UPDATED 10/10. LYMPHOMA on tendon - 8" above the hock. Experiences?

[endlessclimb]

Update:

Vet came out again. Flexed mildly positive in a few places, but no smoking gun. Ultrasounded suspensories, everything looked fine.

The vet palped that mass above her hock. While she didn’t show discomfort while he was doing it, as he walked away she started stamping it and was obviously a little upset at it.

Did a peroneal block on my request, trying to get at that mass - still showed lameness RH. Not totally sure we got the right location to target that mass though. (side note, it will be a miracle if she didn’t do damage to her extensor, she had no clue where her foot was, poor girl)

Ultimately, we injected stifles and hocks. We will reassess in a month.

Removing that mass is absolutely out of the question. First, it would not be a standing procedure, and she is not a good recovery room candidate. Second, the mass they removed from her girth line in December 2018 is back already, as big as it ever was.

So, if the lameness does not resolve with this newest round of “shot gun” injections, we will hit that mass with the meanest steroids we can to try and reduce its size.

And if that doesn’t work, she is officially retired.

[Old_Mac_Donald]

Sorry to hear of your mare’s troubles (and yours!). I have one that presented very similarly. Vets diagnosed a bone spur rubbing the annular ligament, and she remains “on again, off again” unsound. I officially “ran out of money”, and have turned the mare out with her mates for the lovely Dr Green. We’ll see. So, whilst not in the same boat as yourself in terms of dealing with cancer (though my family has been hurt enough by that dreadful disease), I just want to share a sympathetic hand as one who, practically speaking, has also had to turn off the leaking money drain and say “enough is enough”. Whilst I am sure that I could throw good money after bad, at the end of the day I would probably still have a potentially unsound horse. So, you have my sympathy and my well wishes for your good mare. I hope that she does somehow beat the odds because she sounds one-in-a-million.

[endlessclimb]

She is super cool. I was joking yesterday that she’s a ferrari to sit on, and a minivan to handle on the ground. She was SUCH a good girl for the vet yesterday, not a wrong move. I just want to help her so we can fully enjoy what time we have left.

The money drain is a real problem at this point though. While I “can afford it”, it is truly beginning to sink in that it may have all been a waste. I thought I was doing all the right things, every diagnostic tool readily available barring an MRI has been done with NO concrete results. sigh

[Gumby80]

@endlessclimb

The money drain is a real problem at this point though. While I “can afford it”, it is truly beginning to sink in that it may have all been a waste. I thought I was doing all the right things, every diagnostic tool readily available barring an MRI has been done with NO concrete results. sigh

Bleh You’re a good mum. I know that’s not much comfort in the end, but she’s lucky to have you.

[JB]

@endlessclimb

The money drain is a real problem at this point though. While I “can afford it”, it is truly beginning to sink in that it may have all been a waste. I thought I was doing all the right things, every diagnostic tool readily available barring an MRI has been done with NO concrete results. sigh

I totally get it. If you don’t do the things you can, you’d always wonder if you’d been able to find something that you could fix. Having done so many things, it’s only hindsight which tells you they were “wasted”

But they weren’t. I know you have learned a TON going through this, and I’m sure I’m speaking for others who are grateful for you having shared it all. Clearly one of her purposes in this life has been to prepare you to be an even better caretaker of the next horse :yes:

[endlessclimb]

@JB

I totally get it. If you don’t do the things you can, you’d always wonder if you’d been able to find something that you could fix. Having done so many things, it’s only hindsight which tells you they were “wasted”

But they weren’t. I know you have learned a TON going through this, and I’m sure I’m speaking for others who are grateful for you having shared it all. Clearly one of her purposes in this life has been to prepare you to be an even better caretaker of the next horse :yes:

Ha, funny story is I have another horse who has a medical history a mile long too - bilateral surgical arthrodesis of the hocks, which ultimately did not completely resolve his lameness - he was 13 at the time, and is 20 and retired now. I learned a ton through him about catching it early, going straight to the specialty clinic, etc… so I did that with this gal. But she threw me a curveball with the cancer, and the mystery lameness.

It’s all ok though. It is what it is - I’m doing everything I can to figure out why she’s lame on the right hind. If we find it we’re going to try and kick every ass in this region until she says she doesn’t want to anymore. If I can’t find it, I’ve got a badass, beautiful trail partner who is super good at finding deer before I do, and is game to go anywhere over anything. She even takes pity on my dog and elects not to kill her, even when she deserves it.

Win-win for me - competing has never been why I like horses, and never will be. Just wish I could make the mare feel better. She tries so hard for me, I want to return the favor.

[JB]

She sounds amazing :yes:

[endlessclimb]

She totally is. I spent the first 6 months silently hating her guts, but we turned the page and now I think she’s awesome. I made a promise to her at her first event: jump all the things and I won’t sell you for a year. She poker faced me, jumped all the things, and laid down her 4 aces 6 months later - “I have cancer and you can’t sell me anyways muahahaha”. She nickers when she sees me, and will literally do anything I ask - maybe not the way I wanted it, maybe with a middle finger in there somewhere, but it gets done. <3

As for yesterday, she seemed ouchy, but not overly so. We just hand walked, but I could see it in her face - slightly pulled nostrils, slightly hard eyes. So, sore from all the pokes but nothing that looks serious in regards to the injections. Leg wasn’t hot, so I think I got lucky with the extensors.

