From what I understand from speaking with the team of vets who have come up with Cori’s treatment plan, she is much different from the average DDFT patient, in that her DDFT sheath has ruptured as well as the tendon. The tear complicates the healing of the tendon and she’s more likely to have an adhesion. Dr. Ober (USET vet) has called her prognosis “questionable.”
Sport’s prognosis was poor at best. Due to that, we didn’t do shockwave or other treatments and basically went with time. Right from the start we went with a minimum of a year off. Since I had that in my mind from day one, I didn’t try to rush anything. He was also a good patient and handled his stall rest really well, so that made it much easier.
Thinking of you. It is a really tough spot to be in.
[QUOTE=Sport;8815055]
Sport’s prognosis was poor at best. Due to that, we didn’t do shockwave or other treatments and basically went with time. Right from the start we went with a minimum of a year off. Since I had that in my mind from day one, I didn’t try to rush anything. He was also a good patient and handled his stall rest really well, so that made it much easier.
Thinking of you. It is a really tough spot to be in.[/QUOTE]
Yes- planning for a year. No rush. She’s with me till the day she dies either way. My hopes for shockwave are that it expedites the healing process enough that she can start going back out on limited turnout.
Little Mare update: Her recheck ultrasound (40 days post injury) and third Shockwave was Friday the 9th. Ultrasound showed improvement. Her torn tendon sheath is starting to come back together and the tear in the tendon is closing/healing. It’s no longer a black hole on the ultrasound, it’s visible still, but you can see the tissue growing across.
She is more lame though, than on initial presentation. 1/5 - 2/5 on the lunge with the injured leg on the inside. However, she has a nasty, festering, bandage sore right on the back of her fetlock. My vet thinks that is what is making her hurt.
The plan from here is to get her back on her normal turnout schedule (during the day) in my small lay up paddock. And she is to be ridden at the walk for 20 minutes a day. First two days she had to be turned out with the assistance of some drugs, but yesterday she spent three hours out standing at the gate wanting to come back in (no ace)! She has always liked her stall more than being outside. She is on reserpine daily while she settles in to the new routine. I’m going to taper that and then stop on Tuesday.
So all in all, improvement. Recheck again in 30 days.
Great news.
Jungle Monkey-
My horse has been on stall rest since June with that same injury. I opted to do the arthroscope procedure with stem cell injections.They cleaned out the tear and got rid of all the adhesions. The farrier put rails on that shoes since my boy had a meltdown over degree pads. He’s been stall bound since with twice daily hand walks and grazing when I have some extra time.
He is a terrible stall walker so I hope he gets to go on turnout sooner rather than later but we will see how things progress.
Thank you for the info on your boy. It makes me feel like all the money and time might be worth it in the end.
My mare tore her deep and superficial flexor tendons on her left hind almost 4 years ago. She was mostly retired from everything but trail rides anyway, so my vet and I discussed all the options, and after a lot of research, like Sport’s post above, I too opted against any other treatment but time.
Initially I kept her in, and hand walked her twice a day. That lasted 12 days, until the morning I pulled in and found my normally super sane horse rearing in her stall. I turned her out right then and there, as my preference for her is quality, not quantity. She was miserable, and if going out made her happy, but sealed her fate, then I was okay with that…but that’s a very personal decision for each everyone to make. Plus, all the research I did, all the people I talked to, it seems like it’s about 50/50 on full recovery based on if they kept their horses stalled, or turned them out. I am lucky in that I have a vet that fully supports my decisions, and was always available (within reason) to talk things out on the phone. I used Back on Track wraps at night, and put human-grade Arnica gel on the leg twice a day. For the first 3 days, I iced the tendons twice a day for 20 minutes. Then for the next 2 weeks, I switched to heat - also twice a day for 20 minutes each time. Also, she was initially on 2gm bute twice a day (this is a 1500lb Perch cross mare), and but we quickly backed that off to 1gm once per day…and then switched her altogether to 57mg previcox daily, which she still takes.
He did advise me to not even look at her gait, to not even try to evaluate the lameness, for at least 6 months. I gave her 9 months, then threw her on a longe line for my vet, and she was perfectly sound. Her leg isn’t pretty, by any means, but it worked for her. Well, at least until late last week, when she came in three legged lame again, same leg. <sigh>
[QUOTE=superD;8841631]
Jungle Monkey-
My horse has been on stall rest since June with that same injury. I opted to do the arthroscope procedure with stem cell injections.They cleaned out the tear and got rid of all the adhesions. The farrier put rails on that shoes since my boy had a meltdown over degree pads. He’s been stall bound since with twice daily hand walks and grazing when I have some extra time.
He is a terrible stall walker so I hope he gets to go on turnout sooner rather than later but we will see how things progress.
Thank you for the info on your boy. It makes me feel like all the money and time might be worth it in the end.[/QUOTE]
Hang in! Good luck! And your welcome! I know how difficult it can be. I was originally told he had less than a 35% chance of being pasture sound so you really never know. My mare fractured her hip and pelvis 4 years ago and the vets told me she would never make it (she would have to be put down) and she is competing again and jumping and happy. That took almost a full 3 years to get her back to “normal”.
Not trying to hijack the thread but had a re-check yesterday and vet says he’s doing great. We can start turn out in about two weeks. So happy and terrified at the same time. We can start adding in some lateral work and walking over poles and increase canter now. Very happy about that. The DDFT lesion (the most serious injury) looks fantastic but one of what I was told was “minor” by other vets (distal sesamoid ligament) has a couple weeks more before the scar tissue is strong enough for turnout.
I know others are more aggressive with the schedule for turn out. My vet and I both feel that for MY horse it is best he is pretty much in full flat work before turn out is safe.
Maybe you could ask your farrier/vet about a custom shoe that is similar to a polo shoe? Has some grip and gives them a higher angle behind without being a wedge pad…just a thought. Or can you just but little corks in to help with angle? We did that with my guy from the beginning.
