Tendon injury - 10 months on and back to 3 legs today :(

M

MagicMelon

Well-Known Member
Joined
6 November 2004
Messages
16,391
Location
North East Scotland
Visit site
Am absolutely gutted. For those who don't know - Tinto tore his DDFT last March, he ended up with a large hole right in the middle. He had surgery at the Dick Vet but they said it was career ending, it was a very rare injury (they'd only seen 1 other) though so they weren't terribly sure of the outcome. He then damaged it further about 3 months into his rehab at which point the vet said basically he would be a field ornament and it was highly unlikely he'd be rideable again.

He had improved a bit, not enough to be ridden but enough to be comfortable being turned out all the time. Came home to find my new horse had destroyed the fence seperating them and had clearly been chasing him (he's a bully hence why he was on his own with a 5ft high fence between them). So Tinto was on 3 legs. That's 10 months of rehab down the pan. I've put him in and given him bute. He's putting weight on it but is clearly very sore. He did eat his supper so isn't feeling too bad. Guess I'll have to get the vet out to scan and see what damage has been done :( I'm really really really hoping he's just tweaked it and he'll look a lot better tomorrow but think I'm being stupidly hopeful.

Makes it worse that my vet has just sent the letter this VERY morning to my insurance company to claim loss of use. I hadn't wanted to until I'd obviously got as much treatment as possible paid for until now but I thought we didn't need any more.

Bit of a pointless post, just rather devastated about it all. I just hope he comes ok again enough to be happy in the field for the rest of his retirement :(
 
You may join my miserable club. My lads rehab failed. I am 17 months on and hoping he will be comfortable enough to retire to the field.

They give us pleasure and heartache. Fingers crossed for you.
 
So sorry to hear this, but 10 months is early in tendon rehab so don't give up all hope just yet!

My mare also tore her DDFT in a very unusual place (distal-medial margin) and the vet thought she would not be ridden for anything other than a light hack as her adhesions were so bad and it was a 'nasty tear' as described by the vet who scanned her and performed her operation (but the tear was too bad to do anything during the op apparently)

Did all the vet said, kept her in a stable with some raised shoes on with in hand walking but it drove her nuts and she showed little improvement, but enough to be comfortable walking around the field- so though what's there to lose? (i'm not going in to a barefoot preaching now just saying my story to hopefully give you a glimmer of hope :) ) but whacked the shoes off, gave her msm supplements every day and put her in a field (she bronced around and went further lame.. but never mind we just left her to her own devices) so 3 months in and she began light ridden work for 5 mins which gradually increased and she began bits of trot etc. But then she went very lame again and she had another month off just resting in the field . But didn't give up and began the work again- we moved yards to somewhere she could be out 24/7 and this time she stayed sound and within a year and a half she was back winning her 3ft speed rounds and jumping xc :) she regularly goes for 3 hour fast hacks and jumps for hours now. Vet's couldn't believe it and only thought she'd manage walk and trot pottering round the bridlepath :)

I studied tendon damage in the smallest details as an extended project and the basic outlay is that tendon fibres heal up in a very criss-cross arrangement but if allowed to stretch very little and often they gradually realign to their linear elastic arrangement and scar tissue breaks down- so trying not to sound stupid but I ignored my vet and took her shoes off to reduce shock and left her out to keep walking and stretching the fibres as they healed :o was not an easy decision but something I am happy I did. I did however keep her in when she reinjured herself for 4 days just for precaution

Now of course, no case is the same and your horse does seem to have a very nasty injury but just to prove that the unexpected can happen and hopefully as I said- give you a bit of hope and light at the end of the tunnel even if your horse is sound enough to enjoy retirement :)

couple of pictures of proof... here she is straight out horsepital
73178_1612259622029_3285477_n.jpg

And this was 2 years later
576838_3467915452265_1745808287_n.jpg

Whizzing round the xc course and jumping some of the larger obstacles!

I know how heartbreaking it can be, I went through it myself thinking she'd never live a life of any quality. So I hope you feel a bit better and all the best for your horse!
 
Last edited:
That's heartbreaking - fingers crossed it's not as bad as you fear.

