Illusion100
Well-Known Member
Ok so a friends horse has had ongoing bilateral forelimb lameness issues. Diagnosis was LGL and mud fever/oedema issues, think cankles!
X-rays had been taken etc and nothing was going on with the feet, i.e nothing major of note/no rotation/navicular etc. This lameness claim (although with a wishy washy diagnosis) has been covered via insurance but runs out very soon.
Several vets from the same practice have been assessing/managing this horse, however a new Vet member of staff commented on the severe fetlock arthritis. X-rays were emailed over and I couldn't see any severe arthritis, areas of mild arthritic change yes but nothing to get excited about. I asked who this Vet was and it turns out they are foreign so I suspect that 'severe' and 'chronic' have been mixed up in translation. However, this Vet quickly realised that my friend had never been previously advised about any arthritic change.
To be sure I had the x-rays checked again by a Vet friend and the diagnosis was mild arthritic change in the fetlock joint. The horse has been managed as a laminitic and of course if arthritis is also a factor then the management would have been different plus obviously anti-inflammatories and possibly steriod injections may/could have been utilised/considered to investigate usefulness in short-term and long-term management etc. Now time is really running out on this claim.
Would you be unhappy with the Vets and would you bring it up? If yes, what would you consider a fair and satisfactory course of action/compensation to be? If no, why?
Thank you all.
The lameness is significant enough however as we know change seen on x-ray does not necessarily equate to the level of pain felt so it's a grey area to assess without blocking.
X-rays had been taken etc and nothing was going on with the feet, i.e nothing major of note/no rotation/navicular etc. This lameness claim (although with a wishy washy diagnosis) has been covered via insurance but runs out very soon.
Several vets from the same practice have been assessing/managing this horse, however a new Vet member of staff commented on the severe fetlock arthritis. X-rays were emailed over and I couldn't see any severe arthritis, areas of mild arthritic change yes but nothing to get excited about. I asked who this Vet was and it turns out they are foreign so I suspect that 'severe' and 'chronic' have been mixed up in translation. However, this Vet quickly realised that my friend had never been previously advised about any arthritic change.
To be sure I had the x-rays checked again by a Vet friend and the diagnosis was mild arthritic change in the fetlock joint. The horse has been managed as a laminitic and of course if arthritis is also a factor then the management would have been different plus obviously anti-inflammatories and possibly steriod injections may/could have been utilised/considered to investigate usefulness in short-term and long-term management etc. Now time is really running out on this claim.
Would you be unhappy with the Vets and would you bring it up? If yes, what would you consider a fair and satisfactory course of action/compensation to be? If no, why?
Thank you all.
The lameness is significant enough however as we know change seen on x-ray does not necessarily equate to the level of pain felt so it's a grey area to assess without blocking.
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