sacroiliac problems -end of the road? please help- vets unhelpful

J

jalisco

Well-Known Member
Joined
2 September 2010
Messages
97
Visit site
OK really long but need some advice.
Horse is 10 and since oct hasnt been ridden due to rearing bolting and extreme sacroiliac and back pain.
Had bone scan in nov which showed that both hocks and si had hot spots.
Xrays of spine ok, hocks- one fused other nearly fused. vet not worried about this.

Si- said that wasnt what they expected a normal horse to be - said MAY be a conformational problem but cant obviously xray it.
Had hock injected, and mesotherapy in back in jan and mesotherpy on back again 2.5 weeks ago.
Ist time meso- small difference, 2nd time huge difference - absolutely no dipping of back when pressing on it- but pain back a week later.
He is just being long reined at the momentin walk for last 2 months- vets say that i just have to keep exercising to build up muscle to help him.
He getting physio weekly and physio is really at wits end with vet..
They say next option is muscle relaxant and bute.

My point is - all this has resulted in £3000 being spent and not many answers.
if they think its a conformational problem why oh why do they keep bringing me back- surely because it comformational none of these will work and is not in the animals best interests? now bute and muscle relaxants??? this is a 10year old that is for high level showjumping- bute is banned?

I just feel its a money issue and they are just tryin to get as much as possible and its my horse thats suffering.

Also I have an issue with them telling me its fine to ride him- even thought they think firstly its conformational and secondly what good is buliding up the muscle going to do for this but make my horsesuffer even more.

Im just really really upset that my beautiful friendly boy is a cash cow for my vets. Ive tried to trust them but now I just feel very very disappointed in the veterinary profession.

I really dont know what to do with him now, ive tried absolutely everything for him but his ack is just so sore- behind saddle and over SI.
I can retire him to parents farm and will never pass him on, but this pain I really dont know if its fair on him to leave him as a field oranament if hes sill in pain. Can he be retired and be ok?

Does anyone have any info or opinions on this situation.
thanks in advance
 
Depends what kind of SI injury it is. My horse had a SI injury and is now 100% after one lot of P2G injections last year. I would certainly be asking for a second opinion from another vet before declaring the end of the road, SI injuries can be quite complex and tricky to correctly diagnose and treat.
 
My horse also suffers with his sacroiliac. He was for sale as an eventer and had done a lot of the training however, a specialist equine vet concluded that he 'may not' be fit enough to compete at a high level... so I bought him as a hack/rc.

My vet didn't suggest anything other than a workup. He has also seen a McTimony practioner.

From what I understand, the sacroiliac joint worsens when there is no muscle to support it (my horse had been taken from the field and worked hard for 7 weeks before the diagnosis, so went from being relatively unfit - to being worked too hard - then dumped in a field causing more muscle wastage...then I bought it!)

I was recommended a work up of walk walk walk walk walk walk............ the straighter and longer the better. Walking uphill was good for him however, I was told to keep trotting to a minimum because of the action and pressure it put on his pelvis. The stronger the muscles supporting the pelvis the better.

7 months on and he is 'sound' (albeit the problem will always be there)

I will be having the McTimony practioner out quarterly, along with a saddle fitter. Everythings been rosey so far *touch wood*

I was severly warned away from purchasing an unsound house especially given the cause but, I took a chance and thankfully, it has so far paid off.

Best wishes to you and horsie
 
LucyPriory said:
You could always try booking him in for a few months at Rockley?
Click to expand...

How would rockley help with sacroliac issues?

I know Mrs mozart on here has had experience with this area with her horses so it may be worth pm'ing her for her experiences
 
AH well, other than the fact its fairly risky and it saved my lads life I'm not entirely sure! :o It as far as I am aware is a cocktail of varying drugs including steriods and some kind of sclerosing agent.
Have your vets suggested bute trialling whilst building up? This is what I did initially but it wasnt enough to cancel out the pain fully to get him working quite correctly enough. SO whilst he went forward because it was far more comfortable, after several months on bute working through when we finally took him off the bute he was still in pain and not built up enough. The P2G was the next step, he had an anesthetic block before hand, reacted positively so had the P2G a few days later. Again its the same principle, whilst they are out of pain you slowly get them working correctly again, starting from the ground and making sure they are strong and holding themselves correctly. Its a long and slow process but I have never looked back with my boy, he is 100% now and cleared by the vet to do whatever at any level. The only thing to hinder in the future is having to make sure that if for any reason he is let down for a period of time I have to be very careful bringing back into work. SO for example he had time off over winter due to the snow, where with other horses you would get back on and build up over a few weeks it takes longer with my boy as while his muscles are down he risks reinjury of his SI so I had to do 2 weeks of lunge work (long and low) before getting back on in walk for 5 mins at a time after lunging etc etc. Bit tedious but not really an issue, although for this reason I would never sell him as it only takes one owner not to pass the info on and the poor guy would be back to square one. You wouldnt know there was anything ever wrong now. Sadly and bizarrely another horse on my yard went through the same thing at the same time, he was ok on the P2G but never managed to work correctly enough to be ok when it wore off, he had the P2G again but when it wore off the second time and he was still no better the owners decided to call it a day. His injury was more severe than my boys.

