Tear in the Tendon in the Foot??(Hoof if you want to be correct!!)

[lucemoose]

Liphook has just rung to confirm my horses MRI scans, he has a tear in the tendon in his foot but luckily not next to the pedal bone(no bony interference,better healing), he also has a smaller tear in the other foot.
They say to restrict his turnout to a small pen or corral, and to give him 6-8 months off but I can ride him in walk up to around 20 minutes getting longer as time goes on. She said that 70% of cases will go back to normal work.
I jump my horse, and was hoping to start jumping 1.10 classes by the end of the summer but obviously everything will be on hold. Any similar problems? Ideas? Was thinking of magnetic bell boots or a band ? Help please, just want to be able to jump again.

 

[ecrozier]

Can't help much but would be very interested to hear what his symptoms/lameness were like as this is the latest possible diagnosis for my husband's mare - we are off to Potters Bar soon for an MRI hopefully! Vet been on holiday so haven't had referral yet..... How small does his paddock/pen have to be?
Best of luck with him, sounds reasonable positive considering...

 

[brightmount]

My horse had a tear in the DDFT low down in the foot. She also had swelling in the collateral ligaments and some navicular issues. Her foot was badly out of balance, putting strain on the soft tissues in the foot. The key to her recovery was going barefoot because of the emphasis on foot balance and because it stimulates the circulation which helps healing. I use a qualified Applied Equine Podiatrist. If you're interested I'll PM his details as you're in my general area of the country and probably his catchment area.

A lay off could be a good time to go barefoot, subject to your vet's approval. The programme of work you have been recommended would dovetail neatly with the conditioning programme.

My horse made a full recovery against all expectations.

 

[lucemoose]

Well - have the story lol!
He was jumped towards end July at SOE, I scrapped a few of my classes as ground did not suit so exercised one night in the warm up ring and he didnt feel quite normal, not lame but defo not normal. Had quiet run up to Hikkers, jumped like a peach and then was lame the next day, but only in trot when ridden without a contact, hard to see on lunge. Waited a week , rested, trotted up nearly sound then shipped him off for an already arranged MOT! Vets Xrayed and nerve blocked then sent to Liphook.
Vet said that with these tears they are apparently lame, then 2-4 days later as swelling and fluid go down they appear sound but need the time off to repair. He is a TBxWB and does have the long toe/low heel but farrier is a star and never lets it get out of hand.
Well, considering I just turned him out in a half acre field this morning which he hooned around- am thinking thats not going to be the best idea! Hopefully he can chill out in there, am at livery and cannot really get a smaller field. Vet said corral so in my eyes thats about 24' x 24' ?? Double or triple a stable size.
Good luck with your mare.

 

[lucemoose]

Thank you, have been stressing and panicking and got called neurotic earlier

Yes, xrays showed his balance is out, my farrier thought he could have collateral issues too. Farrier has put NB shoes on as a measure whilst I waited for the vets to call, also his feet were getting in a state barefoot so best to save them!
Am interested in any methods, do you have photos of your horses feet? What sort of timescale were you working on, Im happy to give him all the time in the world.
Mine has paper thin shoes and is a wimp, which is what I worry about when thinking barefoot, please do give me details although I think my horse would miss the farrier!
Thank you, and so glad to hear about your mare.

 

[RachelB]

