WWYD?

[Barlow]

Horse previously never sick or sorry, no soundness issues. Schooling at advanced medium, 10yo, very low mileage.

October became apparent that stifle was sore to touch. No heat or swelling. Physio recommended vet.

Vet called, in slow trot on the lunge horse is not fully tracking up on that leg.

Vet prescribed 2 x bute daily and box rest for 2 weeks. After box rest horse tracking up properly but slight snatching action on some strides (very slightly like stringhalt action).

Vet says walk for 12 weeks and then see how it progresses. We are 10 weeks through, action is still not as it was before (slight twisting going on but snatching has disappeared).

I have started the insurance claim but I don’t have a firm diagnosis from the vet other than “soft tissue or strained ligament probably in the stifle”

I’m concerned that we haven’t got to the root cause and that when we step up work again horse will get sore again.

Only have 9 months left on the insurance claim. Vet reluctant to investigate further as “all stifles that he has treated have come right within 12 months” and he “doesn’t believe in injections”.

Would you push for scans to get a diagnosis and know for definite the root cause? Or would you just give it time?

Suspensories have been ruled out, horse is loosing fitness and toplinr and getting very bored with walking.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Get referral to specialist for 2nd opinion? I would.
Good luck x

 

[Auslander]

For goodness sake - he needs to put his ego to one side, and make a proper diagnosis/come up with a proper plan.
Can you get a referral to Newmarket? My vet came out to see a mare here, suggested we send her down for Matt Smith to look at. She went there just before Christmas, and they did an absolutely stellar poor performance workup, identified the issue, operated, and she was back home to recuperate within two weeks of her first vet visit!

 

[ihatework]

Now you have gone down the route of vet involvement & insurance I would want some diagnostics done. Otherwise you are up sh*t creek without a paddle if it turns out to be something more sinister.

I’d take xrays and if those are clear I would up the workload and if there is any hint of swelling/lameness I’d get a referral

 

[Clodagh]

Change vets, what a numpty. I would push for a referral.

 

[Pinkvboots]

You need a proper diagnosis now you have claimed, there could actually be something else going on so I would want a second opinion and possibly even nerve block the leg to confirm that is the only thing going on then scan, x ray and maybe mri depending on what the outcome is.

 

[Mrs B]

Where are you based?

For anything joint related, I'd be asking a 2nd opinion from Buffy Shirley-Beavan.

https://www.summerhillequine.co.uk/our-practice/veterinary-surgeons/

 

[Barlow]

Now you have gone down the route of vet involvement & insurance I would want some diagnostics done. Otherwise you are up sh*t creek without a paddle if it turns out to be something more sinister.

Thank you this is exactly what I am worried about.

The irony is that I actually changed vets to this practice as they are the big ones and are “the” hospital for the region, I just seem to have got the only old school vet this side of London.

Newmarket would be a very long trip :/

If you want a second opinion does that affect insurance? Will they cover it?

 

[be positive]

If you are referred insurance will cover you, I cannot believe your vet does not want to diagnose fully, I think many rush into diagnostics too quickly but in this case you need to know what is going on inside as the current 'treatment' may be totally inappropriate, you can push for referral and he might get on with the basics himself first which could be enough to get a clear diagnosis/ treatment plan.

 

[Goldenstar]

You need to get him to another vet .
My experiance of soft tissue damage in stifles is not good so waiting about is bad idea , I can’t think what the vet is up too.

 

[Barlow]

Thanks - on both occasions I have asked for him to bring mobile scanning (xrays and ultrasounds) and on both occasions he has done so and then not used them.

When he is back out at the end of the 12 weeks I will insist on a referral to the hospital (same practice so you would have thought there wouldn’t have been an issue, which is why I changed vets in the first place!)

Thank you for keeping me sane and I will trust my gut which is to get a proper diagnosis and take it from there.

 

[be positive]

That is not really a referral so it should be easy enough to book in to take him in for diagnostics without waiting for the next visit, just preempt matters, contact the practice, say he is still not right and you want to come in for xrays and scans, if he isn't happy with you going over his head tough.

I had similar several years ago, horse was very lame after an accident, vet decided where the issue was and refused to xray despite being asked a few times, she eventually referred him for the foot to be MRI'd which was where she thought the issue was, I eventually got the xrays done before he went in and he had fractured his splint bone which was the cause of the lameness, there was nothing wrong with his foot which was MRI'd as part of the process when he went in but he had 6 weeks of pain/ box rest that could have been avoided if she had listened in the first place.