Update on my horse with tendon injury - just got worse :(

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MagicMelon

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Well as some of you know, my wonderful competition horse had an operation at the Dick Vet a month ago as he has a core leison to his tendon. The Dick Vet said its an unusual place to injure the tendon and thus had only seen one other horse with it so are very guarded about his future, basically they suggested 50/50 chance of him being ridden again and to what degree they couldnt say (this horse last year was doing CIC* and 1.20m BSJA). Anyway, he had surgery and has been on box rest since with controlled walking in-hand.

2 days ago he suddenly looked very lame on it so our local vet came out to scan. He thinks he may have injured the tendon further (how?!) however he spoke to Dick Vet yesterday and they felt that was unlikely, they're worried he has an infection :( So we are now waiting for our local vets to come back to take a sample of the fluid to check if this is the case. Our vet is very doom and gloom about it saying we're basically going to be right back at square one, his future is less hopeful (he mentioned hoping he'd be ok even as a field ornament...) and we may have to take him back to Dick Vet (4 hour drive either way)

Am gutted! I thought we were on our way with the rehab and then this happens. I know deep down that it'll be highly unlikely I'll ever get to ride him again now and just hope he can be sound enough to retire to the field as he deserves it :(
 
As you know MagicMelon my mare has had 11 months box rest with lami , I been to hell and back even stayed there for months but we back on the right road. I don't know if I will ever be able to ride her but a field ornament even would be amazing.



Don't give up yet. My lami journey has had ups and downs downs and downs and downs and a little up and downs etc.

I believe things have to get worst before they get better.

You need to find out what caused the setback, then make sure it doesn't happen again. I have seen many tendon injuries in my life time, some with massive holes in the sheath, they came right.

Would he not be better with total box rest till the tendon is more stable?? It seems even with the controlled exercise its too much for the tendon. I was always taught box rest tendons no movement. Rocky had 3 months box rest with a hole in his tendon. Minnie too they both came right. The only time they came out was for vet only.

Could acupuncture etc help with him?? Its helped many in the past. The lady who does my mare has a lazer which also helps with tendons
 
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oh no not so good
my 3yo was at Weipers Dec & Jan for an infected tendon sheath infection cleared after 3 ops but moved to the pastern 1 op on it and it cleared
she is now sound so don't give up hope
fingers crossed it isn't infected but if it is get him down asap to get it flushed out they can do wonders
hopefully he has just one something stupid in the box and the fluid tap will come back clear
 
Leviathan said:
You need to find out what caused the setback, then make sure it doesn't happen again. I have seen many tendon injuries in my life time, some with massive holes in the sheath, they came right.

Would he not be better with total box rest till the tendon is more stable?? It seems even with the controlled exercise its too much for the tendon. I was always taught box rest tendons no movement. Rocky had 3 months box rest with a hole in his tendon. Minnie too they both came right. The only time they came out was for vet only.

Could acupuncture etc help with him?? Its helped many in the past. The lady who does my mare has a lazer which also helps with tendons
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I think we need to see if it actually is an infection first or if he has actually damaged it further then we can take it from there but yes at the moment he is on full box rest again - no exercise at all and not even being led out for grass (which is really getting him down even though I'm giving him tub trugs full cut by hand for him!). Until we know more, this is how it'll remain. Bute has really helped and he's basically sound again at the moment. Acupuncture is something nobody has mentioned to me, I dont even know if anyone does it in my area but I'll go and look into it - thanks!

Thanks Odd1 - good to know your horse came right even with an infection. I've been extremely lucky in my time of owning horses and this is my first experience of a tendon injury so its all a bit unknown :(
 
Whereabouts is the lesion? My mare had one in a very unusal place too, fingers crossed- wrote out an essay on my own experience on another thread that I will find, but basically she had a nasty tendon injury to DDFT- in a very unusual place, lots of adhesions and scar tissue and is now back in full work jumping and xc, inc fast gallopy hacks- jumped up to 3'6 (at 14.2hh) courses with no signs of lameness at all. There is hope :) the vets said she would unlikely come sound again but upon her lameness work up they said she was sound again a year later.

She has a mobility lick and dose of MSM each day, I box rested for 6 weeks initally but she went psycho on her in hand 'walks' and galloped around broncing as I couldnt hold her =/ so was looking bad but with graduated work the fibres will realign and the scar tissue break down.
 
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MagicMelon said:
I think we need to see if it actually is an infection first or if he has actually damaged it further then we can take it from there but yes at the moment he is on full box rest again - no exercise at all and not even being led out for grass (which is really getting him down even though I'm giving him tub trugs full cut by hand for him!). Until we know more, this is how it'll remain. Bute has really helped and he's basically sound again at the moment. Acupuncture is something nobody has mentioned to me, I dont even know if anyone does it in my area but I'll go and look into it - thanks!

Thanks Odd1 - good to know your horse came right even with an infection. I've been extremely lucky in my time of owning horses and this is my first experience of a tendon injury so its all a bit unknown :(
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Ask your vet about acupuncture , I am lucky one of the vets do it here.
if it is an infection my mare who had pedalosteitis in the bone ( thought no hope) was on a course of Norodine- Batril- Potassium Iodide.

They Halted the infection .


Second abscess 3 weeks ago (not in bone was in front of hoof) due to damage in hoof wall started a course again of the fore mentioned. Now she is more comfortable and she is only on the first two, they work well together. Hopefully we will come off them soon.

Had from the vet after !! months box rest that we might be able to walk in hand / turnout in school I think she will go mental:D but just the thought of it makes me feel in heaven after what she/ I have been through
 
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Are they sure the pain is still coming from the tendon?

Recently my horse was on box rest for a suspensory injury. At some point he stopped improving and in fact starting getting worse.

Went back to the RVC for further investigation and eventually nerve blocks suggested the pain wasn't actually coming from that area.

A bone scan later and it turns out he has a very rare bone cyst in his shoulder which we are now treating. It had probably already been there but no one knows why it chose that moment to flare up.

Just saying it's very easy if you have an injury to focus on that area and miss something else.
 
MagicMelon said:
Thanks Odd1 - good to know your horse came right even with an infection. I've been extremely lucky in my time of owning horses and this is my first experience of a tendon injury so its all a bit unknown :(
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This is how I feel with our Lamintis first time I have dealt with it hands on and BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have I learnt allot along the way. Which Is why I created the website in my sig to share and help others in their journey
 
I have seen some of the ost weird and wonderful tendon and ligament injuries come sound to race over jumps again that anyone else would have put down. My own lad did a cracking tendon - 50% including the sheath, round his hind fetlock. Luckily he was wearing boots when he kicked into himself so he didn't break the skin and didn't get any infections. He is now sound as a pound over a year on and after 8months of straight box rest before walking commenced.

If you keep it in your head that you will never ride him again and work towards a field ornament then you will not be disapointed if you ever sit on him again. If he comes sound to work then major happy days!

Tendons aren't the end of the world, they just sometimes mean a change of career or work that's all.
 
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