Horse will have bilateral coffin joint injections on Friday. What can we expect post injections ?
Didn’t have coffen joint injections but did my gelding front fetlocks last spring. 2 hours after injections he became very uncomfortable,shifting weight from one foot to the other.
Then spent a lot of time laying down for a good 48 hours. I’ll NEVER inject joints again. Made no change in horses soreness because it wasn’t his fetlocks that were the issue, was his feet.
This is not about what is she having done ! thus not helpful just frightening
this is not what she is having done
thus it serves only to
stress a worried owner out … NG not good ! IMHO
no need to reiterate ALL the medical issues with your gelding .
[QUOTE=sassy45;8598911]
Didn’t have coffen joint injections but did my gelding front fetlocks last spring. 2 hours after injections he became very uncomfortable,shifting weight from one foot to the other.
Then spent a lot of time laying down for a good 48 hours. I’ll NEVER inject joints again. Made no change in horses soreness because it wasn’t his fetlocks that were the issue, was his feet.[/QUOTE]
My horse has always done fine after coffin joint injections, he has them every couple years. Just a few days off and some light riding and he’s good to go. They really have helped him a lot and added many riding years to his life !
1 Like
[QUOTE=Zu Zu;8598952]
this is not what she is having done
thus it serves only to
stress a worried owner out … NG not good ! IMHO
no need to reiterate ALL the medical issues with your gelding .[/QUOTE]
Just so you know i have 2 geldings wasn’t talking about gelding i’v posted about!!! And i stated it wasn’t coffen joint injection !!!
NO knowledge of this procedure ``` just Jingles & AO for your filly !
Buddy0227
Sending Jingles & AO for your filly ~ ((hugs)) for you ~
Nothing special - it’s a pretty straightforward one. Vet will likely put sterile gauze pads over the injection site, and vet wrap. That stays on overnight. Then we do:
Day 1 - stall rest, cold hose 2x
Day 2-3 - turnout, cold hose 2x
Day 4 - light work
Day 5 - normal
Some vets are fine with letting them go out the next day once the wraps are off, while others want them to stay in for 3 to 5 days. I usually go with whatever the vet is recommending. Usually we have them on some anti-inflammatories as well, but I suspect that might also vary by vet. I do keep a careful eye on them for any sign of infection or flare. Your vet should talk to you about that when giving instructions for aftercare.
Had my gelding injected this past summer, though vet only did one coffin joint. Another horse at the barn had both front coffin joints done at the same time. Cold hose twice a day for two days, watch carefully, and regular turnout. Returned to regular work after four days. Both horses improved significantly. My gelding has been sound since the injection. The other horse had some other issues as well and wound up being retired from barrel racing, but is sound for light riding.
Seemed like it took about three or four days or so before we saw improvement. Neither horse had any sort of adverse reaction.
My old (24) TB has had coffin joint injections several times, all uneventful. My vets have always OK’d work the following day. Injections were done in the stall, he got a small wrap (guaze and vetwrap), stayed in the stall overnight and then remove wrap and back to normal next day. One vet sedated him for the procedure, but the other vet didn’t. I think that is just vet preference. He stands well for injections.
For my horse it has always provided immediate relief/improvement. Twice when injected there was a viscous ooze of fluid when the vet inserted the needle into the joint space. The vet told me this is a sign of inflammation and pointed to us being on the right track therapeutically. I have only had them done unilaterally though (high/low horse, only has issues in the one hoof).
Good luck, I’m hoping for a simple non-event for you like mine have been. For what it’s worth, I’ve always felt I got the most bang for my buck with the coffin injection vs. other joint injections. I’ve had hocks done too and sometimes it made a difference but sometimes it didn’t, whereas the coffin injection has always helped my horse.
Mine are always fine. Hand walking for three days, then on day four 1/2 work, day five we are back at full work. None seemed to have discomfort. Good luck and it will all be ok!
[QUOTE=sassy45;8598911]
Didn’t have coffen joint injections but did my gelding front fetlocks last spring. 2 hours after injections he became very uncomfortable,shifting weight from one foot to the other.
Then spent a lot of time laying down for a good 48 hours. I’ll NEVER inject joints again. Made no change in horses soreness because it wasn’t his fetlocks that were the issue, was his feet.[/QUOTE]
Your horse was IR, and injecting steroids should either never be done, or done only as a last resort, and very well thought out.
[QUOTE=JB;8600080]
Your horse was IR, and injecting steroids should either never be done, or done only as a last resort, and very well thought out.[/QUOTE]
WASN"T Mr IR, was other gelding,who i DON"T post about,and he has hoof issues also…
your poor horse - horses
[QUOTE=sassy45;8600120]
WASN"T Mr IR, was other gelding,who i DON"T post about,and he has hoof issues also…[/QUOTE]
He either is IR also, or the injections were badly done, as what you describe is typical of a laminitic reaction to steroids, or somehow otherwise botched.
There is also a thing called “flare” which can happen in some instances, where there is a surge of inflammation, that then has to be managed. It’s an unfortunate side effect, thankfully not common, that can be dealt with most of the time, but that shouldn’t be used as a reason to never do them.
Countless joint injections are done all the time with immediate improved comfort of the horse, and without any hint of any infection.
If it is flare and it happens once, there is a risk of it happening again with that horse, even if he’d gotten injections prior with no adverse reaction. You can try to lessen the chance by giving more Banamine before, at the time of, and after injections. At least with a joint, if you have a flare, the vet can come out and flush out the joint.
I would believe that bilateral flare would make the horse not want to stand up. My horse had a reaction to a unilateral injection in the fetlock area (though not in the joint) recently, and he didn’t want to put much weight on that leg until we got the inflammation under control. This is one instance where I’m giving sassy the benefit of the doubt.
It is certainly reasonable to be gun shy about injections when you’ve gone through a bad experience, no matter how many times they are done and can be done with no adverse reactions. There is always a risk of something going wrong, and experiencing a bad reaction could well make someone more risk adverse. I had a bad reaction to a steroid joint injection on myself and would maybe think twice about doing it again, especially considering it also didn’t help what it was supposed to help.
[QUOTE=JB;8600136]
He either is IR also, or the injections were badly done, as what you describe is typical of a laminitic reaction to steroids, or somehow otherwise botched.
There is also a thing called “flare” which can happen in some instances, where there is a surge of inflammation, that then has to be managed. It’s an unfortunate side effect, thankfully not common, that can be dealt with most of the time, but that shouldn’t be used as a reason to never do them.
Countless joint injections are done all the time with immediate improved comfort of the horse, and without any hint of any infection.[/QUOTE]
After that experience i don’t care to repeat it, or put horse through that again. Whether it was botched or not i don’t know,all i know is it made horse extremely uncomfortable for 48 hours.
He spent entire summer blowing out abscesses,one right after another…almost half of hoof wall was destroyed from abscesses,on both front feet.
OP your horse should be fine,what happened to my horse, probably hardly ever happens like most on here had good out comes. Wish you all the best, for a great out come, and a sound horse after injections.
Definitely sounds like the steroids sent him into a pretty acute state of laminitis
OP – my horse gets his coffin joints injected once a year. I follow my vet’s protocol re returning to work and receiving bute. Not only has there never been an issue, but for the first several days after returning to work, he has the most amazing trot. Then, he returns to having just a really nice trot. 
Mare had hers done last spring and it was not a big deal. They had her sedated slightly for xrays already. She wore her bandages home and overnight, then I think we walked one day and started light riding the next. They made a major difference for her. I will not hesitate to get them done again when the time comes she needs them again.
