Suspensory issue

SEL

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I think I'm just posting this because I'm feeling really down about the whole experience and need to vent! I insisted the vets scanned S's hind suspensory ligaments a few weeks ago. She's had this on / off uneveness for a while, but not something that vets were easily spotting on a trot up - in fact at times she was trotting up lame on a foreleg (taking turns as to which one). She'd had a silly moment on the lunge in the middle of the heatwave when our arena surface was deep and pulled herself up then looking a bit ouchy - but nothing obviously "lame"

So I got stroppy, pointed out that it was my money, and we had the scans. Right suspensory a bit thickened, left looked OK and nothing to indicate any lameness issues. So plan was to inject her hocks once I returned from holiday and go from there (known arthritis). But when the more senior vet came out to inject the hocks she brought the scanner with her and went back in around the hock area. Right was fine (although obviously the thickening on the original scan hasn't gone away), but after a good 20 mins on the left one the vets concluded that there was a problem. It looks like where her chestnut is on that hind leg the ligament has at some point come away and is basically no longer there - it definitely wasn't visible to 3 vets on the scans anyway. Now she's had her hocks injected its actually more obvious that she has a twist on that leg on landing and it also explains the slightly odd hoof flare that she gets.

I'm gutted really because it doesn't look like there's a lot I can do apart from seeing whether she can compensate for it over time. No idea whether it happened in the summer or at some point in the past 2 years (the last time they were checked) and I just didn't notice it - or thought it was a PSSM type stiffness from behind. The vets were all very supportive, but not in a 'lets do this and then this and it will cure it' type manner. Right now she's in gentle work to see if the injections in her hocks will loosen her up and make life easier for her - plus it should indicate whether there really is lameness up front or whether she's compensating for problems behind.

So if anyone has any positive stories on a similar injury then let me know. She's only 8 and it seems that every time I sort something out she goes and breaks somewhere else :(
 

mynutmeg

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No positive stories but I feel your pain - last summer we were doing so well, doing endurance and just having a fab time, come autumn (it's always bl**dy autumn time) she started just not being right. We did 6 months box rest due to sesamoiditis, have recently moved and new vet thinks most likely suspensory branch desmitis in both hinds, which is why she doesn't look particularly lame, with a very poor prognosis for work. I think she's also now done a tendon and am having her rescanned on thursday to see where we're at as atm I'm not convinced she even has a future as a pasture pet :-(
I'm just hoping my 3yo I've bought to be my riding horse (decided now I'm working and can afford 2 I wanted something I can ride even if Roo never gets back to any work) won't be the same vet magnet
 

PapaverFollis

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Oh that sucks, I'm sorry to read you're having extra problems. Managing around PSSM is hard enough. I don't know any positive stories (no negetive ones either! Just no stories) but fingers crossed for a workable outcome for her.
 

SEL

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No positive stories but I feel your pain - last summer we were doing so well, doing endurance and just having a fab time, come autumn (it's always bl**dy autumn time) she started just not being right. We did 6 months box rest due to sesamoiditis, have recently moved and new vet thinks most likely suspensory branch desmitis in both hinds, which is why she doesn't look particularly lame, with a very poor prognosis for work. I think she's also now done a tendon and am having her rescanned on thursday to see where we're at as atm I'm not convinced she even has a future as a pasture pet :-(
I'm just hoping my 3yo I've bought to be my riding horse (decided now I'm working and can afford 2 I wanted something I can ride even if Roo never gets back to any work) won't be the same vet magnet
It's so disheartening - esp if retirement really won't work 😕
 

DabDab

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Oh SEL, you poor thing. But I guess you knew all along that there has been something more going on with her to contribute to the not-rightness :(

Some horses just can be fixed. It's never easy to come to that conclusion though. I dearly love my PSSM horse, but I do slightly live in wait for the day he properly breaks down. And as much as I love him, and as lovely as he is to ride these days, now I am riding Arts I have to make myself do more that hack him, because just having an easy horse to ride again that I don't have tons of emotional baggage with is spoiling me a bit.

Hugs x
 

SEL

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Oh SEL, you poor thing. But I guess you knew all along that there has been something more going on with her to contribute to the not-rightness :(

Some horses just can be fixed. It's never easy to come to that conclusion though. I dearly love my PSSM horse, but I do slightly live in wait for the day he properly breaks down. And as much as I love him, and as lovely as he is to ride these days, now I am riding Arts I have to make myself do more that hack him, because just having an easy horse to ride again that I don't have tons of emotional baggage with is spoiling me a bit.

Hugs x
Thank you - I have to confess this is exhausting me. I'm feeling fortunate that the new livery yard I moved to 6 weeks ago are lovely and supportive and just seem to generally be a nice bunch of people. They also have a lot of semi-retired types types there, so absolutely no pressure to 'do' anything with your horse.

I think I'm going to see how she gets on over the winter when I can give her time off without too much worrying about the PSSM and try and bring her back into proper work before the grass puts in an appearance next year. If she can't do it then I have a pretty horrible decision on my hands - esp as my lovely little draft is getting more arthritic as time goes on and I won't keep him going without her. They haven't been separated for any length of time now for 3 years.

Alternatively if it looks like she can manage light hacking then I'll settle for that. I long for something non complicated, but knowing my luck I'd end up with another with a long list of weird and expensive medical issues!
 

mynutmeg

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It's so disheartening - esp if retirement really won't work 😕

Good news for my girl today at least, tendons and ligaments all look good which is a huge relief - shes more comfortable on bute and it's a waiting game but not as bad I had feared.

Fingers crossed yours improves over the winter
 

SEL

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Good news for my girl today at least, tendons and ligaments all look good which is a huge relief - shes more comfortable on bute and it's a waiting game but not as bad I had feared.

Fingers crossed yours improves over the winter
That's good news! The heat in S's leg has drastically reduced this morning too, so that's one less thing to worry about at 4am in the morning!
 

hopscotch bandit

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It looks like where her chestnut is on that hind leg the ligament has at some point come away and is basically no longer there - it definitely wasn't visible to 3 vets on the scans anyway. Now she's had her hocks injected its actually more obvious that she has a twist on that leg on landing and it also explains the slightly odd hoof flare that she gets.

I remember reading somewhere that lateral extensions prevent a horse from twisting and also prevents them putting their legs under their bodies, think the technical word is midline.
 
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