Thinking about an MRI, am I being ott?

[Bumblepony]

I have a minicob who I have owned since he was three and a half, he’s now six. About a year and a half ago he began to seem uncharacteristically grumpy so I had my vet out to see him – he was found to be bilaterally slightly lame behind and was also subsequently scoped which found squamous ulcers. To cut a very long story short, since then the ulcers were successfully treated (this didn’t resolve the ‘grumpiness’) then reoccurred and were treated again, and the lameness has been more or less obviously present ranging from him looking quite clearly lame on his RH particularly to looking almost sound (though he always moves quite wide behind even when he looks more level) We have done all sorts with him culminating with him going to a referral hospital for a workup with a specialist and a bone scan at the end of last year. He was responsive to a low four point block to his RH but the only findings on imaging (he had the bone scan, x-rays of stifle, hock, fetlock, foot etc and ultrasound of lower RH) were that his pedal bones ‘lit up’ on the bone scan (interesting as he's never been a footy horse, he’s had remedial trimming to help with less than ideal foot balance and I have been using padded hoof boots since) and he has a very slightly thickened annular ligament on his RH which wasn’t felt to necessarily be particularly significant as the thickening was so slight. He came home and had a couple of months just in the field then I started walking him out in hand (was backed when I had him but hasn't been ridden since I've had him) Started relatively well at first though still had days of looking quite tense and grumpy, but then I started to feel he wasn't moving so well again and at a recheck recently he was clearly lame on his RH again, so vet is coming back shortly to repeat the block he responded to before then we will go from there. It was suggested I keep him walking out in the mean time but he then started to plant his feet and not want to go, clearly not happy, so he hasn't done anything for a couple of weeks other than be turned out. Unfortunately this now seems to mean he looks more sound so there is less to look at, but I think I am stuck in a cycle with him whereby if I started to bring him back into work again we'd be back at this point of him potentially looking more lame again at some point.

In terms of what I want from our relationship so to speak, I'd just be happy looking after him and giving him cuddles! But ideally I would like to be able to feel like he's comfortable enough to be exercised as it's helpful to try to manage his weight, and it would be nice to do the odd thing with him here and there as he's a very inquisitive and interested little horse. Though I appreciate pain can't be definitively ruled out, fundamentally I just want to feel like I have done all I can to make sure he's as comfortable as he can be just in his everyday life in the field etc, as it's not just when he's exercised that he doesn't seem as happy and comfortable as I'd like at times, sometimes it's just walking to and from the field etc.

I keep thinking, as he was responsive to a low four point and it was felt that the thickened ligament may not be significant, that I would at this point like to have his foot (or both back feet) looked at on MRI. I feel like I keep going around in circles with him and that he’s still clearly not a happy horse some of the time despite not always looking obviously lame.

Vet is great and really helpful and on board with things and I also have other professionals involved; two different physios who come at things from slightly different angles, one who does INDIBA with him, osteopath, veterinary behaviourist etc so I have not left many stones unturned at this point. Obviously the main thing here will be speaking to my vet but I am sort of just wondering at the moment, my reason for posting, am I being ridiculous thinking of sending him for an MRI given he’s just ‘not quite right’ or would it not seem unreasonable at this stage given this has been going on for quite some time now? Not sure if insurance would pay but I’d be inclined to find the funds myself at this point as I feel like without definitively doing this final thing we can to look for a tangible problem, I'll be stuck in this cycle with him.

Thank you in advance for any thoughts

 

[ihatework]

I don’t think you are being ridiculous at all, as the desire to just know what is going on/wrong is usually very strong.

What I would caution on is, they are expensive and they may well not change the outcome. Furthermore sounds from your timescale it will be you rather than insurance paying. So I’d say only do it if you aren’t putting yourself at financial hardship.

Having been around the block a bit I’d personally write the horse off as one not suitable for work.

 

[doodle]

My horse is going for an MRI on Friday. He has been lame on and off since march, initially thinning bruising to his heel, via coffin joint effusion which didn't improve with steroid jab. Thinking original.improvement due to the rest but when doing more work he is sore

I did wonder the same thing, will it change anything? But I was to know what it is, even if it is bad and nothing else can be done. He is 17 and owes.mw nothing, and retirement is fine but my head just needs to know. We have done all the steps till now and thankfully the insurance will cover it. Yours might not if this has been going on for over the year.

 

[Bellaboo18]

I definitely don't think you're being ridiculous.
If you don't get to the bottom of the problem, the ulcers are likely to keep returning.
He sounds in quite a lot of pain considering he's not been in work for 2.5 years.

 

[Bumblepony]

Thanks so much for your replies all, much appreciated and sending best wishes for your horse's MRI doodle. I think if I went for it I'd at least have more of an idea of if there was nothing to see, in which case I'm mystified, something we can do something about or something which means he may never be very comfortable then go from there, otherwise I think I'll keep wondering.

 

[Needtoretire]

i sent a horse down the MRI route as I couldn't pinpoint where the pain was, he was showing possible neurological issues, poll/neck tightness, build up of muscle behind saddle, possible back pain, reluctant to go forward and generally miserable. I had hocks xrayed and nothing to be seen.

MRI showed a healthy fit horse with no problems in his back, neck, poll or skull. BUT, it did show hock problems. We sorted him out and I maintain him carefully now. However, when his insurance came to renewal they excluded everything pretty much aside from his mane and tail and I could not insure him anymore.

 

[ycbm]

i sent a horse down the MRI route as I couldn't pinpoint where the pain was, he was showing possible neurological issues, poll/neck tightness, build up of muscle behind saddle, possible back pain, reluctant to go forward and generally miserable. I had hocks xrayed and nothing to be seen.

MRI showed a healthy fit horse with no problems in his back, neck, poll or skull. BUT, it did show hock problems. We sorted him out and I maintain him carefully now. However, when his insurance came to renewal they excluded everything pretty much aside from his mane and tail and I could not insure him anymore.

NTR are you sure you mean MRI? I've never heard of that much of a horse being MRI'd and I'm guessing that you mean a gamma ray scintigraph (commonly called a bone scan), that does the whole horse to show up bone remodeling hotspots.

 

[Bellaboo18]

i sent a horse down the MRI route as I couldn't pinpoint where the pain was, he was showing possible neurological issues, poll/neck tightness, build up of muscle behind saddle, possible back pain, reluctant to go forward and generally miserable. I had hocks xrayed and nothing to be seen.

MRI showed a healthy fit horse with no problems in his back, neck, poll or skull. BUT, it did show hock problems. We sorted him out and I maintain him carefully now. However, when his insurance came to renewal they excluded everything pretty much aside from his mane and tail and I could not insure him anymore.

Agree with ycbm, I don't think you mean MRI.