Has anyone had a horse with a dislocated fetlock? - Now with PICTURES

[dressagetraks]

This is the injury my new mare who arrived today comes with. Dislocated LH two years ago.

She is pasture sound and really doesn’t seem bothered by it, but it looks absolutely awful. Deformed ankle, twice the size of the other. She looked like someone inflated an inner tube, knocked it lopsided with a few kinks, and put it under her skin. The joint is totally cold. Looking at it, you expect an acute injury right then, but it’s just set up that way.

I knew she’d been hurt and am buying her just as a broodmare. They recommended never riding her again, and I can’t imagine getting on a horse with an ankle that looks like that and putting more weight and more stress on it. She seemed none the worse for a longish trailer ride today and happily went through get-acquainted steps with her new herdmates.

I just wondered if anybody else has seen this injury and if it has any long-term sequelae, things I need to watch for, management tips, etc.

[Tree]

Did she come with x-rays? If it really concerned me I would have x-rays done to see if it is enlarged due to added bone or scarred tissues.

Tree

[Simkie]

No, but I’d love to see radiographs!

[dressagetraks]

No x-rays provided. I didn’t ask for them on screening a horse just for a broodmare prospect. I might get my vet to take some sometime when he’s around, though. I knew she’d been hurt, but somehow, I didn’t expect it to look that obvious. It looks like it should be painful, but it doesn’t seem to be. I’ve seen the mare at all gaits in the pasture today and also backing down the ramp off the trailer. I’m convinced this is not bothering her right now. But looking at it, I’m just wondering if she ought to be on a joint supplement, if problems might arise down the road I should watch for, etc.

She’s got the neatest mind on her, alert but calm. Like a queen. She’s not a pushover and was alpha in her last herd, but she’s totally in control of herself at all times. She got off the trailer, looked around, and said, “Okay, I’m in a new place. I can handle that. Check.” She came up to me once later in the pasture and put her nose up just like she was asking if she was going to stay here with me, and when I told her yes, she went happily back off. I love this horse already; can’t wait to breed her. Put that mind on 4 sound legs, and I’ll really have something.

[dressagetraks]

I took closeup pictures from all 4 sides today, but I’m having a fight with my digital camera at the moment. I’ll win, eventually. She does not mind it handled gently; it feels hard and cold. It is a bit weird, hard to describe, in flexing on picking up to clean her hoof, but she doesn’t act like it hurts to pick it up, and she picks up the opposite hoof without complaint. I’ve been watching her in full sunlight with eagle eyes today moving, and it does flex just a bit strangely at the maximum flex-point of the stride. Not a limp, just an oddness you only notice if you are staring directly at that ankle during her movement.

I think I’m going to put her on a joint supplement just for good measure and also get x-rays the next time the vet is out both for his current opinion and to use as a baseline when (I don’t think there is an if) she develops arthritis and more problems there as she ages through the years. It seems stable enough now, but you can tell looking at it this was a very bad injury. But she moves well on it and seems like a happy horse.

About what do x-rays run for one leg only of the fetlock?

[Seven-up]

I don’t know anything either, but I’d be interested in seeing pictures and/or x-rays. The way this injury was explained to me leaves me a little confused about it, and I’ve never seen a healed one.

Don’t know what your vet would charge but on the PPE I just got, I paid $65 for the 1st x-ray and $35 for each additional one.

[dressagetraks]

I’ll post the pictures when I can fight through my camera difficulties. Techno geek advisor thinks she knows what I need, and I’ll try that tomorrow and see if it works.

I was told up front that the mare had a previous leg injury, was no longer rideable, and was being sold as a broodmare. I didn’t pursue further details on that in our pre talks, which I probably should have. I totally trust the judgment of the person who matched me with this horse. All of the pre talk with the seller spent time going over bloodlines, conformation, etc., broodmare-relevant stuff. Not that I regret the deal at all; I like this horse even more the more I see of her, love her mind, and her bloodlines are hard to find. She’s in her prime and hopefully does have several foals left in her. But prior leg injury covers a lot of ground, obviously a lot more ground than had occurred to me. I couldn’t believe what it looked like when she was delivered yesterday. That’s when I asked her people what on earth had happened and was told dislocated fetlock 2 years ago.

