Stanley's hock fusion journey

LJR said:
This all sounds good, will they x-ray again or do you just crack on as long as he feels good? :)
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I'm not sure to be honest. I think it may depend on the degree of lameness that remains. he has a vet check at the end of week 5 so I will ask then.
 
Well week 4 has come and gone.. it has been frustrating with rubbish weather making a lot of my hacking routes too wet for trot or canter but managed to do a bit of that in the arena... it is a lot of work, 20 mins walk, 30 mins trot and 5 mins canter so nearly an hour of riding which I have found hard with the days shortening, work and child to look after and tbh I am feeling a little despondent. I'm pretty sure he is not yet sound as I think I can feel unlevel steps from time to time particularly on the left rein. Vet is out for the 5 week check tomorrow afternoon so will discuss this with her. He was however, feeling spritely enough to attempt bucking me off and going for an unscheduled canter yesterday when some sheep we were hacking past were spooked by a gas gun... so there's life in him yet!
 
LJR said:
Hope the Vet is pleased with him tomorrow.

If he is coping well with that amount of work I think it is really positive :)
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thank you - I'm so nervous for the vet coming.. getting a bit paranoid and kind of worried that yesterdays bucking was pain related... although it did coincide with the sheep going mental so fairly sure it was that. I will update tomorrow whatever happens!
 
kinnygirl1 said:
thank you - I'm so nervous for the vet coming.. getting a bit paranoid and kind of worried that yesterdays bucking was pain related... although it did coincide with the sheep going mental so fairly sure it was that. I will update tomorrow whatever happens!
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Please do!

Take it as a sign he was feeling well :)
 
Ok...so the week 5 vet visit was today! It's mostly good news. He's no longer lame when trotted up and is level when viewed from behind, although he's not bringing the left hock(which was the worst affected one) through as well as the right. This will hopefully improve as the fusion is completed. I'm to continue with the same level of work as we are at now for the next 3 weeks, mostly hacking but can add in some circles gradually to schooling sessions maybe a couple of times a week. The hacking is important as a firmer surface gives greater concussion and aids fusion which you don't get on a soft arena surface. Next check up is middle of Jan.
 
Sounds good to me, how are you feeling about it? I know you were struggling to fit everything in, not the greatest times of year for a bit of rehab!
 
Demented Elf said:
Sounds good to me, how are you feeling about it? I know you were struggling to fit everything in, not the greatest times of year for a bit of rehab!
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I'm ok thanks. I mentioned to my vet that I was finding it hard to fit in an hour of riding every evening and she said to focus on the trot if I'm struggling for time and that even a 20 min walk round the block is better than nothing at all. Also, it helps that Stanley lives out 24/7 as he is in theory moving all the time...movement s the key to fusion apparently, so I do feel better about it.... Still gonna try and do as much of the hour as poss tho. X
 
Sooo, we have a makeshift arena at the farm which is basically natural sand spread on a well draining field... the cold snap had made it nice and firm and therefore the perfect surface for Stanley's trot rehab. We did a good 30 mins trot on it the other day and I feel sure that once the initial stiffness was out of the way that Stanley was finding turning to the left a little easier.... I am hoping this means that fusion is getting there in that troublesome left hind! Watch this space!
 
Interesting to come across this topic, my boy has recently been diagnosed with hock arthritis, we medicated and have started some rehab work, altho just had a slight set back unfortunately!
 
Dancing_Diva said:
Interesting to come across this topic, my boy has recently been diagnosed with hock arthritis, we medicated and have started some rehab work, altho just had a slight set back unfortunately!
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Sorry to hear you've had a set back. Medicating the joint worked very well for Stan but sadly didn't last as long as we hoped which is why we decided to go down the fusion route but my vet did say in some horses medicating is all that's ever needed so it's definitely worth a try.
 
That's not long at all. We medicated three weeks ago, his been sound since until last Wednesday when he went lame, his now 99% sound again after a vet visit yesterday.

Was it expensive to have the fusing done? We're about £1500 into our £5000 insurance limit and so have to factor in that really.
 
Dancing_Diva said:
That's not long at all. We medicated three weeks ago, his been sound since until last Wednesday when he went lame, his now 99% sound again after a vet visit yesterday.

Was it expensive to have the fusing done? We're about £1500 into our £5000 insurance limit and so have to factor in that really.
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It was around 520 for the actual procedure. There were a few additional costs...sedation, livery as he stayed overnight, Bute to come home with. I have also got an insurance claim running for this... And I think it's now up to £1800.
 
That's no time bad at all, what did the procuder actually entail? Was it done under full GA or sedation?

Apologies for all the questions, your the only person I've found to have dealt with the same thing as I currently. It's always nicer to get answers from someone who's actually been through the same thing with a horse of their own own and not just a vet.
 
Dancing_Diva said:
That's no time bad at all, what did the procuder actually entail? Was it done under full GA or sedation?