ETS my lad was never visibly unsound, I went years with every vet and specialist telling me his problems were purely behavioural and there wasnt a thing medically wrong with him. Through perseverance I finally found a vet that watched him move once and to my delight said after about 10 secs ''stop, I know exactly whats wrong with him!'' And thank goodness for that vet, he saved my lads life and I now have a brilliant horse that can go and do anything we want.
 
Last edited:
My horse was diagnosed with sacroiliac problems 3 years ago. It was caused by an impact injury which caused a haematoma on top of the joint.

She seemed more uncomfortable than in pain. She had a swelling on her back and didnt want to bend left when ridden.

The only thing that worked was a steroid injection but that only worked for a few weeks and I didnt want her to have them so often.

I turned her away for 2 1/2 years and in that time she had a foal.

She came back into work around 7 months ago and has been sound since.

A lot of people say to carry on working them but the time off is what cured my mare. It seems to be a bit of trial and error.
 
Definitely doesn't need to be end of the road if you mean PTS? but may mean not suitable for high-level show-jumping. Also depends on severity. I've posted several times on this subject but my soon to be 16yr old was diagnosed over 5 years ago and still leads a good and useful life. He has chronic SI strain and very close spinal processes which have also needed treatment. Keeping him in consistent work, regular physio, remedial shoeing and use Buteless if he seems uncomfortable has worked. We've done quite a bit of everything at local / Regional and riding club inc. team level quite successfully but never affiliated dressage which was my original aim.

If he is worked properly over his back then the muscles can stabilise the SI joint and also any dipping of back (which sounds more like spinal processes) rectified by the correct muscle development. My horse's conformation is quite straight through his hind legs and short-coupled which has predisposed him to this but does not mean that it cannot be managed.

It doesn't need to be a death sentence my boy is happy, healthy and still gets out and about to do stuff even if its now we only do it just for occasional fun.
 
Did I hear my name? :)

Little Cob - sacroilliac joint issue. Sue Dyson at the AHT could not help him.

He went lame at the end of last July.

We had a Bowen Therapist out to him. A three hour session (at one point of which he looked worse), and he is so much better!

On our vet's recommendation, we moved to a yard where he could be out 24/365.

He will have another Bowen session and then will be coming back into work in June.

Forgot to say: he's barefoot and always has been (brilliant feet); he's never really been a competition pony; he has a good pop, but I don't know if he will jump again.
 
Last edited:
thanks v. just checked it online. Im out of my insurance now as year is up.
How much did it cost for the p2g?
I really dont know why they havnt offered me this because i keep saying im struggling to even lunge him- im walk ok but trot, canter forget it he bolts off or goes on the forehand.

I would love to get a second opinion at newmarket but insurance up now, trusted my own very very well known vets- silly me maybe.
 
Thats similar to my lad, he didnt want to trot at all, ridden or on lunge and would give amazing acrobatic displays in canter!
I cant really remember how much the P2G was, around the 300 mark rings a bell for the whole procedure. Relatively little considering what had been spent to get to that point!
Oh Fred also had numerous bowen treatments and he also found them beneficial but only in the short term to relieve symptoms, I would recommend bowen alongside the recuperation process though as it helps make sure there are no other ouchy bits anywhere else that would prevent correct work.
 
I would go down the lines of bute trialling first whilst building up, its obviously a cheaper and less risky option.
 
I replied in vets, but will continue on here!

My total bill for 1 weeks hosp stay, assessment, (rubbish) initial assessment by vet a yard, bone scan (which was £1500), X rays, nerve block and steroid injection was £2500.

So excluding the bone scan (which you've had) was £1000.... A fair whack of that would have been livery/care costs. Steroid injection was £200.

I would investigate getting a sacro nerve block to confirm and look into steroid injections. I still think it's poor they tell you they can't x ray. It is a tricky area, but they could still get some idea.
 
thanks for that v- it just gives me something to go to vets with and see if it can be done -either the bute or the p2g. at least its some hope so thank you.
 
