Update on Rocky - bad news :(

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Rocky715

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For those of you who have been following my awful excuse for a life, here is the latest update.

So Rocky went for his scans today - didn't come sound until nerve block got to his coffin joint on right fore. Vet was hoping would be same problem in left fore, however he came sound in that foot at the heel.

Xrays aren't really that conclusive - possible slight change in coffin joint on right fore, and possible slight change to navicular in left fore but nothing conclusive.

Rocky is now crippled and can hardly walk
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.

My insurance covers none of this so vet suggested medicating coffin joints, and putting him on Navilox for three months with proper box rest on a thick bed. If improvement after 3 months start course of Tyldren.

I am worried however that he is going to spend the next three months suffering so have managed to persuade my mum and dad to lend me money to take him for a MRI.

Does anybody have any suggestions for me? I dont know if I am doing the right thing or should just put him out of his misery? I cant take much more
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Sorry to hear your news.
Not going to give you advice because everyone has different ideas and different finacial support, but I am sure you will do the right thing. (Hugs)
 
Oh sh!t. I am so sorry hunny
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Hugs and thoughts for you and Rocky.

Forgive my ignorance, I have been side-tracked by work lately, but what is wrong with the lad? As in, what has got you to this stage?
 
I was reading a post the other day on here about thermography.It is alot cheaper than MRI scanning and will show you where the problem stems from although obviously an MRI will show more detailed information. However it is worth having it done as it will show you whether there is more than one area causing the problems he currently has
 
How old is Rocky?
I have a mare with arthritis and slightly rotated pedal bone in left fore .I had the joint medicated and it made no difference in fact she was a lot worse for a couple of weeks the diagnosis and medicating the joint cost just short of £1000 !
She is 20 so not covered on insurance ,
The vet and farrier got together and she now has a special heartbar shoe with wedges fitted and is on danilon .She is now sound for light hacking and schooling in the sand school
She would not have coped with box rest and as long as I can keep her pain free with this regime then that is fine .When it doesn't work I will with a heavy heart pts.
Only you know your horse but in some of these cases costs can just escalate. If the horse is older (late teens or 20's) then I would go for a regime that gives pain relief for as long as possible then pts but it really is your call.
 
poor you and Rocky. I have followed your story with interest because your boy sounded so like mine. Unfortunately mine isnt a good story so I dont want to dishearten you as we went all the lameness work ups and nerve blocks and xrays and then Navilox and Tildren route 9 months ago with H and he is no better than he was and moves like a horse 3 times his age. We took his shoes off completely as a last resort but vet said he aint never be right, maybe with bute he could be a light hack. H isnt particularly happy and needless to say I am facing a tough decision soon. I am glad I have given him this year to see if we can help but I dont think we can and he could face another 12 years or longer like he is and that doesnt sound right to me.

My vet actually said dont bother with MRI scan - he hasnt come right with anything we have tried and a year off so doesnt think anything is going to change.

However every horse is different and you are just starting your journey so I wish you the very best of luck with Rocky - you have to consider all options carefully.
 
Read up about barefoot rehab - shoes off, good trim every four weeks, diet change, strengthen his feet by walking on hard, then stony surfaces once able to cope - people have had amazing results... horses that were crippled and about to be PTS are now hunting and jumping, even those with changes to the navic bone have seen those changes reversed.
 
((hugs)) i think most people on here will be familiar with the last two years of Jacob and his coffin joint in the off fore- he even featured in the H&H article last November.

We tried Steroids, IRAP, Cartrophen, Adequan, loads of xrays, scans, nerve blocks, 8 months in the field then gradually brought him back to full fitness Jan 09 to only go far lamer than ever by April 2009. We had enough left on the insurance for either an MRI or an operation. Our vet felt that whilst the MRI offered a pretty picture, the operation potentially offered a solution. So Jacob had an arthroscopy operation 24th April 09 which found a tiny shard of bone floating next to the coffin bone-so close it never showed on any xray. This had also slashed the cartilage/protective bone covering. The shard was removed and the damaged tissue was tidied up - we saw a fascinating slide show of the operation! They were also able to get the tiny camera into the rest of the hoof to check tendons and ligaments which all appeared ok with no sign of trouble. Jacob spent 5 weeks on box rest then sat out quietly in the field for the last 7 months. We had a thremographic scan done at Christmas and i can highly recommend the girl who did it for us. He showed heat in the sole of his bad foot and also down the back of his good leg where he is compensating his weight load. He didnt show anything in the main body of the hoof
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He has only just come "sound" in the last month. The vet feels that he can come back into work. I dont want to do all that work if the end result is him going hopping lame again so we have taken a huge deep breath and Jacob is being MRI scanned in a fortnight. If they find he is permanently broken then he can be a field ornament forever. If however he appears ok then i will slowly bring him back into work.