Apologies for all the v, your the only person I've found to have dealt with the same thing as I currently. It's always nicer to get answers from someone who's actually been through the same thing with a horse of their own own and not just a vet.
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No probs at all.. I made this thread so that people could find out more about it. Happy to answer questions. It is done under sedation in the stocks. First they inject a contrast dye into the space in the joint and take an X-ray. This is to make sure that there is no communication between the top and bottom hock joints. If the dye can get into the top joint then the horse is not eligible for the procedure as the alcohol would destroy this joint. Assuming all ok they then inject the alcohol into the joint, remove the needle and cover the wound with a dressing and vet wrap. My vet said its not a difficult procedure but it's fiddly and takes a few people.
 
glad to hear your rehab is going really well Kinnygirl. My boy has the vet back again tomorrow as has remained lame despite the changes in shoeing and pads put on. He's having nerve blocks as the vet suspects that he has navicular and arthritis but wants to be certain that the lameness is in the foot before xraying. Vet will come back to xray if it's confirmed in the foot.
 
spike123 said:
glad to hear your rehab is going really well Kinnygirl. My boy has the vet back again tomorrow as has remained lame despite the changes in shoeing and pads put on. He's having nerve blocks as the vet suspects that he has navicular and arthritis but wants to be certain that the lameness is in the foot before xraying. Vet will come back to xray if it's confirmed in the foot.
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Thank you. Good luck with your boy tomorrow. I don't know much about navicular but I am finding that there are lots of treatment options for the arthritis so hopefully with the right combination of treatment he will come right.
 
Thanks for this thread. We're on week 2 of cartrophen & no change yet (& yes I am hoping for a miracle cure!), so will be asking vet about fusion soon.
 
typically today my horse was not showing lame enough consistently enough to have nerve blocks done but he had flexion tests done which he passed so vet is certain that it likely rules arthritis out but he did produce a positive splint test and vet is fairly sure he has damaged the ligament attached to the splint bones which explains his on off lameness and dislike of hard ground. He is now on 8 weeks of restricted turnout so he can not play with other horses and is to be in walk work for 8 weeks and then be reviewed unless he becomes lamer in the meantime in which case we will proceed with the nerve blocks.
 
spike123 said:
typically today my horse was not showing lame enough consistently enough to have nerve blocks done but he had flexion tests done which he passed so vet is certain that it likely rules arthritis out but he did produce a positive splint test and vet is fairly sure he has damaged the ligament attached to the splint bones which explains his on off lameness and dislike of hard ground. He is now on 8 weeks of restricted turnout so he can not play with other horses and is to be in walk work for 8 weeks and then be reviewed unless he becomes lamer in the meantime in which case we will proceed with the nerve blocks.
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Oh gosh...he's really keeping you guessing isn't it! Stanley was very lame on flexion when diagnosed with arthritis so does sound like you might be able to rule it out. Let us know what happens.
 
spike123 said:
I'm going to be old and grey with all the stress he's caused me lol. I will update you. How's your boy seeming to be now?
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He's ok. Somedays he feels amazing, others its a bit stilted. My vet did say that when the bones are very close to fusion, the horse can be a bit sore. Her advice was to gently push through the soreness with ridden work and she has given me some bute to use if he seems really uncomfortable but she says this should be very short term and that once fusion has completed he will be comfortable again. Just wish I could see what was going on in there!
 
Fingers still crossed he's going the right direction for you. What sort of time scale will you expect it to take for the hocks to fuse? Would be even better if our horses could talk and explain exactly what and were it hurts lol. Mine has remained sound and worked about 4 days in this week but have kept him entirely to soft ground other than from the stable to the field but it seems he's comfortable so far, but we are only one week in of 8 weeks of walk work so far. Just hoping he doesn't think it's a good idea to try to kill me once boredom of walk work and no racing around playing with his friends has kicked in.
 
spike123 said:
Fingers still crossed he's going the right direction for you. What sort of time scale will you expect it to take for the hocks to fuse? Would be even better if our horses could talk and explain exactly what and were it hurts lol. Mine has remained sound and worked about 4 days in this week but have kept him entirely to soft ground other than from the stable to the field but it seems he's comfortable so far, but we are only one week in of 8 weeks of walk work so far. Just hoping he doesn't think it's a good idea to try to kill me once boredom of walk work and no racing around playing with his friends has kicked in.
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I think its one of those how long is a piece of string type questions really.... a lot depends on being able to do the rehab work on firm ground to allow the hocks the necessary concussion to fuse... hard at this time of year when a lot of the tracks I use for hacking are a bit soft and water logged. He has been extremely edgy the last few rides which I'm wondering is soreness possibly being caused by the hock being close to fusion.... gosh yes if only he could tell me!
 
Well, we have definitely hit a wall. He is really edgy and spooky and I'm struggling with the rehab. Had instructor over last night and it took a good 15 mins to settle him in a nice walk and then I attempted a hack this afternoon but he was so tense and jumpy I cut it short. Gonna phone my vet Monday... I am kinda hoping that it's the pre fusion soreness she warned me about, not that I want him to be in pain of course but if it is that then some short term pain relief may be all it takes. Feeling a bit down tbh :-( I'm not the most confident of riders so it's hard to crack on with the rehab plan when he feels like he could explode at any moment!
 
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