Rehab after fetlock injections

[Milliechaz]

Following a poor performance work up my 6 1/2 year old mare has just been diagnosed with suspensory branch disease in both hinds and had steroid injections in her fetlocks to help slow degeneration. I really cant find a lot of information on suspensory branch disease and wondered if anybody on here has come across it?

I am really surprised by the rehab involved too, 5 minutes in hand walking, increasing by 5 minutes week by week until she is seen again by the vet in 6 weeks at the 30 minutes walking point. It isn't a problem at all to do this but i am just really surprised. I had no idea at all the rehab would be so long. Naively (thankfully not having experienced this before) i just assumed she would be injected and i would continue as normal.

She has also had her TMJs injected with steroid as she is extremely painful there too and bone steps/spurs could be seen on the investigative xrays and scans.

I am absolutely devastated. She was started and progressed slowly (only hacking in walk for 2 years) and over the last 6 months we have started very low level school work. The vet says the suspensory branch disease is more than likely down to genetics and also not helped by the fact that she is croup high which makes everything she does that bit more difficult for her.

Thanks for any feedback you can provide.

 

[Birker2020]

Following a poor performance work up my 6 1/2 year old mare has just been diagnosed with suspensory branch disease in both hinds and had steroid injections in her fetlocks to help slow degeneration. I really cant find a lot of information on suspensory branch disease and wondered if anybody on here has come across it?

I am really surprised by the rehab involved too, 5 minutes in hand walking, increasing by 5 minutes week by week until she is seen again by the vet in 6 weeks at the 30 minutes walking point. It isn't a problem at all to do this but i am just really surprised. I had no idea at all the rehab would be so long. Naively (thankfully not having experienced this before) i just assumed she would be injected and i would continue as normal.

She has also had her TMJs injected with steroid as she is extremely painful there too and bone steps/spurs could be seen on the investigative xrays and scans.

I am absolutely devastated. She was started and progressed slowly (only hacking in walk for 2 years) and over the last 6 months we have started very low level school work. The vet says the suspensory branch disease is more than likely down to genetics and also not helped by the fact that she is croup high which makes everything she does that bit more difficult for her.

Thanks for any feedback you can provide.

I believe it can be caused by incorrect foot balance, did the vets say anything about that? What did the x-rays show in regards to foot balance?
This is a link to better understanding the condition. PSD often goes hand in hand with KS, hock and SI issues.

https://www.newmarketequinehospital.com/media/pm1beabc/hah349-vet_susp_desmitis-final.pdf

 

[Zoeypxo]

Do you mean DSLD ? (Degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis)

 

[Timelyattraction]

Hi i am in the same boat as you , its really devastating. My 6yo has just been diagnosed in both hind suspensories too. We are now up to 25 mins hand walking twice a day and it is exhausting and quite boring but needs must. Are you just doing hand walking rehab for that? We have a rescan in 6 weeks to see if theres any improvement but we have also been having laser therapy and shockwave on both hind suspensories. We’ve just finished the laser course and have one more shockwave to go.

 

[Gloi]

What's her hind limb conformation like?

 

[Milliechaz]

I believe it can be caused by incorrect foot balance, did the vets say anything about that? What did the x-rays show in regards to foot balance?
This is a link to better understanding the condition. PSD often goes hand in hand with KS, hock and SI issues.

https://www.newmarketequinehospital.com/media/pm1beabc/hah349-vet_susp_desmitis-final.pdf

Thank you ill have a look at that link. Yes she had trays of all 4 feet which were sent to my farrier with instructions to have shoes all round, with shortened rolled ties and wide webbed branches on both sides of the shoes to support the fetlock region and suspensory ligament branches. She had them put on yesterday.

 

[Milliechaz]

Do you mean DSLD ? (Degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis)

I don't know, the handover notes from the vet named it just as suspensory ligament branch disease.

 

[Milliechaz]

Hi i am in the same boat as you , its really devastating. My 6yo has just been diagnosed in both hind suspensories too. We are now up to 25 mins hand walking twice a day and it is exhausting and quite boring but needs must. Are you just doing hand walking rehab for that? We have a rescan in 6 weeks to see if theres any improvement but we have also been having laser therapy and shockwave on both hind suspensories. We’ve just finished the laser course and have one more shockwave to go.

Oh I'm sorry to hear that. The vet is coming out to see her again in 6 weeks. She just said don't ride ( in walk) until doing 20 minutes each day and she wants her to be at 30 minutes when she comes out to see her. I won't be getting on at all until she has been seen again. She has recommended hindlimb physio as she said she will likely have stiff muscles.

 

[Milliechaz]

What's her hind limb conformation like?

Better than her fores to be honest. I wouldn't have been concerned about her hind limb confirmation and neither would my farrier.

 

[sbloom]

Search rehab on here and you'll find a few of my thoughts. Definitely look to hind foot balance, and don't see her confirmation as fixed. Croup high is often a symptom in itself and can be at least partly improved which should help her no end. Someone like Dan Win Equestrian or Encompass Equine Solutions for hands on help, to help with groundwork, would be a good idea. The 7 Secrets of Self Carriage free group on FB has some pointers too. I help lots of saddle fit customers with these sorts of referrals for postural rehab, so often these "injuries" and conditions are simply symptoms of incorrect movement patterns (more common than you'd think).

 

[Milliechaz]

Hi i am in the same boat as you , its really devastating. My 6yo has just been diagnosed in both hind suspensories too. We are now up to 25 mins hand walking twice a day and it is exhausting and quite boring but needs must. Are you just doing hand walking rehab for that? We have a rescan in 6 weeks to see if theres any improvement but we have also been having laser therapy and shockwave on both hind suspensories. We’ve just finished the laser course and have one more shockwave to go.

