My guy just got diagnosed with a keratoma and 3mm flap tear of the DDFT near the pastern. Surgery to remove the keratoma is the 23rd. While there, he will be getting pro stride injected into the tendon. He’s on stall rest and medical paddock turnout (12x16) and currently getting the Bemer boots twice a day.
Any other suggestions for therapies? Stories to share? Advice for the long haul and feeding a fatty through an extended stall rest? Anything would be appreciated at this point.
I had a horse do a hind DDFT, approx 30% tear. We initially injected HA into the tendon sheath, then did 4 rounds of shockwave and a round of pro-stride. Stall rested while she was acutely lame…so about 10-14 days, then she went onto med paddock rest for 2.5 months. Then 30 days tack walking, then added trot in 1 min per week until we were at 5 mins, then we added 3 mins, 4 mins, 4 mins until we were at 16 mins trot. At this point I was riding ~45 mins total. It got a little less structured at this point, we added 1 min canter each way, then around 5 mins per week of canter.
Roughly a year after the injury she was back in real full work and showed PSG/I-1, now another 1.5 years later is schooling the pi/pa and the ones. So definitely a success story!
I did support her with regular chiro and massage throughout. We maintain her “rehab” schedule of 4 days of work and 2 hacks per week even now.
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My 20yo gelding had a core lesion (roughly 75% tear) in the LF near where it met the check ligament. We did a PRP injection, shockwave and stall rest for roughly 4 months. He was on complete stall rest for the first four weeks. Then we started 5 minute hand walks twice a day, increasing 5 minutes per week until we were up to 40 minute walks twice a day. The lesion had filled in well with fibers but they needed to be lengthened and strengthened.
At that point, the healing stalled and he came up lame on the other front. We discovered encroaching sidebone in the RF. A neuro exam also led us to an EPM diagnosis. With all of that going on and taking his age into consideration, I decided to euthanize him.
So obviously there was more to the situation than the DDFT tear, but I do think the PRP and shockwave helped.
I’m 7 weeks into stall & 30’ run until the spring for my donkey who tore a ligament in her pastern along with other components. The hand walking started a week ago and the time will increase weekly. The January ultrasound will determine if we do shock wave treatments.
I just started using a slow feeder hat bag and a hay ball feeder should arrive this week. It’s going to be a long winter here…
In spring of 2015, my gelding was 11 years old, schooling PSG and ready to show 4th level, when he did his right hind DDFT. On ultrasound, my vet told me I’d be lucky if he came pasture sound. I followed my vet’s recommendations for acute treatment (at that time, we didn’t have Pro Stride; we did a lot of shockwave).
After a lot of research, I bought a class 3b cold laser so I could do daily treatments. The laser was expensive up front but more cost effective than paying someone else to come treat him. I’ve had it for six years now and it was well worth the cost. Have used it for all kinds of horse, human, canine issues.
He did in fact come pasture sound, so we put him in a friend’s field. I sent the laser with him and my friend treated him every second or third day. (She had a couple horses and family members of her own that also benefitted from laser treatments during that time.) At that point, there was still a visible mechanical defect in his right hind at the walk (most noticeable when standing behind him and watching someone lead him forward on a straight line). I was prepared to retire him permanently. Then one day just shy of two years later, my friend called me and said she had just watched my horse canter and trot in for dinner and he looked remarkably sound.
I brought him home. We spent autumn 2017 and most of 2018 doing a very light, very slow return to work program. After further diagnostics, my vet’s recommendation was to keep his work at around third level. I part-leased him to an adult re-rider who wanted to do lots of basic dressage and trail riding. We also enjoy cavalletti and a little bit of jumping, but kept it under 3’.
In April 2021, my vet did another ultrasound and she couldn’t see any sign of anything in his right hind. He’s coming 18 now (I’ve had him since he was a barely-broke three year old) and these days we also manage significant DJD/arthritis in his front pasterns and coffin joints, so we’ve never aimed at the St Georges again. But there are lovely days where we practice the trot and canter tours and I am very grateful to still have this handsome professor of a horse in my life.
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