My 10 yr old OTTB has an old bow that was properly treated and rehabbed but my vet came out and said he has “irritated it” I have scheduled a shockwave appointment for him but I am wondering if anyone else has dealt with a bow that got re-aggravated and what you did to help it.
She said that he has not re-bowed it. It is not super swollen and not hot. Just sensitive on palpation.
Any advice would be great.
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It’s hard to argue with your vet who has seen the tendon. It’s possible that an old set bow may be strained again, or bumped and bruised. That is what you check for each time you run your hands down his legs. Does it need “treatment”? I can’t say. Your vet says it does. Either you agree with your vet, or you don’t agree. I’ve never done “shock wave” with a bow, and I’ve had a few of them. They have healed up fine without it, and never been an issue again as long as they aren’t racing (I wouldn’t 3 day event with one either). But in the hunter/jumper rings… no problem.
So it’s up to you what you do with this issue… either you listen to your vet and spend the money, or you go it alone. Either or both options may work out well. Or not.
Is the horse lame? Is the tendon hot, swollen or sore to palpate? Has it changed in any way you can notice? Has an ultrasound shown any new damage to the tendon fibers?
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The horse is sore on palpation of that bow. She did not do another ultrasound of that leg as she said since there is no heat or swelling she didn’t think it was necessary. She said to give him some time off and we could try shockwave to help with any irritation he’s having.
So… give him some time off as the vet suggested. If that doesn’t do the trick, you may have to look to other options. Good luck.
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