Stifle joint medication over a long time period, young horse

[Spudpud]

Yesterday my mare was diagnosed with bilateral stifle chondromalacia via arthroscopy.
The advice is to medicate her joints (depo, HA, amikacin) and see how she goes.
It's a degenerative condition with little information available at present and the referral vets have only offered very limited information and I am a vet with lots of questions but no experience of this.
She's rising 8 and been in low level work with me, the symptoms were only evident in ridden work and on the lunge, no lameness but difficultly with canter transitions and lateral work, and dragging her feet when asked to step back. She also has secondary locking patellas and slight impingement of DSPs mid lumbar back.

My questions currently revolve around the stifle joint injections and I would appreciate anyone's experience of these in cases of degenerative joint disease as they are much less commonly done compared to hocks. Even if she only needed two a year, I can't imagine the state of those joints in 6 or 8 years time, but the vets don't consider the long term picture for the animal and my gut feeling is pts but I'm trying to gather as much info as I can, with immense difficulty, before making a decision. Thanks in advance for any experience or opinion.

 

[gunnergundog]

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[PorkChop]

I recently had steroid injected into my horses stifle, unfotunately didn't help mine but I would say definitely the best place to start.

I really feel for you, not a nice decision to make. I am sure you will do whatever is best for you and your horse and tbh it matters not a jot what anyone else thinks.

 

[ALO]

My boy had his injected following an accident last year. He was injected in jan and is now sound and being brought back into work. He is 6 and I was concerned about injecting in such a young horse but vet was confident it would settle the inflammation and be a one off. Am not sure how I would feel about constant injections either bit may be worth one to see how long it lasts/wjat happens?good luck x

 

[BDyasmine]

mine had steroid injections in both stifles for OCD. was sound for about 4 days after the recommended period of box rest and then back to how she was. it's different for every horse though, you won't know unless you try! mine then had the op to remove the fragments and about a year off work and came back much better than expected, but is now lame in front and waiting on diagnosis :-(
i dont know much about the condition you are dealing with but thats my experience of stifles and injections!