RE VET, SCAN ON MY HORSE'S POTENTIAL TORN TENDON

[Malibu]

Well i spoke to a very respected and experianced equien lady yesterday and she said that i should get the leg scanned asap! so i book to get it scanned as my vet said leave it up to 10 days! so i book it anyway he phones and said its reccomended up to 10 days as swelling will alter scan picture, but we agree to do it anyway as can get it scanned over and over again! so whast going

on whos right, whos wrong or is it just prefrence(spelling)?!?!

also i was told not ice it either as when you dont know what injury it is some will not benifit from cold, but i thought if it is swollen then surly get the ice, peas, hose etc on!

i am so confused and i just want to do the very best for my boy!
help

 

[butterfly f]

definitely ice it for at least the first 48 hours as much as possible. if its much after that then the ice probably wont do that much good.
you would often say not ice if you are trying to determine the extent of the injury. ie dont ice to numb the pain and keep the horse in work but in the case of a tendon its fairly obvious you arent going to work the horse.
it is normal to let the swelling go down before scanning, to get an accurate picture. if your vet is a respected horse vet, i would take his advice on this.
good luck and take care xxx

 

[appennea]

If you do ice it or cold hose it's now shown that more than ten minutes at a time is of no benefit (and may possibly casue further probs. Google t - sure I sure it on recent report - poss H&H article?

Here's another one "The proper duration of cold therapy is currently being hotly debated. Traditionally, doctors have recommended applying cold packs or ice bags to injured areas for 15-30 minutes at a time, but recent research carried out at the University of Brussels indicates that the permeability of Iymphatic vessels decreases after about 10 minutes of cold therapy. Since Iymphatic vessels drain fluid away from injured tissues and thereby relieve swelling, the Brussels researchers recommend that cold be applied to damaged tissues in no longer than 10-minute intervals (however, individuals with large quantities of subcutaneous fat may require longer periods of icing)."

link http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/cold-therapy.html

 

[henryhorn]

I can only go on our own experience, and from that I wish I'd had the thing scanned the first day.
As for treatment definitely a hydrotherapy machine as I could see the visible results with my own eyes. that convinces me far more than something an expert says I'm afraid!
I would apply cold water if you can't get access to anything else, as you need to reduce the pain and swelling. I would also rest the horse as the more still you can keep it, the less likely the tear will go worse.
Jonty managed to jump the field gate last week (4' 6") so we are holding our breath whether it has made it any worse, though she is sound and its a few months down the line from the injury.
From what you described re your horse's injury there was a lot more swelling than ours which was barely visable the first day or so then increased over the next few days, had we realised, that might not have happened if she had been kept still...

 

[Malibu]

Thanks for all advice,

henryhorn, thanks for advice etc, he is on box rest, i am cold hosing, tubi grip with ice(MOST EFFECTIVE) and bonner bandage, fro 20mins max, he comes out of the stable to be cold hosed twice a day once in morning and later at night, he is very firey and not at all miserable, and he is also resting his hinds as well thus putting weight on front injured, we is walkign much better, still lame but far better, sweeling has gone down alot and not nearly as hot, i feel a bumpy is that the tear or could it be check ligament? getting it scnned monday first thing, hydro wont take him but was advised to take him to loca beach, 10 misn drive and walk him in see for 30 mins stright away after scan, emm cant really think what else untill scan, but def improvement over 4 days!

so what happened with Jonty?

 

[aran]

From what we do - you have to get the swelling down as quick as possible - so ice for 20 mins (no more/no less) 3x /day, anti-inflammatories and stable bandages. Scan as soon as the swelling has gone down. the scan tells you the extent of the injury - as long as you are box resting and getting the swelling down thats all you can do. For stem cell injection they need the injury quite soon after the swelling has gone down but apart from that tendon strains/tears only benefit from time

 

[Malibu]

oh yes i stable bandage at night, forgot to mention that also vert did mention stem cell, but i woudl go to the big equine in edinbugh for that i think def not my vet, but i am not sure that is the best way forward as i have read about some case study's etc but i dont know enough to know if it will benefit my boy! i shall have to investigate

 

[henryhorn]

She went slightly lame after a HT on deep going. Hardly an injury at all I thought, and iced it and walked her out. After a week it was no better so we decided to see if anything would speed up the healing. Spa treatment came out best on the research so took her there for a week, then scanned. She had a 6% hole in her superficial flexor tendon and instant decision from vets was a year off.
She should have been box rested for four weeks but was just too stressed, so after a week we turned her out in a tiny flat field and she just mooched slowly about.
The last month she has been in with the brood maresand no more than walking, but last week CCJ took her out to put fly spray under her rug and she broke free and popped back over the gate into the field.
fingers' crossed until the next scan is all we can do..
It taught me never to underestimate what a small injury can be...much much more serious than you would expect.

 

[Malibu]

golly! well he has been in since sunday and he is a bit hasty in the morning for feed, so almost been a wekk, i have been told that the longer the better so ill keep him in as much as possible but he does get walked out in the morning and night to stretch and once scanned i think i will get him to the beach!
i dont have any other horses to ride my other one is out on loan who is just a pony so i am twiddling my thumbs all day long!

thansk for advice henryhorn!