This sort of thing is my worst nightmare just now, our 2* star horse broke his jaw in 2011 then just before his first event last season damaged his SDFT badly. We're now at 6 months post injury but aren't allowed to consider turnout for at least another 5 months till after his next scan. I'm dreading when he will be allowed out as the risk of reinjurying himself will be so high.

Good luck for when your vet comes.
 
EventingMum said:
That's heartbreaking - fingers crossed it's not as bad as you fear.

This sort of thing is my worst nightmare just now, our 2* star horse broke his jaw in 2011 then just before his first event last season damaged his SDFT badly. We're now at 6 months post injury but aren't allowed to consider turnout for at least another 5 months till after his next scan. I'm dreading when he will be allowed out as the risk of reinjurying himself will be so high.

Good luck for when your vet comes.
Click to expand...

Can you arrange a tiny 'turn out' patch for him when the moment finally comes ? With my lad he had a field shelter with a fenced grassy tiny area outside, he was sedated before being let go. Gradually the grassy area was opened up a little. It worked for him after 11 months inside, but he had other health issues caused by the change in environment, ie, septic feet and unexplained infections.
 
Thanks guys for your nice comments.

Hoof_Prints - Wow, your horses recovery sounds amazing and certainly against the odds. I also followed vets advice and kept him stabled 24/7 with controlled walks in hand etc. but he was so loopy on his walks that he wasn't going to heal at all that way. So after discussing it with my vet, I turned him out 24/7 (just in a small paddock so he couldnt gallop about) and the change was amazing, he was back to his usual (quite!) calm self. We gave up with the walks in hand as it didnt seem to do much to be honest especially when he walked about in the field anyway. With regards to the shoes, I had them taken off as usual the winter prior so never had them put back on him. I know he'll never jump again, I couldn't risk it. But I had hoped maybe after a year or two he might possibly manage the odd dressage test but he looks so bad today :( He's already 14 so unfortunately I don't really have time on my side with regards leaving him 2 years - he'll be 16 by then! Its just so heart wrenching because he truly loved being ridden, he's such an intelligent horse that he looks so bored just mooching about the field and actually watches me riding my new horse with almost jealousy.

EventingMum - See above, my boy was going nuts on boxrest to the point he would explode whenever I took him out. He was getting really depressed too. As soon as I put him out, he immediately went back to normal and was so much happier, he's actually improved since being out as a result. Perhaps you could consider it? I started with him in a stable-size paddock surrounded by 6ft steel fencing so he couldnt jump out and didnt have space to hurt himself. Honestly, it worked absolute wonders for mine - I wish I'd given up with the box rest sooner. Its so easy for vets to advise it, but the realities are different. Good luck though, I hope yours comes right.

AdorableAlice - What happened to yours?
 
Last edited:
It's been really hard for our boy as he's always been a very active sort and I . think he's a bit depressed now. However our ground is so wet just now I couldn't risk him on it even the vets agreed - the senior vet treating him was adamant that turnout wasn't to be considered for another 5 months in line with some research papers which compared rehab programmes. After his broken jaw we first turned him out with a hefty dose of sedaline and a very quiet companion however this time he'll have been in far longer so I'm thinking about a small pen with very high fencing to contain him, again I'll need a quiet companion as he doesn't do being on his own.

I hope you get good news from the vet MagicMelon.
 
MagicMelon said:
Thanks guys for your nice comments.

AdorableAlice - What happened to yours?
Click to expand...

Thank you for asking - After turning him out into his shelter/play square we had 4 weeks of stress with him. Within the first 48 hours his temperature went to 103 degrees, he developed 2 septic feet - (try poulticing 2 at the sametime, they cannot stand on only 2 feet !) and he just lay down all the time. We don't know why he went into melt down, but can only assume it was the change of environment. His feet were very soft from 11 months of standing on dry shavings in the barn and they fell apart when he was shod to start his rehab period. He did a month of rehab (walking 5 minutes up to 30 minutes), but the scar tissue in the damaged check (hind) broke down and he was lame again.