Everything I’ve found Googling that since makes me cringe. It seems like most horses are put down for this. There are probably degrees of the injury, of course. The outside is swollen more and higher than the inside, although there is either bone or very set up soft tissue extra or weirdly placed on both inside and outside. Side pictures just look swollen; front or back views look absolutely deformed. I’m curious to see x-rays. She is happy, ears up, and interactive, and she did back down that trailer ramp yesterday with no hesitation or problems and was going through new herd stuff in the pasture. Whatever happened to her, it does seem to have pretty much healed, but I’ll bet she has increasing problems there when she gets to be an older horse.

[Blinkers_On]

Was she ever surgical? How much info was given to you? I too look forward to pics and radiographs if possible.

[dressagetraks]

Pictures now available; I’ll get x-rays next farm call. I don’t think they’re urgent, but I’m curious.

I’m sure she hasn’t had surgery, as I DID specifically ask about that initially. Of course, I was thinking in terms of colic or such, but I didn’t limit the question. She has never colicked, and she has never had surgery.

Healed dislocated ankle:

From the front:

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk8/dressagetraks/HorsesandtheArrivalofTwister033.jpg

From the left side:

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk8/dressagetraks/HorsesandtheArrivalofTwister034.jpg

From the back:

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk8/dressagetraks/HorsesandtheArrivalofTwister035.jpg

From the right side:

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk8/dressagetraks/HorsesandtheArrivalofTwister036.jpg

But she can move on that leg:

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk8/dressagetraks/HorsesandtheArrivalofTwister013.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk8/dressagetraks/HorsesandtheArrivalofTwister015.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk8/dressagetraks/HorsesandtheArrivalofTwister017.jpg

Whole horse:

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk8/dressagetraks/HorsesandtheArrivalofTwister009.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk8/dressagetraks/HorsesandtheArrivalofTwister016.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk8/dressagetraks/HorsesandtheArrivalofTwister022.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk8/dressagetraks/HorsesandtheArrivalofTwister029.jpg

Tornado in the dark:

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk8/dressagetraks/HorsesandtheArrivalofTwister030.jpg

Dislocated ankle aside, I’m well pleased with her. She’s got rare bloodlines, an amazing mind and temperament, and she’ll make a great broodmare for my program. But I’m keeping the first filly I see, to store the bloodlines.

[Ridge_Runner]

I’ve got a Twister too!

She’s lovely. Such a shame about that ankle. I’m glad she’s sound enough for breeding. The pics were very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[dressagetraks]

Thanks! The best part is her mind and attitude. The more you’re around her, the more you like her. She will make an awesome broodmare.

The seller didn’t misrepresent the horse; I think it’s just that details fell through the cracks, aided by us having had several conversations widely spaced for months about this horse, since she was first offered to me at a time I was suffering life insanity dealing with my mother and couldn’t possibly take her. It hasn’t been a typical set of presale negotiations, more like 5 minutes every few weeks over a few months and under a lot of external stress on my end, maybe her’s too, for all I know. But what conversations we had led off on different directions than “an old leg injury.” I could have asked for details when told she’d been hurt and, I’m sure, would have had more up front. I’ll fish a whole lot further into the definition of “old leg injury” next time. It was a shock to see that leg unexpecting, though. That’s not an ankle; it’s a beanbag.

But she seems comfortable for now. I’ll do my best to keep her so.

[Simkie]

That’s really interesting. Does she have any flexion on that joint at all?

[dressagetraks]

Yes, she does. It is just a bit odd at the very most weighted point of stride, but she does use it. She is really amazingly smooth in how she handles that leg. I did not notice the injury when she was backed down the ramp off her delivery trailer, or when she walked a few feet (just after a trip), because you have to be looking right at her ankle to notice anything in her movement, and I was looking at her head and her nice, deep body. I first noticed how it looked when she was stood up for inspection and I was going over her point by point, but I hadn’t noticed anything from her movement before that. She came with feet just trimmed, so they are all nicely balanced up - she’s barefoot, of course, as a career broodmare now. It will be interesting to see how that hoof wears over the next several weeks to her next trim.

