Recovery time for Muscle Rupture....

[Chestnutmare]

My mare sustained what the vet at the time believed was a muscle rupture whilst out in the field...quite boggy at the time!
This was 2 months ago and she was put on box rest for a month - she couldn't hardly walk with 3 legs..we had to move 2 weeks into this to a new yard...where I am now, upon arriving 2 months ago she was box rested again for a further 3-4 weeks with an occasional walk up and down yard.....until recently i'd say 2 weeks now she has been going out in a small paddock so she can't charge around although she trots every now and then...doh! she's still badly lame....
The vet at the time did say it would take upto a year for her to heal fully - if at all.....I know it's still early days for this kind of injury but wandered if anyone else has had similiar situation and could please give me some advice.

She's fed happy hoof - although not laminitic - am looking at changing her diet soon as winter is arriving...and she tends to loose condition...also has cider vinegar, d&h mobility and garlic....

Does anyone know of any good supplements that would help with the healing process?

Thanks, any advice would be great

 

[almorton]

ring global herbs they are fab

 

[Llwyncwn]

Sorry to hear about your mare, its great to see them performing in the field when they feel good, but injuries like this can happen so easily.

How did your vet come to the conclusion that they believed it was muscle rupture - was she scanned/x-rayed, where exactly is the injury and what options did the vet give you?

Horses will lose condition if there is a pain issue, but with the correct diet and tlc, so much can be done to help improve it. Im happy to chat if you need help.

 

[Britestar]

One of mine ruptured a muscle in her quarters, you could fit your fist in the hole!

However I had totally different advice. The Vet and Physio recommended not to rest her (she was sound in walk), but to walk her building up to and hour a day over a period of 3 months. I had to stop and do leg stretches after 10 mins everytime.

The idea behind this was that they wanted the muscles to build back up and not be replaced by scar tissue.

I actually ended up walking her for 4months, and then gradually introduced trot and canter back in. She was totally sound at the end, and went back to jumping, and was ready to do an unaff 3 DE the following year.

 

[Chestnutmare]

Vet did bloods on her...for mucsle damage i guess....the area is on top of her right fore...although no hole....just swelling and heat.
She hasn't been scanned or xrayed no....had a mctimony lady look at her and she said she couldn't feel anything abnormal..which I found quite odd!!
My sis in law whose pony she was thinks she may have fractured her shoulder, she is out in a small paddock and is barefoot at the moment...she's lame in walk and defo in trot!!! not a great deal of improvement to be honest, although she's carrying herself better and walking more freely...

I have no idea what else to do with her.....

 

[ester]

not sure if its any help but sounds like same area frank affected so I'll type it!, right up the top of his off fore, right up in the neck. He went very very lame down the beach (cantering) and hopped out the trailer when we got home.

went onto pain meds and was restricted to yard rest (10mx10m for 3 days) in this time improved and big swelling came up on the affected area (which is why we know it was so high up) vet said he couldnt understand why it was quite so high but it didnt matter.

He then went out into a small separated turnout paddock for 2 weeks, mostly because he had run out of grass to keep him quiet.

After this my chiro saw him to give him a massage and said though tight she couldn't feel any holes, so we summarised that if he had a tear it had been very small, she said he might always have that lump there as scar tissue but it has gone now.

He had 3 weeks off work
did 10 days long reining round the droves, progressing slowly to trot
then I started riding (just over month after original injury)
I took it really slowly to build it up again and he was doing dressage 8 weeks after the event and started jumping about 12 weeks after. and we have had no sign of it since (he did the injury in march)

Over all that time, he kept improving he was walking very close infront to start with but got over that. after working him. He had quite a bit of muscle wastage on that side, particuarly behind the shoulder as he looked really odd here when he moved but that settled down too.

I think the mctim lady saying she couldn't feel anything abnormal is a little odd.

As i say might not be the same but thought i would post anyway.

 

[Chestnutmare]

it's not up her neck...i'll see if i can post the pics up so you can see what I mean when it first happend...there is not a lot of swelling there now.....it's right at top of forearm...by shoulder...muscle area has now gone....she's lost alot of muscle due to being off now......to be expected!!

I think I'm going to have to get another vet to come and take a look at her....seriously need to get this sorted, as I don't want to make it any worse for her, and apparentlyy my sis in law brought her in tonight and she was dog lame again...she has been running around in a tiny paddock...she's a mare what can I say? she's in a stable in a barn that has good ventilation but she can't see out at all I feel awful when she stays in as theres nothing for her to keep looking at...she has toys and everything in her stable.

the Mctim lady felt round her lifted her leg up and felt through her armpit area too....stretched her leg out...which she really didn't like much hence why the thought of maybe shoulder injury instead....oh ii dunno this one is confuddling me arghhh!!
I gave her half a bute the other night as swelling had come up and she looked very sore with it, after i cold hosed her too...
what would the mctim be feeling for, would they be able to tell if something wasn't right???

Thanks for the help with this,.....i feel as though i'm banging head against brick wall!

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

i would get it scanned and x rayed. you could try some magnets, but i think your recovery is going to be slow. i would get results and turn away for winter and pick up next spring when hopefully she will be sound.

 

[ester]

maybe I didn't describe the position of Franks too well, it was right at the top of the shoulder blade to the anterior so almost appeared to be on his neck

he presented with not wanting to swing the leg forwards.

the way he was lame vet thought it would be about half way up the shoulder blade and not as high as it was.

My chiro knew him prior to the injury so knew what was normal for him, he actually had issues with tightness in the opposite shoulder normally, when she saw him she could feel the scar tissue that had formed and could tell he was different in his movement. the first time she came he was basically sound in walk and off bute (he had a week of bute and was pretty sound in walk after that)

He was very good in his recuperation, he is not generally silly in the field and as long as he could munch he was fine given that we had separated him from his girlfriend so yours might not be helping her own recovery.

I didn't want him in unless he had to be as he is a older boy now and didn't want him reducing his range of movement.

If yours is still pretty lame and hasn't improved significantly I think I would be wanting some more investigatory work done to see what I was dealing with.