When to get an ultrasound on tendon sheath?

J

JB Eventer

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My young connemara x welsh, 15hh mare has swelling to her rear tendon sheath. I noticed her head nod occasionally when riding her last night and the night before. Given her youth I thought she may just be finding her balance. I checked her legs carefully last night and found swelling on one of her back legs. I put an ice boot on her leg and the stable manager told me to put her back into her paddock.

I got the cold sweats once home that she shouldn't really be in the field. I had the vet come this morning to check her. She is not obviously lame on the lunge line although she is not tracking forward fully on either hind leg.

The vet said to give her bute for 5 days but that she will be fine in the field and doesn't need any other treatment. She has never been stabled before and is not a crazy horse in her paddock but I am worried if this will put her at more risk of further injury.

The vet said to start to lunge her lightly after the five days and that I could ride her again in two weeks. I am going on holiday in two weeks for another two weeks so will give my horse a month off. We mentioned having an ultrasound done after I return from holiday. I am just wondering if this is leaving it a bit late? Should I get one done now just incase there is more damage than the vet thinks?

To clarify, this morning I had to show the vet where the lump was as it had gone down overnight but once I showed him he agreed and said that her tendon sheath is damaged.

I think the vet thinks that I am being a bit over cautious but tendons put a real fear into me.

What do you think? Should I get the ultrasound done now? A concerned horse mum :(
 
I would want a proper diagnosis at this stage, it is a young horse and worth getting it right.

A livery in my yard recently had a similar diagnosis, tendon sheath damage, he was to be box rested for some time but when the vet came back and scanned it was his annular ligament he must now have 6 months box rest and no guarantee he will come back to work fully, he is an older boy so full recovery is less likely than with a youngster but equally he owes his owner nothing and can retire, yours is young and has her whole life ahead.
 
Personally I would ultrasound now. My mare slipped a couple of times while cross countrying and the next time I went to ride she wasn't right.
She had swelling round the fetlock area but no obvious blown tendon. She was 'off' rather than lame in that she didn't have a clear 2 beat trot, you could hear she was off and wasn't bringing her hind leg through properly.

She was box rested for a few weeks on anti-inflammatories and just didn't come right so we x-rayed and scanned. The vets words were 'I don't expect to find anything but just to be sure' and she had a hole halfway across the middle of her deep digital flexor tendon. The vets face was a picture.

I would be wanting visual evidence that there is no damage to the tendon before doing any sort of work. To me it would be worth the vets fees.
Until sound or confirmed ok you could use electric tape to fence off a smaller area for your horse to restrict exercise.
 
I too would go for the ultrasound now. A year ago my pony had a suspected tear in her tendon sheath. She had an ultrasound and it turned out to be a damaged ligament.

The treatment (ie rest) was the same but it's best to know what you are dealing with as depending what the damage is will also depend on how to bring the horse back into work after the rest.
 
Thanks for the advice. I called and my vet does not have the ultrasound machine so will need to transport her to a different vet but I will arrange to have it done. Best to know and then I won't continue to wonder what is happening under the skin in there!
 
I had one on my horse with a mobile ultra sound for unexplained lameness turned out the lameness was hoof related but that's another story!
 
I agree - get it scanned. My daughter's little mare has windgalls behind, but one went harder and she was intermittently lame. She was scanned and had torn the tendon sheath. Prognosis was leave as it was and at best she would be a happy hacker or operate and return her to full work and jumping etc.

She was operated on and the damaged sheath area removed and a small tear repaired in the tendon, so lucky she had the op. :)
It is now some 10 weeks on and we are at week 6 of rehab ridden work (she had a set back in the surgical wound got infected) but is recovering well now and is sound.
 
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