[Seven-up]

Wowza! It looks like her ankle swallowed a baseball. Does she have any trouble with interference from the other leg?

That’s really interesting. I’ve only seen a few cases (those high profile race injuries) but they’ve all been on front legs, and none of them ended well.

So can anyone explain how this injury happens? The explanation I read was that even though it’s called a ‘dislocation,’ it’s not so much a dislocation of the joint but the creation of a new (unwanted) joint. I don’t really get it.

I look forward to seeing those x-rays.

She’s such a pretty mare. Love that white face!

[FairWeather]

Yep! one of our CANTER horses had a ‘dislocated’ fetlock. He did it in a race and the owner took the year to rehab him. Once he was sound he was donated to us. He is now a pleasure and light dressage horse and doing great.

[dressagetraks]

No interference from the other leg. In fact, one thing I have noticed watching her VERY closely the last 2 days is that if anything, she travels a little wide. Other leg doesn’t come anywhere in the same zip code to the bad one. She may have rapped herself once in the acute phases and be remembering it. This horse is definitely a thinker and has obviously learned how to take care of that leg and use it in the pasture. She is a big girl, though, deep bodied (nice foal oven in there), and on the wide side just by build.

I’d sure hesitate to breed her LC, but since I’m planning on using frozen, not an issue. I wouldn’t ever dare ride her.

[Melissa.Van_Doren]

A friend has a retired AQHA broodmare who dislocated her RF pastern a couple of years ago. She’s lumpy, but comfortable on BL Solution. Just a pasture pet.

[Blinkers_On]

Interesting that it still has some flexion one would expect that it might not. And It will be interesting how the feet look in a few weeks after the trim. What’s doing what where.

[pintopiaffe]

OMG–no doubt whozethedaddy, eh? She is GORGEOUS!

I dunno, have had three broodies now with injury related ‘hitch in their giddyup.’ One had a penetrating wound THROUGH THE STIFLE JOINT.

I think they are pretty amazing what they can heal from, and how they adapt.

I don’t think it looks as bad as what I was expecting from the description. I’m not entirely sure how much x-rays will even tell? I’m not a vet, but tissue (tendon, ligament etc.) doesn’t show up on rads, does it? How long ago was it?

It looks like her body did what it had to to protect the joint from further injury. If she were mine, MSM and a good product with HA would be my choice. (obviously keeping in mind pregnancy issues, but my favorite, and pg safe is HylaRx Complete or ActiFlex 4000 ) the HA is most useful in injury type stuff. Minimum of 100mg. Getting that amt from both the study I read a few years ago also said minimum THERAPUTIC doses of joint junk were 10g MSM (10,000 mg) 7,500 mg Glucosamine; (I don’t remember the chrondroitin amt as it’s not an ingredient I’ve paid a ton of attention to.) but also from my stallion who tried to cut off his LH at the fetlock joint a couple years ago… the HA at 100mg is a discernable difference overnight, and the other doses seem right on the money as far as seeing/feeling a difference.

Congratulations. She’s one heck of a mare you lucky duck!

[A.Murr]

I just wondering how your horse with the dislocated feetlock? I have a 26 years old mare, she managed to dislocated her feetlock bone last year before Christmas. It was a hard time, and many months fight, but I still have her and I don’t blame anybody who is put a horse down when this accident coming. She had pain, and 6 months stable rest. Daily minimum 1 hour I was jus massage her, put cream, gel, bandage… but she was fight with me together. And I am happy she is better day after day. Everybody was told me let her go, but I am stubborn, and I was seeing on her she didn’t give up. Any of you go in a difficult situation, fallow your feelings not what others say. Your choice you gonna be live with the desicion what you make.