Landcruiser
Well-Known Member
My youngster is having a double arthroscopy today to try to find out what is going on in her stifles. I've owned her a year (yesterday!), since she was 2 1/2. I've done lots of groundwork with her, just leading, yielding, playing with scary objects and stuff. There has been a growing niggle that something was going on back end - just not quite wanting to speed up a walk (slug speed or straight into trot), and very slight hind toe dragging when she's mooching round the yard. Anyway, long story short, I had a body worker do an assessment, and she was pretty sure it was a stifle issue. Not "lame" but low flight arcs behind, and she suspected OCD. Definitely not happy about certain manipulations, especially LH.
A couple of weeks later, vet visit for a lameness workup with x rays was very inconclusive. No bone chips or dodgy looking bone ends. Hocks also X rayed, just to be sure. Not at all happy going on circle to right, vet thought bitateral subtle stifle lameness. So next step, ultrasound and stifle blocks last week. US showed no signs of cartilage damage (so no real signs of OCD) but DID show a murky looking fluid in LH joint instead of nice black image. It also showed one of the menisci bulging into the joint space, and looking distinctly unhappy. Once stifles were blocked, pony trotted round on lunge with her ears pricked, moving much more freely.
So off to horsepital she went yesterday evening, and as we speak she'll either be indignantly snorting to be fed, or she'll be on the way to a GA and a morning in surgery.
Please wish us luck. Vets were at great pains to say this is diagnostic - no guarantees that what is found is fixable...but it's the next step in helping her. She's a really lovely funny girl. It's going to be a long day... :-(
A couple of weeks later, vet visit for a lameness workup with x rays was very inconclusive. No bone chips or dodgy looking bone ends. Hocks also X rayed, just to be sure. Not at all happy going on circle to right, vet thought bitateral subtle stifle lameness. So next step, ultrasound and stifle blocks last week. US showed no signs of cartilage damage (so no real signs of OCD) but DID show a murky looking fluid in LH joint instead of nice black image. It also showed one of the menisci bulging into the joint space, and looking distinctly unhappy. Once stifles were blocked, pony trotted round on lunge with her ears pricked, moving much more freely.
So off to horsepital she went yesterday evening, and as we speak she'll either be indignantly snorting to be fed, or she'll be on the way to a GA and a morning in surgery.
Please wish us luck. Vets were at great pains to say this is diagnostic - no guarantees that what is found is fixable...but it's the next step in helping her. She's a really lovely funny girl. It's going to be a long day... :-(
