Synovial Seal lameness

[dwi]

Anyone had any experience with this? Daisy was being brought back into work over a two month period following box rest and treatment for damage to her synovial seal which has caused the fluid to leak into a cavity at the bottom of her tendon. She has been sound since 20th June so I reintroduced canter this week, just a few strides at a time and on soft flat ground. She felt fine when being ridden but this morning stumbled coming in from the field and was 1/10th lame on a circle. I couldn't trot her up because there was no-one else at the yard so will have a proper look tonight.

I'm waiting on a call from the vet to see what he says. I really thought we were safe after having been sound for so long. Has anyone had any experience of this sort of injury? What happened? She first went lame on the 17th May, I'm starting to wonder if she isn't going to come right and am just gutted that its resurfaced.

 

[clairencappelli]

My horses sypmtoms are alomst identical but scans and blocks realved synovial fluid in the joint and swelling to the fetlock ( the joint was infused ) but after trying to bring her back into work like you did as i introduce trot the leg swelled up a bit more. So we stopped riding her again and rested her.

She was perfectly sound on the straight but just 1/10 th lame on a circle which didnt change with the rest so my vet called Dr david platt in who did an arthroscopy which showed massive damage to the cartledge. She is now recovering for her op and cant go out for 3 months and cant be ridden till jan next year and is unlikel;y to ever jump again.

How sure is your vet that there is no other damge?. Scans x-rays and even fluid tests never showed any abnormalities in my horse but i knew she just wasnt 100% right.

Dr platt was amazed at the minor lever of lameness she showed but the huge damage in there and only the op showed it up.

Maybe ask your vet if there is any possiblilty of cartledge damage? If there is synovial fluid there it sounds like there is inflamtion?

Good luck i hope you get it sorted

 

[dwi]

thanks for the reply claire, that sounds terrible. Daisy has been sound for a while now but not in full work so is that a possibility?

She has had an ultrasound scan and tests on the fluid. There was no sign of infection but it was very swollen, looked like someone had put a tennis ball on the back of her fetlock.

I'm still waiting for him to call me back, I'll certainly ask about the risk of cartiledge damage. If its that serious then I'm going to have to consider her future as she would be rubbish as a light hack or field companion

* wanders off to find comfort food while waiting for phone to ring*

 

[clairencappelli]

My case was quite extream but luckily caught early. My horse is a full TB and was very very fit before but has been off since april and is coping well with all the rest.

She is hopefully going to be ok for dressage once she can be ridden again next year thats after she stops checking a mentak after the inital reaction of the joy of ridden work again

.

Synovail fluid gathers when there is inflammation so i guess its just a case of finding out why its there. Its worth asking about cartledge damage as it sounds simliar to my horses symptoms.