with arthramid

Did they not xray both fronts they normally just do both as a matter of course even if its just to compare.

 

[NooNoo59]

Did they not xray both fronts they normally just do both as a matter of course even if its just to compare.

It was last year can't really remember will look at vet history!

 

[expanding_horizon]

I haven't had personal experience of PSD but there is a good Facebook group and people put up their various experiences after surgery etc which makes interesting reading, maybe some ideas there x

"PSD discussion group"

 

[expanding_horizon]

It was last year can't really remember will look at vet history!

I would strongly recommend foot balance x-rays all round. He might well be NPA in some feet, which can if present and corrected would vastly improve the chance of successful PSD rehab.

 

[Bellaboo18]

I would strongly recommend foot balance x-rays all round. He might well be NPA in some feet, which can if present and corrected would vastly improve the chance of successful PSD rehab.

Expanding beat me to it but yes this is what I'd suggest

 

[NooNoo59]

Sorry whsts npa? He already has shoes with a raised toe on hinds.

 

[Zoeypxo]

Sorry whsts npa? He already has shoes with a raised toe on hinds.

negative palmer or plantar angles in the hoof
Lots of information on google or just search NPA in this forum.

Very very common along with PSD

 

[NooNoo59]

Would my farrier not have spotted that? O

 

[Zoeypxo]

Would my farrier not have spotted that? O

Not necessarily, mine didnt. Foot balance x rays and a new farrier is what i had to do.

 

[sbloom]

Would my farrier not have spotted that? O

Loads don't and think it's normal/healthy. Do bear in mind that feet influence the body but the body also influences the feet, changing the way they grow, even if shod. Both need "fixing".