Hi there! I recently went to a barrel race and had to get my horse checked out so that I could get some anti-inflammatories. The vet there said that she has fluid in her stifles and that it would be in my best interest to get her injected. What do y’all think about that? Just trying to find out what the best thing is to do for her.
This article is several years old at this point, but it’s still a pretty good run down on stifle injuries and injections. Highly recommend giving it a read through.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/35j4x0xcxq…ifles.pdf?dl=0
Would be prudent to ultrasound to see what all is going on in there, and if the reason for the fluid is a soft tissue injury, IRAP can be very useful.
Alrighty! Thank you!
I think it sounds normal to inject the joint if there is fluid. Hopefully your horse will be more comfortable then.
Good article! If and when injection is called for be picky as to who does it.
Some practitioners have consistently better outcomes.
What a great article! I have a horse with a “hitch in his gitalong” and my vet is being very cautious in deciding on treatment. He (horse, not vet) has been put back into light work this week and he is much, much better. I am guessing (will be talking to vet on Th,) that we will see where he goes from here before considering whether to take him to vet school to see the orthopedist.
My vet said, though that problems inside the joint cannot be seen by x-rays or ultrasound, since the area is hidden. I will show him this article and ask him what he means by “hidden”.
My lameness vet had no problem with radiograph or ultrasound imaging of my horse’s stifles. Good idea to check in with your vet to see why he thinks it’s a no-go … fingers crossed that you will have a way forward soon!
Mine was having a subtle performance issue in collected work to the left. She ended up having mild bony changes in one stifle but no soft tissue injury, and injections have been a great solution.
Steroid injection would not be on my list of treatments if we had found soft tissue issues in there, though.
OP, I hope you pursue some diagnostic imaging before you opt for injections. The best treatment option will depend on exactly what is causing the lameness.
1 Like
Errrr…no. Did you read the article I linked?
This is why you can’t just blindly inject:
There’s a lot of STUFF in the stifle. More than probably any other joint. Think of all the different ways things can go wrong in a human knee–same joint. Is it bony? Is it soft tissue? Steroid isn’t a good choice if the fluid is there because of a soft tissue strain. It might make the horse look better short term, but it’s not helping the soft tissue heal. You really need to know the problem is bony before putting steroid in this particular joint.
Errrr, no i didn’t. i was offering my opinion based on my experience with two of my horses with stifle issues. There is no right or wrong here, just varying opinions.
Putting steroid into a stifle with a soft tissue injury can definitely be the “wrong” choice.
2 Likes
Having injected my horse I would say it’s not a bad idea. However I personally check before injecting just to make sure. At the same time due to navicular she gets her front injected about once a year and both myself and my vet know the signs when she needs to get done
Simkie, I do agree with that. Forgive my snark; stifle injuries and injections are near and dear to me having gone through them multiple times with two of my horses. I agree with x-rays before injections and an u/s if warranted. It has been my experience though that fluid in and around the joint does usually respond to IA injections.
Found this article when I was heavy in my researching of stilfe issues during 2015-2017.
http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/dont-be-stopped-stifle-injury