As a further bit of hope jalisco heres my lad a few weeks ago (he's now even more swingy and uphill than this)
198931_10150161415184245_695404244_8336192_1441985_n.jpg

He's also jumping huge tracks at home and is off to start his career BE soon. The amount of times I wanted to give up with this horse I can't tell you. Find the right vet and there IS hope. Good luck, keep us updated. x
 
thanks v- my god hes looks amazing! I know what you mean about giving up- its been very difficult and a lot of tears and sleepless nights and my poor OH!
but he the most beautiful horse with a huge jump and the sweetest personality so although i wanted to give up I knew i had to explore every avenue before I did or i couldnt really forgive myself. you really have given me hope and to just stick with it for a while longer. will keep you informed thanks
 
TheEquineOak said:
Well blow me sideways she's already here!!
Click to expand...

I get about :cool::D

I think that for LC, it was the turning away combined with the Bowen treatment. We don't lunge him at all, except for about three times in the last x months to see how he's doing. D1 free plays with him in the school. They run around together and generally just have fun. There was a cross pole left out from a jumping session and D1 jumped over it and LC went with her, then he did it again for fun, pulling into it when he could more easily have just gone past it. D1 sometimes slow runs with a sort of exaggerated leg lift, and he trots next to her, mimicking her striding with his front legs. She gets on him bareback and they poddle about the school.

What I'm trying to say is, for us, letting him chill out, keeping him out 24/7, having the Bowen treatment, seems to be working.
 
Sorry, on iPad and it gets a bit special at times.

I was going to go on to say we won't know for sure how he is until D1 has finished her exams and tries to bring him back into work from this coming June. He hasn't had a saddle on for about nine months now.

The AHT also discovered 'something neurological', but can't say what for sure...

D isn't particularly happy as it has cost a fair amount to get no-where. Someone wiser than me said turn him away for x months. We sent him off for full investigation instead, but ended up turning away :rolleyes:. We moved yards so he could have that turnout.

Hope you he comes right hun.
 
I have also had problems with SI.

Firstly I doubt your horse will be able to ever jump at high level and even low level could cause problems.

P2G is risky. It can either work brilliatly or, if injected into the wrong part can cause serious problems, more serious than before, hence many vets wont risk it. (That was what I was told by mt vet-he would have risked it btw!) I cant remember exactly what it does though.

When my mare was diagnosed I did lots of research and asked lots of questions. Had she been at the point where she was lame enough not to ever be ridden again I probably would have considered P2G.

The key thing seemed to be to keep the horse in low level work and encourage it to work correctly so as to develop strong stomach muscles which then support the back. (in simple terms).

Some vets recommended turning away, some light work, some no hill work, some hill work so it is hard to know but it seemed to me that the people who kept their horse in work had the best results. Physio also helped mine. I kept mine in work but 2 years later she went lame and was diagnosed with other problems. However the second lot of bone scans showed that the hotspot on the sacroiliac was now very small. So maybe work did help her in one aspect but equally possibly caused other problems. But who knows! Maybe the problems were there already. (She also had hotspots on the hocks on the first bonescan) I just had to take my vets advice.

Anyway- 2 years on again, with 2 years of plodding gently, I rode her yesterday in the school for the first time and she seems sound and happy again. Happier that she had been for a long time. I wont push her to do great things as i want her to at least hack out for a few more years but who knows, maybe she will be ok do do a bit of dressage again sometime. If I can be bothered lol!

So for me, not a great outcome but with management she is able to do something. Oh, and I keep her out as much as possible.

Not much help really but not complete doom and gloom.
 
Hi,

I thought i'd share my experience.......my old loan horse was diagnosed with SI strain after hot spots showed up on a bone scan, but they came to the conclusion that this was as a result of a stifle injury and the subsequent abnormal gait.

I'm not sure if your horse has SI ligament strain or if its the joint itself that's affected? The only treatment that was prescribed to us was rest and he also had a few shock wave treatments -the idea being that this helps the blood supply and therefore healing in the area. Ligaments apparently do not have much of a blood supply so are notoriously slow to heal, especially the SI ligaments which are enormous.

If its a strain I would give it time to heal, if its the joint then I'd say try the injections which to be honest I didn't know existed. I know you said your insurance is now run out but we found the treatment was the cheaper part - having spent about £5,000 on the diagnosis.

Unfortunately our old boy had to be retired, which i'm sure you don't want to hear, but thats more because of his stifle. He is happy and comfortable in the field though (without bute).

I hope that's of some help x

P.S. I found an online american magazine 'The Horse' had some useful info when I was researching. Also - perhaps you should consider a different vet.
 
A friends horse suffered so damage as a 5 year old. Treatment (yes bute), regular physio, a year being rested (ie no ridden work), remedial farriery and 6 years later he remains sound and well - doing all sorts of activities. So there is def light at the end of the tunnel, providing you can be patient.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top