He injured himself in the field, just months after being retired from top level competition (massive hole in a hind check, vet said one of the worst ever seen), in August 2011, he barn rested until June 2012 and then commenced rehab for a month, lame again, I had a decision to make. Back into the box, PTS or try to turn out into small area. We opted for the latter and he remains in his shelter/play area (swamp !) todate. We don't know if he is sound or not, the leg has thickened but is cold. He will be scanned in the spring with the hope he can go out properly and enjoy the rest of his life with his girlfriend. Here is a picture of the good days and the not so good days. He is my horse of a lifetime and I really hope he can enjoy retirement.

Good luck with your horse.

080.jpg


LeoandMoon30812011.jpg

1stAug12Ted010.jpg
 
MagicMelon said:
Am absolutely gutted. For those who don't know - Tinto tore his DDFT last March, he ended up with a large hole right in the middle. He had surgery at the Dick Vet but they said it was career ending, it was a very rare injury (they'd only seen 1 other) though so they weren't terribly sure of the outcome. He then damaged it further about 3 months into his rehab at which point the vet said basically he would be a field ornament and it was highly unlikely he'd be rideable again.

He had improved a bit, not enough to be ridden but enough to be comfortable being turned out all the time. Came home to find my new horse had destroyed the fence seperating them and had clearly been chasing him (he's a bully hence why he was on his own with a 5ft high fence between them). So Tinto was on 3 legs. That's 10 months of rehab down the pan. I've put him in and given him bute. He's putting weight on it but is clearly very sore. He did eat his supper so isn't feeling too bad. Guess I'll have to get the vet out to scan and see what damage has been done :( I'm really really really hoping he's just tweaked it and he'll look a lot better tomorrow but think I'm being stupidly hopeful.

Makes it worse that my vet has just sent the letter this VERY morning to my insurance company to claim loss of use. I hadn't wanted to until I'd obviously got as much treatment as possible paid for until now but I thought we didn't need any more.

Bit of a pointless post, just rather devastated about it all. I just hope he comes ok again enough to be happy in the field for the rest of his retirement :(
Click to expand...

Fingers crossed MM . . . when is the vet coming out?

P
 
My experience is very similar to hoof_prints; my mare did her ddft and wouldn't box rest so was turned out. At about the year mark she managed to become quite lame again, so I resigned myself to her hopefully becoming a field ornament. However another year of pootling in the field she became sound and was brought back into work, and is as fit as she ever was.

So I'd say it is still early days, but time is a great healer in these sorts of things and hopefully if given the amount of time off your horse has every chance of making a good recovery - don't lose hope just yet!
 
Don't despair. I think he will be comfortable on it again in a few days time. It took my mare three years to come properly sound with no relapses after she damaged her biceps brachii tendon. She was written off by the vets, but has come right. She will be nineteen this year. I agree regarding turnout. I didn't box rest her after the first couple of months but turned her out in a very small area gradually increasing it. She redid the injury about 9 - 10 months in, and was on three legs again. I thought she's had it this time. But after a couple of weeks box rest she was fine again, recovering much quicker than when she first did the injury. I also thought she's always have a swollen shoulder. And she did for at least two years, but it looks the same as the other one now.

Keeping my fingers crossed for your boy.
 
Ok, so update time! I walked Tinto out of the stable this morning and he's actually a lot better. I've never been so surprised, I really thought that might be the end of him last night. I had given him 1 bute last night but that wouldn't have caused this dramatic a change so quickly. Yes, he's sore on it still but he was putting weight on it and even resting his other leg. Obviously I'll remain very cautious next few days/weeks and will be keeping him in the yard for a while so he can't gallop about. I can only think he knocked himself or something last night but wow was he lame.

Its cheered me up a bit that a few of you have been told your horses are write offs but then they have come right. I still hold a little bit of hope, I mean I know 100% he'll never jump again (which is what we did and he loved it), but just to sit on him again and walk about would be lovely, to get him sound enough to do a dressage test would be the biggest aim I think. But I'm trying just to assume he will be an ornament and if he comes right, well then great.

Wagtail - Thats really interesting yours was on 3 legs and then came right 2 weeks later. I just assumed that 3 legs meant being back to MONTHS of recovery again.

EventingMum - How awful, you have my sympathy! I really hope you find something which suits him so he can heal.

AA - Sounds like you've been through hell! Lovely horse, well done on perservering!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top