No they are not the same condition. DLSD affects all connective tissue in the horse’s body. The falling fetlocks are the visible part of the disease. There is no treatment and the disease is progressive. Proximal suspensory desmitis is an injury to the suspensory ligament and not a disease. It can be treated and the horse rehabbed back to normal activity. Hope this answers your question.
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that’s what i thought thank you!
My coming 15 yr old draft cross (Saddlebred x Percheron) is looking more like your guy now. 
I think I need to make a decision sooner rather than later. Better too soon than too late, right? I’ve never had to euthanize a horse that wasn’t in a health crisis, but I really don’t want to wait and put him through that - waiting until there is a painful problem. My guy looks good; is in great weight; still bosses his two brothers around, but he is so creaky on those back ankles which have worsened over winter. Hard AF decision for sure.
I’m so sorry to hear that. Our guy is also sassy AF, fat and spoiled, his usual self…but he lays down a lot and some days, both fetlocks are really swollen. It’s difficult to release them when they aren’t in a crisis, as you say, but I imagine that he’s in a lot of discomfort despite the meds and in my personal experience, that’s a sucky way to live your day to day life.
We also recently had to PTS an older gelding who, while physically healthy, was degenerating mentally for some unknown reason and becoming a true danger to himself and to us. (This was a planned euthanasia but especially sucky since it came only days after needing to PTS a mare with a twisted colon who was actively dying in the pasture and in extreme distress. Ugh…). I’m more than happy to talk here or on DM if you need to. 
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That’s article just came across my Facebook
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Interesting that he says the nuchal ligament biopsy is no longer available. Can anyone confirm or corroborate?
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In 2021 the vet that did the necropsy on my DSLD horse (pathology by Dr Halper at UGA) told me: “ Our DSLD work with Georgia actually led to finding that nuchal ligament biopsy alone is NOT reliable predictor for DSLD in young horses so that is critical information albeit frustrating for obvious reasons.” They have shifted their focus to genetic testing.
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