Which tendon is it that he has torn?
My horse has a 2cm tear in the deep digital flexor tendon along the length of the navicular bone, along with degeneration of the cartilage attaching the DDFT to the pedal bone. Apparently the cartilage problem is our worst and the reason Maiden's chance of a return to "full ridden work" is only 25-30%. She went hopping lame on 4th February 2007, came sound a week later, I rode her for a week then she was half a tenth lame from the end of February to about the end of July. In between that time she has various X-rays and ultrasound scans and eventually went for MRI in late May, and they then found the tear. I have no doubt that had I psychically known that it was a tendon in the first place, and not ridden her for that week, her prognosis would have been better (but that's life!). She had four and a half months box rest with a small grass pen that she went in for two hours a day, then was turned away at the beginning of July and will be out being a lazy bum until April. Then my vet will re-assess her, then hopefully I can bring her back into work (then eventually find her a loan home as a confidence-giving hack). Maiden will never jump again and may not even be allowed to go in a school, but my vet tells me that this is because of the cartilage problem rather than the tendon tear.
It is interesting to hear though that X-rays showed your horse's unbalanced feet, as mine were too (she looks very upright so my farrier shod her to what looks like the correct angle from the outside, but in reality her bones are much more upright than she looks on the outside). Maiden is barefoot now but her feet crack quicker than they grow and she is very footsore when I bring her in to the yard so see the vet or the farrier.
All the best with your horse though, I hope it's not as bad as you think and he recovers well!

 

[brightmount]

I'll PM you the info.

 

[jaimep]

follow your vets advice closely (and the vets a Liphook are brilliant). Ask lots of questions. Make sure you understand the answers.

Barefoot may help eventually but make sure you get this problem fixed before you start 'messing around' with other things... i.e. just change one thing at a time other wise you wont know what has made things better or worse.


"

 

[lucemoose]

Well my vet rang me yesterday which was nice as it was on her day off, had a good chat. He is going to have cartrophen (sp) injections to help with the rebuilding of tendons, and my new YOs are going to set up their round pen so he can go out and graze. Vet said I could look into magnet therapy as it wouldnt have adverse affects but whilst I am eager to talk to a EP or barefoot farrier to gain more insight, I know that my horses soles are paper thin and he will need some pads soon, just to help him out.
I want to get everything right.

 

[ecrozier]

Interesting reading. Having had a major farriery issue when our longtime farrier stopped shoeing in our area, I am fairly certain her shoeing wasn't helping at all. Her x-rays showed she was well out of balance when she came up lame. Fortunately got the original, wonderful farrier back, and he has now got her back into balance and in roll toe, bar shoe with a pad. She is definately better than she was as well, after taking a couple of weeks to re-adjust to being properly balanced again.
Off for an MRI soon, so will know more then, but good to know all is not lost if it is a tear. She could certainly go in a coral type thing, we have a lami-prone pony she could share with. If she just comes sound to hack, that would be enough really, as we plan to breed from her in the future anyway.
Good luck everyone with their horses recoveries!
E.x

 

[lucemoose]

OH sorry, its the DDFT as the vet was saying that they cannot see any lesions, and that at least its not affected where it attaches to the pedal bone. Which I guess is good? He is very stroppy as he was turned out over the weekend and cant understand why he cant go out! Ive been taking him on little walks to graze.
Again like you Im hoping I havent exacerbated the problem by riding, or turning out

As he was SJed two weekends in a row, was lame on the monday (but only in trot without a contact) had a week off, I took him out for a walk around the block the next week and then the vet saga started. He has been in in theory since the beginning of the month, and I think aside really low key road rides in a month or so, I will be looking at a full assessment next Feb.
Hope your mare is enjoying her sabbatical, and at least she has a fall back career as a hack.

 

[RachelB]