She got cleared for turnout, seeing as how she gets more anxious in the stall while her buddies come and go, and doesn’t run like a banshee out there. I might ask her for a couple steps of trot both ways tonight after her hand walking just to get an idea of where she’s at.

[endlessclimb]

Update as of now:

We’ve been on the high dose, medium dose, low dose and no dose of prednisolone - fluctuating according to how her lumps and bumps are looking. She still doesn’t know she’s sick, so don’t tell her.

I’ve also been battling rain rot on her for several weeks now. Daily she gets bathed/scrubbed with medicated shampoo (when the weather isn’t garbage), Banixx put on, and left under a fan to dry. The pred compromises her immune system by design, so it’s persisted more than I hoped. It’s also been the wettest spring ever, so that doesn’t help.

At any rate, she’s pretty much where she was at the last update. The bumps wax and wane, they don’t seem to hurt her, she’s eating like a queen, and drinking like a fish.

[endlessclimb]

Update:

She’s been off of pred completely for about 2 months now. All the bumps are under control except for the one on the off side right behind the girth line. This is the same lumpy bump that Purdue removed, and it came right back, almost twice the size.

Rant time: I had been trying to get the barn vet at the “fancy barn” to inject it with vetalog since around my last update. I am extremely irritated with the equine professionals in my area. Both vets and farriers are impossible to get a hold of, and when you finally do, they either are extremely late or don’t show up at all to the appointment. My horses are ALWAYS well behaved, I’m not a nutter as far as requests (and when I am I admit it, and explain why I want something checked), and my professionals are paid on the spot with checks that would never ever ever bounce. Why in the hell is it so hard to get them to respond on time, is beyond me.

I have since moved back to the not fancy barn.

At any rate… the bump that I had been trying to get injected with something split open on Saturday. The vet is out now trying to figure out how to best remove it. Slice and dice it to be able to stitch it, or remove it with margins.

As far as her feet go - I’ll just say that the equipak did more damage than good. I think sometimes we try to change a whole lot with the best of intentions, but it ends up back firing. Let’s just say I have lots of tubes of Tomorrow on hand at this point.

[GraceLikeRain]

I am so sorry. Not feeling heard by professionals is one of my biggest frustrations. Admittedly, they deal with a lot of armchair experts but we often have insight into our personal horses that cannot be observed during a 60 minute vet appointment.

[endlessclimb]

Though, I’d like to say - outside of this hiccup, she’s doing great. Looking sounder, masses are at a minimum (though the ones on her eyelid are being watched closely), and happy. Hopefully after a summer of disappointments, I hope I get a chance to ride in the fall.

[Suspiria]

I am so sorry you are going through all this. <3 But thank you again for providing a chronicle of your journey for others.

[joiedevie99]

I’m so sorry your vet is awful! That adds so much to the stress of it all.

[endlessclimb]

@Suspiria

I am so sorry you are going through all this. <3 But thank you again for providing a chronicle of your journey for others.

Figured it might help someone down the line.

[endlessclimb]

@joiedevie99

I’m so sorry your vet is awful! That adds so much to the stress of it all.

It is really aggravating. I leave blank checks, I let them do whatever they deem necessary. I will often be on the trail for something and ask “can we ultrasound X just to be sure it’s not that” or “can we block Y to rule that out” but I’m always open to do a suggested therapy.

After my mare had had endless lameness evals, xrays, a bone scan, etc at Purdue, I had another vet come to look at her for her persistent (8+ month) right hind lameness. I showed and told him her whole history. Without hoof testers, he declared it was an abcess. I gritted my teeth and paid him. I mean, seriously? The vet care in this immediate area is absolutely atrocious.

[4horses]

That horse is really lucky to have you. I would have retired her as soon as i had the lymphoma diagnosis.

What about this?
https://www.americanveterinarian.com/news/novel-cancer-vaccine-uses-animals-own-tumor-cells

Not sure they do horses though.

[endlessclimb]

@4horses

That horse is really lucky to have you. I would have retired her as soon as i had the lymphoma diagnosis.

What about this?
https://www.americanveterinarian.com/news/novel-cancer-vaccine-uses-animals-own-tumor-cells

Not sure they do horses though.

She doesn’t do well with no work, haha. Really the lameness may or may not be (been, she’s actually looking pretty good lately) related to the cancer. The cancer is housed under her skin, and outside of some being in bad spots, all it is is a little unsightly.

[Nicki_s_Mom]

EndlessClimb you and your girl are awesome. I admire the strength and courage of both of you. The recent vet incident is inexcusable. I pray for continued good heath for you and your mare and maybe a miracle will occur. Hugs and good luck.