What alerted you to it if you don't mind me asking? Sasha wasn't really lame as such she just kept putting a short stride in in walk every now and again. My instructor didn't notice she looked lame. It was only when the vet came out and watched her trot from behind that she said she was creating a third track, stepping under herself with her off hind.

 

[Milliechaz]

Search rehab on here and you'll find a few of my thoughts. Definitely look to hind foot balance, and don't see her confirmation as fixed. Croup high is often a symptom in itself and can be at least partly improved which should help her no end. Someone like Dan Win Equestrian or Encompass Equine Solutions for hands on help, to help with groundwork, would be a good idea. The 7 Secrets of Self Carriage free group on FB has some pointers too. I help lots of saddle fit customers with these sorts of referrals for postural rehab, so often these "injuries" and conditions are simply symptoms of incorrect movement patterns (more common than you'd think).

Thank you that's really helpful, ill look at those you have recommended
.

 

[Timelyattraction]

What alerted you to it if you don't mind me asking? Sasha wasn't really lame as such she just kept putting a short stride in in walk every now and again. My instructor didn't notice she looked lame. It was only when the vet came out and watched her trot from behind that she said she was creating a third track, stepping under herself with her off hind.

My horse went in for a poor performance workup.

She started napping (she was never nappy before but i had only had her 6 months) at first in the arena but i just thought she was trying it on so i kept working her through it. It then progressed to napping on hacks, the first one she did it on we was about half way through our hack and she decided she didnt want to go anymore she stopped and refused to go forward and was backing up so i tried to push her on she reared and then on landing had a full on explosion and i fell. I then hacked her in company for a while and she was fine so i then went to hack her again on my own and it got progressively worse and i couldnt even get her away from the stables in the end ,she would just keep rearing up and not wanting to go forwards. I took her to a neighbours arena and tried to ride her in there and as soon as i got on and asked her to go forwards she wasnt happy so i just got off and got her to the vets asap.
She also started scrambling in the trailer which is also a sign of hind end problems.
She had ulcers disgnosed as well and she is a sensitive mare so i think the two things combined were just making her really unhappy. Shes normally a buzzy little horse so not like her at all.

I never noticed her lame behind and i had regular lessons and she had the physio only 2 weeks prior and she didnt flag any lameness but she was 2/10 lame behind on trot up at the vets

 

[Timelyattraction]

Join the psd group on facebook, theres lots of interesting posts on there and you can see how many people have been through the same thing.

Assuming your horse on box rest too?

Did your horse have her feet xrayed as well to check for npa? As that can contribute to it.

Your horse probably isnt a candidate for the surgery if she has very straight hind leg confirmation so that’s probably why the vet didnt put that forward to you but im not sure that just the walking rehab plan you have there is enough to significantly improve it but i will report back on my rescan to see if we have any improvement before i say too much

 

[Milliechaz]

My horse went in for a poor performance workup.

She started napping (she was never nappy before but i had only had her 6 months) at first in the arena but i just thought she was trying it on so i kept working her through it. It then progressed to napping on hacks, the first one she did it on we was about half way through our hack and she decided she didnt want to go anymore she stopped and refused to go forward and was backing up so i tried to push her on she reared and then on landing had a full on explosion and i fell. I then hacked her in company for a while and she was fine so i then went to hack her again on my own and it got progressively worse and i couldnt even get her away from the stables in the end ,she would just keep rearing up and not wanting to go forwards. I took her to a neighbours arena and tried to ride her in there and as soon as i got on and asked her to go forwards she wasnt happy so i just got off and got her to the vets asap.
She also started scrambling in the trailer which is also a sign of hind end problems.
She had ulcers disgnosed as well and she is a sensitive mare so i think the two things combined were just making her really unhappy. Shes normally a buzzy little horse so not like her at all.

I never noticed her lame behind and i had regular lessons and she had the physio only 2 weeks prior and she didnt flag any lameness but she was 2/10 lame behind on trot up at the vets

yes Sasha was 3/10 lame in trot up at the vets too.

 

[Milliechaz]

Join the psd group on facebook, theres lots of interesting posts on there and you can see how many people have been through the same thing.

Assuming your horse on box rest too?

Did your horse have her feet xrayed as well to check for npa? As that can contribute to it.

Your horse probably isnt a candidate for the surgery if she has very straight hind leg confirmation so that’s probably why the vet didnt put that forward to you but im not sure that just the walking rehab plan you have there is enough to significantly improve it but i will report back on my rescan to see if we have any improvement before i say too much

I have just joined, thanks for pointing that out. No Sasha isn't on box rest, she was only on box rest for 48 hours and could then be turned out on a small area. i have some hard standing so she is on that. her feet were x-rayed and no mention of NPA. Good luck for you rescan.

 

[Timelyattraction]

I have just joined, thanks for pointing that out. No Sasha isn't on box rest, she was only on box rest for 48 hours and could then be turned out on a small area. i have some hard standing so she is on that. her feet were x-rayed and no mention of NPA. Good luck for you rescan.

Ah ok yes small pen turnout fine basically just so she cant run around and not on any deep surfaces e.g mud. I tried turnout in a pen in the field but it didnt go well so she is in her stable 24/7 with my other horse next door. We have a small concrete yard area out the front of the stables which i let her have access to over night as she takes turns with my other one he has it in the day and she at night. Thats good regarding her feet. Thank you and fingers crossed for yours. Let us know how it goes x