your experiences of tendon injuries in very elderly ponies please

[gothdolly]

Can anyone give me details of any experiences with tendon injuries in very elderly ponies? Do you have any success stories? My beloved 31 year old mare is being scanned on Thursday with a suspected tendon injury. She is currently (of course) on box rest and supportive bandaging.

What is the prognosis for tendon injuries in elderly ponies? This mare unfortunately does not like to be stabled (shes already fed up having been in for a week). She also has Cushings disease. Do tendon injuries in older horses take longer to heal than in young/middle aged horses? Shes very lame in trot but sound-ish in walk and can bear weight on the bad leg so I don’t think shes in loads of pain thank God.

I know Im maybe Im getting ahead of myself as we don’t have the scan results yet but I would like your experiences if possible.

What I really want to hear is people saying their horses came field sound after 8 weeks box rest.... or is it likely to be a much longer period?

Thanks you.

 

[bailey14]

I don't have any experience with your problem but I wish you the best of luck with your mare on Thursday. Sorry I can't help.

 

[gothdolly]

thanks, Im very upset having just got her sorted out from some other health problems relating to the Cushings disease to now be facing this.

She is (always has been) completely loopy in the field though so I guess it was only a matter of time.

 

[Marchtime]

No experience but with an older pony who wont be stabled I have thought about what I'd do in your position.
Obviously it depends on the severity of the damage and whether she is in work but I'd talk to your vets. If she can be made comfortable on some bute and she isn't expected to work again then I'd let her potter round the field after six weeks. She is unlikely to do herself great damage if she is older and sensible.

 

[Rana]

My mare did both check ligaments at the age of 35 (one after the other, not both together). Both times she was sound in walk, but lame in trot. No box rest, just bute and cold hosing, plus trying to keep her quiet in the field (haha!).

She came sound after a couple of weeks, although the swelling around the ligament remained, and was sound until we had her PTS at 37 (unrelated).

I think it does take longer when they're older, and the recovery isn't always as strong as in a younger horse. Do you want her to be field sound, or are you planning to bring her back into work? I'd have a long chat with your vet when discussing treatment. My old girl hated her stable, which is why the vet said to turn her out. He did say that if I'd been planning to bring her back into work, that he would have said box rest, walking in hand, etc.

 

[Flame_]

My 28ish year old pony was field sound after eight weeks of box rest/walking in hand last year. She did the opposite front leg this year and the same again, turned out after eight weeks of controlled exercise to take her chances and, touch wood, she's doing fine. She now wears pro-sport boots for turnout and is always stabled at night in case she re-injured during the night and couldn't move.

Best of luck with yours.

ETA, My pony's a nutter in the field who won't act her age either. I think its just a question of luck.

 

[gothdolly]

thanks so much thats really encouraging I was terrified it would be a very negative situation.
Shes not in work really although my son does get lead around on her (she can only take a very light rider, shes only 13.2 and part arab). I dont care if she can never take even the lightest rider again, I just want her to be field sound and not to loose her.

Shes also completely daft in the field, always bombing round, sliding into the fences, skidding, whinnying, generally being silly. She has been like that since we had her 18 years ago and shes not going to change now

Shes famous for her nutty behavoir (like that to ride too!).

Those pro-sport turnout boots sound good...

 

[mattilda]

My friends horse had tendon problems and was on boxrest for around 8 to 10 weeks. She is 29 and has always had problems with her tendons. She also has arthritis in her knees and can no longer lie down or roll as she can't get up again. She i9s in no way sound but pain is controlled with bute ( 1 daily), We do giggle at her as she moves like spotty dog in the Woodentops. (Only old people will remember that). That said she goes out everyday ands seems happy in herself. My friend has said though that if the tendon goes again she will make the decision to pts as he doesn't want her to be stuck in for a prolonged period again. Good luck.

 

[fatpiggy]

My mare did her DDF 4 years ago (aged 21 at the time) but luckily it wasn't too bad an injury and she was only boxrested for 3 months - it was winter anyway, so not too much of a hardship. I was allowed to let her walk a few yards into a field every day after the first 9 days, so I grazed her in hand in the dark and gales/rain (!!) every night for an hour plus 2 hours per day each at weekends. This kept her happy. It didn't do her arthritis any favours though so as she is now retired, if the injury wasn't too severe, I would just bandage and bute and put her in a small paddock if she did it again. She doesn't NEED to be sound any more. I am happy if she is just comfortable. Luckily her arthritis has rather curtailed her whizzing about and she just saves it for special occasions, so I'm fairly happy that she is less at risk of a repeat injury. But going back to the original question - my vet told me old horses heal just the same as young ones. However, that could very well not be the case where Cushings is a factor.