Do ring around for prices and stress that you are paying cash as it does make a difference.. PM me if you want to "chat"

Sarah xx

Front view of fore feet
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Near fore- sound foot
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Off fore- lame until nerve blocked on coffin joint
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you can see how the "good" leg is working harder to carry his weight
jacob9.jpg
 
Bentley wasn't insured for the costs of MRI last year either, so when he was inexplicably lame last year and, after much investigation, came sound on a block to his coffin joint (with similar sounding inconclusive xrays) I elected to turn him away and put him on a Cosequin supplement without having an MRI. The vet recommended the Cosequin and *touch wood* six months on he is as sound as a pound
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think if I was you, I would try everything too.. then if you cant make him comfortable, then give inn..
Poor you, I know from your post your heartbroken,
so sorry for your pain X
 
Sorry to hear news about Rocky - I've heard about the thermal imaging and personally I would consider it. Great that your parents will support you and him financially.

Can't advise you what to do but you know him and I'm sure you'll know when he's had enough and make the best decision for him.

((((hugs))) for you and ((((healing vibes)))) for Rocky
 
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Forgive my ignorance, I have been side-tracked by work lately, but what is wrong with the lad? As in, what has got you to this stage?

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He didn't get ridden much over winter due to the crap weather... so on bringing back into work I had his hips checked again (they had slipped out of place due to muscle dropping a bit) - after being fixed he still looked a bit out so was to work in draw reins to strengthen his hips and keep them in place to see if problem was elsewhere.

Upon starting draw reins work he was obviously lame in front so I stopped and got vet out... and this is where it all started
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he literally went down hill in 1 week
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I asked about turning him away in a field to see if he recovers but the vet says that as he is visibly uncomfortable and unsound in walk - it would be unfair to do that just yet.

I have had a long chat with my mum and dad and they think that I should go for the MRI.... they said that I could be spending this current £1000 on treatment that might not even work.... so they'd rather lend me the MRI money and then we will know exactly what we are dealing with and how to fix it, if possible.

I am just totally heart broken
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i have only had this beautiful horse two years and have had probably a good years riding out of him. he has the most fantastic personality and i can just spend hours down there with him and not even realise. he has seen me through cancer, my break up and now i feel like i need to be there for him but i just hope i am doing the right thing
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. i dont want to put him through unnecessary suffering so i think maybe MRI should be our way forward for now??

It is comforting to hear that there are some success stories out there however, and it does give me a slight glimmer of hope that i will not have to lose my beautiful horse... but i guess I have to realise that this could go either way
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[ QUOTE ]
Bentley wasn't insured for the costs of MRI last year either, so when he was inexplicably lame last year and, after much investigation, came sound on a block to his coffin joint (with similar sounding inconclusive xrays) I elected to turn him away and put him on a Cosequin supplement without having an MRI. The vet recommended the Cosequin and *touch wood* six months on he is as sound as a pound
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Jacob is on Cosequin- it has certainly helped but not cured. It works best on cartilage - as a lubricant similar to Cartrophen from what my vet said. It didnt make any difference on my older cob with ringbone.
 
Not sure if this will help you and we haven't been for our final work up but this is my lad's story:

He went into vets for hind limb lameness and came up lame on the front. We did the nerve blocks etc and they were quite sure that it was the coffin joints in both fronts that we decided to MRI, the MRI showed collateral ligament damage in both of the front feet, the right front had it laterally and medially and the left was just lateral, however the joint was a lot 'tighter'. There were a few other things found in the MRI that the vets weren't worried about but obviously with MRI it will show every little thing so what might sound bad actually isn't!

We decided to attack his treatment as aggressively as possible and we booked him in for IRAP and shock wave therapy. Medicating the joints do not really work with feet type injuries and normally just a waste of money. I also stated him on a supplement called cosequin - also just to let you know my boy was just turned 4 when this happened.

He has been on box rest since July, started the IRAP and shock wave October as it took so long to do all the work ups before the MRI. He has had reduced leverage shoes put on the front feet and is now up to 15 minutes walking in hand per day. I was very naughty a few days ago and let him off in the school - hoping he would have a nice roll and he cantered around bucking and enjoying himself - albeit for 2 mins!! My heart was in my mouth! But he looked beautiful and was doing lovely flying changes! He looked quite sound! I will be taking him for another work up mid March and hopefully will be able to bring him back into work.

I would definitely persevere with the box rest. Feet and coffin joint injuries only get better with rest, get a good farrier to balance the feet and give them support and get a good supplement. As I said - I have no idea if the IRAP and shock wave have worked as I haven't trotted him up on the hard - only when he is jogging out on our walks!! But I would definitely go for the MRI and then at least you know what you are dealing with.

Good luck and hope it all goes well for you.
 
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Xrays aren't really that conclusive - possible slight change in coffin joint on right fore, and possible slight change to navicular in left fore but nothing conclusive.

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What are his pedal bones looking like? And has your vet spoken to your farrier about supportive shoeing???? My horse went from crippled to sound overnight once shod to take in to account the problems his feet were exhibiting from the x-rays.
 
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