Ruby is lame again, not really sure what to do now :( end of my tether!!

LaurenBay

LaurenBay

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Ok heres the whole story for those of you who don't know. I got Ruby in May 2011. In July time she started what I thought was messing around. She didn't want to pick her hooves up and when I asked her to go forwards when ridden her ears would go back. The final straw was when she almost fell on me whilst picking her hoof out. Got the vet who said she was weak behind and nothing else so to get a pysio. Got a physio out who said her right side was weaker and gave me excersizes to do, she also told me to stop riding as the saddle was a bit restrictive over her shoulders. So gave her a month off, with stretches then introduced in hand hacks. The pysio came a month later and said she couldn't continue with the session as Ruby was too lame. So back to vet, vet came and said it was her right stifle joint, his exact words "its never been activated, so hasn't strenghed" so got sterioids injections into the joiny in the hope it would loosen the joint. Continued with in hand hacks and stretches for 3 months. Got vet back out who said she wasn't 100% but I could start to ride. Got saddler out and bought a lovely new saddle. Started to hack her gently. Lots of walk and lots of hills. Introduced trot and then built up the trot. She was getting much better. Went in the school, but didn't circle. We onky schooled once a week (this started 2 1/2 months ago) and 2 weeks ago we introduced canter work. 2 weeks ago I moved yard to somewhere Ruby can have more turnout and somewhere cheaper and closer to my home. She was kicked on her left hind and the cut got infected (was treated by vet and now fine) I have ridden her twice, both times in school and she was fine, The first ride was mainly walk with a little trot and the second ride was lots of trotting with 1 short canter on each rein to finish. Got her in Sat and she didn't feel right in the trot. Asked someone to look and they filmed me so I could watch it back. Shes not using her right hind again :( got off and turned her back out. I just don't know what else I can do! The insurance company have excluded her leg and the last treatment cost me £700!! I cannot afford to pay anymore for it to be further investigated (vet said he wanted to xray and another set of sterios injections) I can't borroe the money and if I get a loan I could get into debt. Do I turn her away for a little while in the hope it improves? (obviously I would get vet to check she isn't in pain with it!), Ride her on gentle hacks on the road (strenghten the joint back up) or get into debt and send her for treatment which I don't even know will work. Sorry for the rambling on, I just don't know what to do with her. Shes my first Horse and this is not what I imagined it would be like :( I do love her and won't pass her on but just don't know what else to try. Someone did suggest advertising her on loan to be a companion for a year. But I'm not sure, plus they may try to ride her.
 
I'm sorry, I really don't know what to suggest but didn't want to read and not comment.

Only you know whether ruby would be happy being turned away but honestly, the horses who I've owned that got turned away did not come back to full work. Were rideable but only light hack.

Would you be able to afford (time or money) if she were to become a field ornament?

Could the vet not offer some alternative treatments that are less expensive?

Personally I'd go into debt.

Anyway oodles of hho vibes coming your way xx
 
Given your situation, I would talk to the Vet RE putting her on 24/7 field rest for at least 6 months.

I'm so sorry that she's had lameness problems.
 
Ruby would be more then happy living out. Shes deffiently an outdoor Horse and very chilled and relaxed so can pretty much go with any other Horse. She is a lovely little mare and would be happy for her to be an overgrown pet/expensive lawn mower. Of course I would miss riding, but I could look into sharing once or twice a week so I still get to ride.
 
Have you ever had the right stifle xrayed to make sure that this IS the problem? a set of xrays should only be a couple of hundred quid... (I know as I've recently had this done for my boy)

Have you been consistent with her stretching exercises? How about a little gentle pole work?

What is she fed? My boy's stifness has improved greatly since being on Micronised linseed...

That said, her reluctance to pick her feet up suggests pain somewhere and if it is every foot she is struggling to pick up, it suggests pain in every leg / foot...and thus she struggles when asked to shift her weight onto 3 legs rather than 4... could she have (albeit mild) laminitis?
 
When she was kicked and the wound infected was she given time off/box rest whilst that was sorted? If so I honestly would think this new bout of lameness is due to her not doing anything and her leg having stiffened up again.
My mare has ringbone and DJD (arthritis) and people told me to right her off and turn her away for a year. She had 4 months off whilst diagnosed and this made matters 10 times worse. She stiffened up as the joints werent moving enough and was short in that leg and very uncomfortable until I bought her back to full work. She is buted when worked (on vet advice) but 100% better :D

If, as said above she had some time off for the wound, I would try putting her on a good joint supplement and bringing her back to work, with the aid of bute if needed for her comfort. Maybe speak to your vet about this possibilty.

