rupture of the peroneus tertius ligament, anyone's horse had this??

[MandyMoo]

my horse has just been diagnosed with the ruptured peroneus tertius ligament (the ligament from the stifle to the hock)

we have been told he needs up to 4months box rest, and will probably come back into hacking...but never be able to showjump again

has anyone else's horses had this, what were their recoveries like?? is it optimistic view or not?

any info good or bad wanted please. thanks guys xxx

 

[*hic*]

When I saw your last post I wondered if this was the injury!

I watched our big new (had it less than two weeks) mare trotting and cantering in the field and was admiring her lovely paces when she slipped and fell and got up on three legs, in so much pain that she couldn't stand still but utterly unable to bring her right hind under her body. Vet couldn't come out so I had to load her and travel her to him. DX ruptured peroneus tertius, prognosis unknown, vet hadn't had one "in the flesh" before. I will never forget seeing that awful "saggy" tendon up the back of her leg as she tried to walk. She was so good and tried so hard but was utterly crippled.

Mare is stresshead in the stable, box walking and weaving. We had to ACP and bute her and she was initially cross tied across the open door to prevent her moving during the day. She was fed and watered on a table in front of her and we tried all sorts of activity to keep her occupied, including tv and videos!

Eventually we gave her a small patch of turnout about 10 feet by 20 feet and she couldn't get up to any mischief in there but was nothing like as stressy. We ended up with about 7 months "box rest".

Insurance decided she wasn't insured but actually our mare had no treatment advised other than rest anyway. We did give her arnica, ruta and rhus tox.

We were warned that if there was no significant improvement in six weeks that there was very little chance for her and a decision would need to be made on the level of pain - ie whether to pts or keep as paddock ornament or in her case breed from her.

At six weeks there was a noticeable improvement and we were very relieved, we knew we weren't going to be shooting her. At four months vet decided to flexion test her as so much improvement - bad move IMHO. The vet who did this hadn't met the injury before and after he had done it and pronounced her ready for exercise we literally stood and watched her hock blow up like a balloon. So it was back to box rest again.

*at this point I'd like to say it was not the vet I would choose to use normally who a) diagnosed or b) followed up and flexioned her*

After another couple of months (turnout increased to around 15 feet by 40 feet area) I got my own vet out as she was now apparently trotting reasonably well in her limited area - and giving me huge panics. He advised that although there was no mechanical lameness she was protecting the limb and that I should get on and ride her to force her to use it properly. I had actually only ever ridden her for 10 minutes when we tried her as she's my daughter's, not mine! So with great fear and trepidation, on a HUGE mare that had been bought to event, that I'd hardly ridden, that had been confined in a tiny area for half a year, I set off up the road to carry out the vet's instructions of "walk her five minutes a day on a hard surface increasing by five minutes a day until she is doing an hour's walking. If the front of her hock swells up much take her back by 15 minutes walking but keep going. When she's up to an hour introduce a minute's trotting and then up it by a minute walk and a minute trot interspersed each day".

Ten months after her injury she was doing this:

And she's done this (crap photos but you get my drift),

yes some of those are Intro jumps, she's since been out XC schooling with an instructor and is quite happy to tackle anything my daughter will put her at: PN just not an issue! (Ditch is part of PN coffin - backwards! (Don't ask!))

When we got the horse she had campaigned BE for four years, moving up through Intro and PN but not being really bold enough Novice, safe XC but inclined to have a stop to make sure! I certainly wouldn't have a problem with her going out and competing to PN this year.


Through all of the above it has to be remembered that not all horses make it. When I first researched it only approximately 24% of horses were said to return to their previous level of ability. In the nearly 18 months since then there seems to be much more information available, giving much better prognosis for a higher percentage of animals.

I can say that for our mare masterly inaction, with herbal remedies, and very slow and boring work to bring her back in have seemed to do the trick.

If I had to go through it again I wouldn't change much. Biggest thing is I would NOT allow flexions before beginning to exercise. If the leg is stepping through in walk AND the horse can trot up reasonably normally (ie with no saggy tendon above hock) then that is sufficient diagnosis to begin steady slow work; with observation of the front of the hock for swelling. No point in fancy "treatments" - not a lot can realistically be done. I think my entire vet's bill was under £200. I did have to dope her up, I took her off bute as soon as I felt it was "not unkind" to do so as I wanted her to feel it if it twinged to hopefully stop her pratting about.

Sorry, this is a huge essay. There is hope, there is hope your horse will return to his previous level of activity and not just be a hack. Ours apparently has SJ'd at 1m40, we haven't tried that level, I think my daughter would expire if one suggested it. She will certainly pop a 1m20 spread fence after a bounce grid though and show every sign of being happy to come back for more.

I wish you the very best of luck with your horse, don't despair!

 

[*hic*]

*eex*

just off to resize photos!

 

[MurphysMinder]

Sorry this is going to be a bit vague on info, but a pony my daughter used to ride did this. It was probably about 8 years ago, and he was quite an old man then. He had box rest and then turnout in a small paddock, think it was probably about 4 - 6 months in all. He came back in to work, and jumping although was semi retired afterwards but went on to win many veteran competitions afterwards. He is still going strong now in his late 20s. We gave him a supplement called Joint and Muscle Booster, by Balanced Horse feeds. Obviously can't say if it helped or if he would have recovered anyway but might be worth a try if you an still get it.

 

[supagran]

I had a mare that did this - the prognosis we were given by the Veterinary Hospital was guarded, we were told that she had to be on 6 months box rest (and no walking in hand etc), I must admit I dreaded it, but after the first month or so she settled down and was as good as gold. As she did in the February we ased the Vet. school if we could breed from her and they said yes - AI only though (and this was 9 years ago now and not as easy as it is now). So we took her to a lovely stud who understood the regime she had to be kep under, and the spent 6 weeks there, came back in foal. This meant that she would have 18 months off work though!

After 6 months she was re-scanned and the vet students couldn't work out what had been wrong with her she was so sound, so we were allowed to gradually turn her out - electric fencing in the field to make a paddock of about 20 ft square and increased the size over about a month to about 1/4 acre paddock. She lived in this paddock for another three months before being let out into the other fields. She had the foal, and when foal was weaned came back into work - lots and lots of walking/trotting to fitten her up, and after about 4 months started jumping again. She jumped to Discovery level (which is all she would ever had done before the injury anyway) and then was sold - with a clean full 5 stage vetting certificate, and the last I heard she is hunting twice a week, jumping anything and everything thing that comes her way.

If the vets say keep your horse in I would certainly do so, don't feel sorry for them - one of my vets said to me - "you might know she's not going out tomorrow, but she doesn't, she is only concerned with now", and that helped me cope with her being in the stable for so long.

It could be a long haul, but keeping my fingers crossed for you!

Sorry such a long reply!

 

[stranger1612]

The majority of such injuries will heal completely and the horse will return to the previous level of exercise. The treatment is rest, box to start with (3 months ish), then resticted paddock/pen for another 3. I would expect your horse to be jumping again in 9-12 months.