Ritzyroo
Well-Known Member
My 16yr old TB mare has been lame for about 2-3 months now and the vet came out and nerve blocked the whole leg so has come to the decision that she is lame in the right stifle joint, he recommends stifle arthroscopy to see what could be going on in there. If she has damaged the meniscus ligament he recommended 6 months box rest or 12 months turned away and see how she looks after that. If she has damaged the cruciate ligament then its a very guarded prognosis. My question to you all is: Has anyone had experience of this surgery and what was the outcome of your horse - did it ever come back to full work again or was it a 'happy hack' or a 'field ornament' after all the rest/treatment? my only reservation is that with this horse whom i've had for 8 years I have had about 4 of those years where she has been out of work for the various reasons, some being; left leg stifle desmotomy (5 months off), fractured hind cannon bone (7 months off), deep digital flexor tendon injury (9 months off) to name the more severe problems. I am slowly getting fed up of nursing her back to health each time. The vet is unsure what the prognosis is as we need to know the state of the joint but I am dubious to spend the money on the surgery if its only going to end up with her being PTS in the near future as a result of the lameness. Thanks for reading.......