Good luck :)
 
Oh no, sorry to hear things have taken a turn for the worse again, I remember reading your last few posts when her leg was improving and she was enjoying her new yard :(
Personally I'd try and persevere with her treatment a little longer, make sure you make the vet fully aware of your financial situation and hopefully they can suggest some cheaper alternatives...
Got all my fingers crossed it works out ok for you :)
 
She is picking up all 4 feet happily at the moment. No I kept her out as I didn't want the leg to stiffen. I don't know if it is because she got kicked she was compensating by putting weight on the bad leg? Now its sore.
 
Hello
It doesn't sound like you really have a diagnosis for the initial lameness?
Stifle never been activated doesn't mean anything
If the vet gave a steroid injection was that after a full work up and xrays?
Steroid injections into joints tend to be for cartilage change (osteoarthritis). Steroids are also not a cure but can help reduce the symptoms for up to a year give or take (so they may have worn off and she needs another shot).

RE what to do - unless you know what the problem is its difficult to know.
If it is a soft tissue problem then turning away may help
If it is fragments in the stifle joint - it will only get better with them being removed
If it is osteoarthritis is wont ever go away but it will be improved with muscling up the back end. You often get relapses when the horse has a bit of time off and they loose muscle - it improves once the muscle is re-built (pessoa, hill-work, raised poles all in walk and trot)

I really would talk to your vet - I know money is tight but I think you need to have the conversation with them to really know where to go
 
I can totally understand where you are coming from Lauren as we too have been plagued with lameness. Mine is also my first horse and I had him in oct 11. December through to feb we were plagued with intermittent lameness which has eventually been diagnosed as DJD in the coffin joints which he was injected with (I'm unconvinced this was the problem) and also flat unbalanced feet, low heels and thin soles (which I believe is the problem).

Anyway this was all addressed and I made the mistake of thinking that we were going to be ok. Last week he was on 3 legs due to an abscess...

I absolutely understand when you say this isn't how you imagined it would be as I feel the same. I knew it wouldn't be easy but I didn't think it would be this hard.

I've become a paranoid and neurotic emotional wreck where he is concerned.
 
No she wasn't x-rayed before the injections. He basically said that the stifle was too weak as she wasn't broken properly. She has never been in any real work (ridden max 3 times a month for a hack) so when I got her and started working her more it put the stifle under alot of strain. Hence why it didn't show in the 5* vetting as she wasn't doing much work then. You are right, will have a chat with vet get xrays done and see if I can pay it off in installments.
 
CBfan she is fed Happy Hoof and Glucosimine. I did think about Linseed, but I understand it is quite fattening and Ruby is a very good doer.
 
LaurenBay said:
No she wasn't x-rayed before the injections. He basically said that the stifle was too weak as she wasn't broken properly. She has never been in any real work (ridden max 3 times a month for a hack) so when I got her and started working her more it put the stifle under alot of strain. Hence why it didn't show in the 5* vetting as she wasn't doing much work then. You are right, will have a chat with vet get xrays done and see if I can pay it off in installments.
Click to expand...

Can you get a second opinion.....and a proper diagnosis :confused:.
 
Linseed can be used as a conditioning feed but then feed enough of any feed and it will add condition. You only need to feed a mugfull a day for a horse her size ;) How much happy hoof are you feeding? I'd feed just a handfull to carry her supps.

I think you can't really make an informed decision as to how to treat this without a propper diagnosis and that proper diagnosis needn't be expensive. Speak to your vet about payment options and make it clear that you aren't insured so that they keep costs down.

the way she was backed / broken shouldn't affect the operation of her stifle... some horses are just weak through certain joints (like us) and need steady work to build them up... only through understanding your horse's problem will you be able to remedy it - that is what I found out anyway - I xrayed my boy to check for OCD, we got the all clear so I felt happy to proceed with a steady exercise regime and physio to build him up... it worked :)
 
I have just registered with a new vet (the one that sorted Ruby's infected cut) so I may ask her for a second opinion, plus she has a portable x-ray machine, wereas my usual vet said I would have to take Ruby to the practice to have the x-rays done.
 
CBfan she is only fed a small handful. I wouldn't feed her anything if it wasn't for the glucosimine and vit and min supplement. She certainly doesn't need the extra food! Lol. Will look into the linseed then, thank you :)
 
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