 

[Theresa_F]

Cairo at 22 - for a clyde that is a good age, broke a small bit of bone which resulted in the tendon being strained and blown.

All we could do is give danilon and for the first few weeks as the field was so muddy we put him in the school three/four times a day and walked him round gently for 5 - 10 mins or took him for a walk to the pub, as no way could he have stayed in all the time or he would have seized up and been in pain.

After a month he went out in the field, but we seperated him from Chancer to ensure he did not do anything daft - they loved to play. Two months later they went onto the summer paddock and were allowed back together.

Had it not been for the bone injury, he would probably have come sound, albeit with scarring and some swelling on the leg.

He did come back fine to be out in the field and we did tiny walk hacks. Unfortunately he then had liver failure so long term I can't comment on his recovery but he was happy and comfortable which is all we wanted for the old boy.

 

[nessie1288]

My 28 year old Welsh A did damage to both front tendons hunting. He was only in for a few days and is now fine though both legs are probably fatter than they began. He will be 31 next birthday and is sound and canters about in the field. He has not been ridden again as he was on loan when this happened and is now back at home. He has always been in at night and we stick to this and he has previously had laminitis.

Best of luck with yours.

 

[Eaglestone]

Isn't it strange how another health problem takes your mind off the worry of Cushings

I think, as others have said, that basically, if she is field sound and comfortable in herself, then I would be happy with that and it looks as though you would as well!

You will know if she is happy by the sounds of it, as she will continue to charge round and have fun like she is already doing

Motor had a DDFT injury at 22, so a mere whipper snapper and he came sound and is now 27 and also a Cushings horse.

See what the Vet says and I hope the prognosis is good ... there are many horses who live out their lives happily wiith tendon injuries.

Good luck and let us know how she is

xx << hugs to you both >>

 

[gothdolly]

thank you so much again for all your replies and support it has really helped me to calm down! Im feeling much more positive now and hopefully that she will come field sound (which is all she needs to do - she doesnt owe me anything).

Eaglestone - yes, I guess it has taken my mind off the Cushings although sometimes I think I am going to go quite dotty trying to balence the needs of horses with cushings and other age related problems...
Cassandra

 

[Archangel]

No experience of tendon injuries but it seems to me that there are rather a lot of elderly ponies and horses that need to start taking things a bit easier in the field! Good luck on Thursday.

 

[catembi]

Hello,

My old mare did a tendon out hacking when she was 29. She was having a canter & slipped, not even badly. It was a back leg & was v swollen just above the fetlock. Put paid to her jumping career as a few weeks beforehand she'd won 2 1sts & a 4th - the 4th in a scurry out of a v competitive field of 19 horses...

Anyway, she hated being stabled so we fenced off a corner of field for her & kept both back legs bandaged for about 6 weeks, then gradually increased her freedom.

She is now 35 & will be 36 on Jan 1st. Her leg healed slightly stiff so she can't get her heel down properly. The foot is now slightly boxy & in trot she feels as if all legs are going in diff directions. 100% sound in walk, still hacks out now & then, still can't catch her if I want to bring her in overnight cos it's raining. She is mechanically lame i.e. not in pain but has altered her gait to cope & will still put in a buck & run off when ridden.

She has also had Cushings since she was 26. The vet said to leave it untreated until it bothers her, & so far it hasn't. She's not a thing of great beauty any more - she was a stunner when she was young (had her since 3) - but she's happy, still has her appetite etc so I see no reason not to keep her.

T x

 

[gothdolly]

Thanks for all your replies. She became worse in her lameness last night and very lame this morning (I was so worried I rang the vet and asked him to bring euthanasia with him).
I had my mare scanned today, and it actually showed abnormal tissue very close to the tendon sheath. Although there was a risk involved she has had an operation under standing sedation to remove the abnormal tissue and all i can do is pray that she will come sound and recover

Poor little girl is such a sweetie and was a super competition pony when I was a teenager.

 

[Archangel]

Oh bless her, I hope all goes well for her post op.

 

[gothdolly]

Thanks, the scan also showed a blood clot in the leg which the vet said not to worry about but Im very worried anyway

I stayed with her all day convinced she was really poorly but she picked up around tea time and started to take an interest in the goings on in the yard.

Thanks again.