Thoughts on this...

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AshTay

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OK, I wasn't going to post this as not sure I'd like the replies but here goes.

Background: 21 year old pony, back in November 2009 trashed SDFT (very very badly). After 9 months boxrest and lots of veterinary attention, not much progress in recovery so was turned out in small paddock. Still not totally sound on drugs but seemed quite happy with his lot (food, company nearby, lots of attention from me). By August 2011, was field sound (on half a sachet of danilon every other day) so turned out in a herd. No signs of lameness and drugs were stopped completely in mid February 2012.

All was well (by which I mean he was bombing about and jumping random things in the field and looking like a totally sound 4 year old) until about 2 weeks ago when we noticed he was uneven again in trot. No digital pulse (well, actually, he always has one I can feel, all the time, but it wasn't stronger), feet no more or less warm than usual and definitely lameness coming from the previously injured leg (bit no obvious heat in that either). So I brought him in and kept him in overnight. The next day I walked him out of the stable and he was very lame but seemed to walk it off and so he went out into a small paddock for a couple of days. Still slightly lame but not as bad as he was after 24 hours stood in.

So he's now back out with his herd and on half a sachet of danilon a day. Vet is coming this week to confirm it's the leg (and because I need more drugs for him). Before anyone shoots me down for not getting the vet straight away, the prognosis for his leg was bad in 2010 and we were debating PTS. I was convinced it was the leg.

But having read some other posts I'm clutching at straws and wondering if it might be something else. He's never had laminitis. In the summer before he hurt his leg, he went slightly footy and I called vet and she said it *might* be early stages laminitis and so we erred on the side of caution and restricted his grazing and he came right again. But farrier also saw him and said he didn't think it was laminitis at all. In hindsight, it *might* have been early signs of the tendon damage as he's had a hard life (before me) and when the tendon did go it was in the field. But if *this* time is laminitis, why did a night in his stable on a nice soft bed make his lameness ten times worse? Would that be usual?

So, sorry for the long post. Helps to write it all down. I'd value some thoughts and opinions.
 
onset of arthritis? may explain why he was very lame after coming out of his stable after a night in and then gradually loosened up once he was turned out. My arthritic hobbled out of his stable after 1 night and then once turned out he got alot better being able to have a good stretch and move around.
 
Quite often the lack of circulation from not moving can contribute, even though in the long term its necessary. Given his age & the fact he's had a hard life it could also be an age related stiffness. Could be cushings related laminitis or arthritis from the injury. It's very difficult to say what to do for the best, if laminitis he's best kept in on a deep bed, if its arthritis/circulation issues from the injury he's best out. Hopefully someone else might have better ideas.
 
Thanks for the replies!!
Cushings had crossed my mind and is maybe something I should ask to test for anyway (given that the illness cover on his insurance runs out this year anyway as he's 24 now).
He did spend a night or two in back during the horrid weather earlier this year and certainly didn't stiffen up to the extent that he did last week. He's had a touch of what might be arthritis in a hind for a few years (the reason he was retired from showjumping) but even when he spent 9 months on boxrest he wasn't stiff.
 
asommerville said:
have you had xrays done at all
Click to expand...

Not since mid 2010. He had them every 4 weeks or so after he did it and it'd start to "fill in" and we'd start gentle walking but then get worse again even if we weren't walking him. I suspect that will be what we'll do next to see how it looks.
 
I would try him like he has arthritis and maybe try a good supplement to see how he goes?
Nothing you have said points to cushings, and it's hard to say without seeing/dealing with the horse yourself but does sound like arthritis due to injury.
 
thatsmygirl said:
I would try him like he has arthritis and maybe try a good supplement to see how he goes?
Nothing you have said points to cushings, and it's hard to say without seeing/dealing with the horse yourself but does sound like arthritis due to injury.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Would arthritis show up on an x-ray (sorry - it was ultrasound scans he had before, not xrays)?
I've started him on nobute (devils claw). Been on it for nearly a week now. He's still not 100% even with that and half a danilon a day but yesterday he actually "boinged" next to me as I was bringing him in which he stopped doing when he went lame again at Easter (He thinks he's a Spanish stallion. He isn't).
 
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