Stifle Bone Cyst....what to do?

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Shelly Sexbomb

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Hello all, been a 'lurker' for a while. Have recently fulfilled my lifelong ambition and bought my first horse. It's very much a buyers market and he was quite cheap, being a novice I didnt pick up on his slight stiffness in his nearside hind leg. Last week he became markedly lame under saddle so I had the vet check him out. He has a bone cyst on the weight bearing surfaces of his stifle. I suspect he has ALWAYS had this and that is why he has been passed around a bit. He is 7yrs old. I am unsure whether to try and retire him of as a field companion or put him through the surgery. Does anyone have any experience in this? :(
 
Maybe worth asking your vet again what s/he thinks the best option is? Surgery is usually expensive, and depends on insurers (if you have insurance) as to whether they'll pay if there is a possibility of it having been there when you bought him.
Also, if you're still undecided then it maybe worth getting a second opinion, from a holistic vet - there are a few who use a range of therapies to help with all sorts of conditions - could be worth a try.

good luck
 
I'm not sure on treatment but my girl unknown to me at the time had a stifle cyst; which was only discovered when scanning for something very different! Vets said it just healed itself... And was sound 99% of the time
 
He was ok after flexion tests, just seemed to intermittently 'fling' his leg out, mainly at a trot and after working a while. Bit of a reluctance to canter. He hasnt been worked much with his previous owner, I have been trying to get him fit and its come to light the more work we have done. My insurance covers me up to £3000 so as long as that covers it then I think the fairest thing for him would be to give the surgery a go. It as least offers him a chance of a future :)
 
Surgery is not the only treatment - sterid and other injections into the stifle, with some paddock rest has good examples on some. He almost certainly had it when you bought him - and it may well have been the reason for selling. You need advice from a GOOD lameness specialist n the best way to treat.

Be aware though that unless you're with VERY nice insurers, they will try to avoid this one on the absis that it was pre-existing!
 
Hi,

We've just found a bone cyst in my mares pedal bone, she's just turned 6 and I've had her for 12 months and she was never lame up until 5/6 weeks ago. As well as the cyst, we found her shoeing was slightly out of balance which we have fixed according to X-rays and low and behold, she's much better! She was only slightly lame on the leg she has the cyst in though.

Anyway she's going for an MRI scan on the 14th to see if it's accessible in order to basically have the cyst contents removed by drilling in there....but my vet said if she can't have surgery then he will treat with Tildren to see if that helps.
 
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