treating tendon injury without box rest.can it be done.

[debsflo]

my warmblood mare is lame near fore.vet suspects tendon damage and they are scanning her to check.if not she willl go in for full lameness exam.she is on bute in the meantime.my problem is how to care for her if this is the case.i know box rest is advised and she could cope but daughters horse wouldnt.they are out together and in at night.vet was lovley and because i was so upset said she could turn out in small area stable size if needed to help them both.this horse has had both hind suspensories operated on years ago and i had already decided i wont put her through lots of invasive stuff as she is 18 and a light hack.she has lots of exclusions but am covered for ligaments/tendons front legs but not feet.has anyone ever had sucess without long full time box rest.i am not sure of diagnosis and need to look at all my options. if this is the case would you try or worse case scenario put to sleep.she is a lovley gentle mare fabulous kind temperament.sorry for my ramblings..could also put daughters horse on livery but she is high maintenance and has only really settled with us after a year so would prefer not to.any advice or sugestions very welcome

 

[Smurphy]

Hi I had a similar prob with my horse wen he did a tendon injury, in the summer I made him small paddocks within my normall paddock with electric fencing that i could keep moving around so he had enough grass and have company, but during the winter it was to difficult as the ground was wet and poach easily.
I made myself and allweather turnout paddock from wood chip, I think I paid £20 for a truck load of chippings from a local tree surgery company and just feed hay. it worked really well!

 

[debsflo]

thanks that sounds hopeful.how long did your horses recovery take

 

[Destiny95]

I might open a can of worms here but over the years we have tried a different approach - just turning them away. If they aren't nutters in the field, we have had success with literally chucking them out with a sensible (often old and quiet) companion and letting it just heal. It doesn't work if you bring them in and out all the time to feed etc as that's when they get silly and run around more. Yes, it does take longer, but with the first horse we tried it with box rest just wasn't an option. The vet's frowned when we suggested it but when scanning it 9 months later we were good to go and start hacking. It isn't the text book way, but nature can be quite clever : )

 

[bonny]

I second what destiny has said, I think box rest can sometimes do more good than harm for alot of injuries. I have treated a tendon injury by simply leaving the horse out for a year and he's now fine.

 

[doonrocket]

Not advisable but sometime we have to compromise. My boy had a serious ddft injury last year and was in for months. He hurt the other tendon in May , not as badly, but a little squidgy. I put him in a restricted pen but has still had moments of silliness. His other problems make me think he will only be a hack now so I have made the decision to take off his shoes and turn him out until next spring with the others. The tendon seems to be coping but I expect the process to be much slower, and the scar tissue may be greater. If he was going to be for competition he really needs to be kept in.

 

[bonny]

Mine broke down racing and the vet at the course said he would never race again. He had no treatment other than field rest and was turned out in a 20 acre field. He has raced and won since and has never had any further problems.

 

[debsflo]

she is old and quiet herself bless her.needs to come in at night but they all trundle in and out quietly as thats what there used to .2 larger mares hate bad weather so have tea and breakfast and settle quietly as long as they have grass or hay.my mare is like a labrador and when on box rest previously was very tolerant .its seperation from friend thats the problem.daughters horse needs a calmer just to keep her sane.sounds possible from these posts and i am feeling more hopeful.she is also on msm and glucosamine routinely.anything else that helps.

 

[doonrocket]

I'd turn her out as normal. Have gone through all the options , and I loved the entry above about the race horse, gives me more confidence with what I am doing with mine.

 

[HazellB]

I had one break a pedal bone and against veterinary advice I turned him out without 'bute on day three. Poor lad was deeply unhappy inside and on pain killers. He bezzed about on three legs for a minute or two then settled.

He was back working before another horse the vet was treating for the same problem at the same time - it went half mad on box rest and then suffered injury when finally turned out in a soft condition.

Can I suggest the turn out with no stable until you absolutely need it (rotten weather, etc) and a bit of extra protein in the diet (but not too much) just to help the healing along? It's always worked for us, pretty much no matter what the complaint.

After all, would you be on bed rest with a similar problem? No!

 

[splash30]

I have had one who has recovered from a tendon injury on the hind leg just below the hock and has not been on box rest, just moouching around a field (small paddock).

He had the odd mad moment but nothing worse than constant turning in a stable would have done.

It can be done and there are some thoughts that resistricted movement can reduce the scar tissue build up and help align and keep the tendon fibres more supple.

 

[touchstone]

My mare was turned out with a ddft injury on a hindleg. She was unhappy on box rest and rearing when she was just in the turnout area in fron of her box, so with the vets go ahead I chucked her in the field and just treat her as a normal horse with no bute to limit movement in case she was too comfy. She did take a longer time to become totally sound and working agin, two years in total, but it was two years that she was happy and content.

 

[Ditchjumper2]

I agree with others, being out is far better. We had mare who severely damaged tendon was in initially for short while but then just chucked out in very large field. Hardest part was getting her to the field, as she was chucking herself around big time. Anyway she galloped off on 3 legs but soon settled. No bute, mild blister and left her. She came right and eventually went back hunting including New Years Day with Readyfield B H. Yes it takes longer but when they are in for a long time it creates as many problems as it solves. They are better off out....there will always be cases where it doen't work but who is to say that thoses ones would have worked if kept in??!!

 

[cavalo branco]

Sorry, I don't really agree with just turning out unless box rest/ restricted pen is impossible! If you want your horse to have the best chance of coming back into work in months rather than years then resting the leg is essential. It really doesn't matter if its a stable size pen though, unless its very slippery. Healing is slow because of a limited blood supply and the repaired area is never as strong and can damage easily - this is my vet 's advice BTW!! The ideal is "the size of a billiard table and just as flat!"
If your mare is calm then that is a big bonus and must improve your chances of success. I'd really try to follow your vets advice