DDFT problems are almost always worse than SDFT ones... can't remember exactly why though (will go look it up...)
My vet was definately far more concerned about the cartilage problem than the tendon problem. That's the reason she probably won't be allowed to school again, because of the cartilage problem. She's had Cartrophen injections though which apparently encourage the cartilage to repair with a smoother surface and they help to stop adhesions forming (if adhesions form then Maiden will always be unsound and will never be ridden again). *fingerscrossed*touchwood* she's sound at the moment (blip the other day but I think she stood on a stone) so hopefully either adhesions weren't going to form, or the £400 I spent on getting the vet out to give her the injections four times is paying off!
TBH I've found that even if it did make things worse by riding after the initial injury, there's no point blaming yourself about it. If I had done then I would probably have felt so awful about it I'd have given up owning horses for good. Instead I'm still enjoying my hobby and although I feel terrible about what has happened, especially as I reckon I know what set it off (we had a mega hack the day before and jumped logs in the woods, cantered along muddy tracks, and generally acted as though we were out hunting!), I can't turn back time and I can't do any more than I am now to help Maiden recover.
My vet said that she wanted Maiden in for four weeks of good quiet rest (after the initial four months), then a minimum of nine months in the field. That's over a year from start to end but if my vet says Maiden needs more time, she'll have a year out as a minimum so will be seen again in July. TBH I think February is a bit early, but then I'm certainly no vet! Talk to yours and make a good plan with him/her, mine has been fab about it all and really helpful (well the first vet wasn't, the MRI vet told me more, and my new vet who I transferred to is just the bee's knees!)
Good luck, it's emotionally hard work dealing with this sort of thing but it certainly can be done.

 

[lucemoose]

Thank you for taking the time to post and reply, I honestly am not sure which tendon it as, was in a complete mindfunk when the vet rang...He is going to get the Cartrophen injections, starting tomorrow. Vet said would help the tendon to start healing, she didnt say anything about cartilage problems, I hope she doesnt think he has any?!
Would really like to be shown the MRI scans and Xrays and have them explained to me, will ask the vet in the morning.
I was thinking that by the time Feb rolls around, he will have had 7 months off and it could be the time to get the vets back to see him, with a view to planning on the rest of 2008 for him.
Thank you again, I can only think that you have had quite a long and arduous year with her!

 

[RachelB]

My vet only told me she was giving Maiden Cartrophen for her cartilage problem, but hey if it helps with the tendon then great! Maybe I wasn't listening... I know what you mean, when the vet who did Maiden's MRI rang to tell me what he'd found, I didn't listen at all and put the phone down and wanted to cry, but had no idea why as I couldn't remember what he said! The vet who did Maiden's MRI sent me a nice little written report with a picture of one of the MRIs on it, with an arrow pointing to her tear... TBH I couldn't see a thing but my vet was very interested in it! I didn't see Maiden's X-rays or ultrasounds either but my vet explained everything well enough and my basic anatomy knowledge was enough to get me through his explanation (it was quite amusing, when I told him that I was a degree student and he could feel free to use all the long words, he literally breathed a sigh of relief and launched into a very complicated explanation that my poor mum didn't understand at all!).
Has your vet recommended seven months off? The best way to do it would be to ask your vet. I wouldn't decide on February just because it sounds a long time and because it's the beginning of the new year. Maiden will come back into work whenever she's ready after April, and if that happens to be a week before my uni finals then so be it. If it's next November then fine. Patience is the key, and a good line of communication to your vet. That's been my main problem, that there is no treatment for this kind of thing and you just have to sit back and wait - I'm too darned impatient!
2007 does seem to have been a bit cursed TBH. Hopefully 2008 will be a good year (Maiden ridden again, I'll buy a new horse, finish uni and get a job - or that's the theory!). After all, 8 is my lucky number!

 

[lucemoose]

I like your attitude! I honestly would give him all the time in the world if he needs it, as he is the horse I would never be able to find or even start looking for. Vet said 6 months and I guess its a psychological thing, having a date to aim for. The vet this am doesnt know me or Scooby, and he said the Cartrophen was used to treat the lesions on the tendon, I panicked at the word lesion but he said it was just a word used to describe a problem on the tenon...hmm, why didnt he say tear!!?? A written and illustrated description sounds like a great idea, I can understand what the vets say in vetspeak, and even knew what I was looking at on the ultrasound before the student vet did! But does tend to go over your head when the bottom lip starts quivering!
Poor Scoob is so full of bounce at the moment too, how do you tell a horse hes broken?! We had just moved on to part livery so I could have more time to ride and train him- sods law!
At the mo cant wait to let him out into a little pen to graze..I can happily take it a day at a time, but thinking months ahead is making that lip wobble...!