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Should I get a re-check, or wait?

565 views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  livelovelaughride 
#1 · (Edited)
My horse suddenly came up 3 legged lame last summer (a year ago). We called the vet who we normally use for coggins, and she came out to do a lameness exam. She diagnosed it as a high suspensory strain and advised 4-6 weeks off in a small turnout. He goes absolutely insane if he is stalled long-term, so this was the best way of keeping him quiet. I eventually elected to play it safe and give him 4 months off, since I was leaving for university anyway.

When I got back over Christmas break, he was sound. So I rode him very lightly over break, and told a girl at the barn that she could ride him lightly while I was at school. I came back over spring break, and he was doing very well! He'd sometimes start a little off but seemed to work out of it, and all his signs seemed to point to slight arthritis developing. He's 17, so it made sense.

I came home for summer, and did some shows with him (western pleasure, so he wasn't going crazy exerting himself). He started to seem worse, so I kept it very light and worked on scheduling an appointment with a vet everyone recommended upstate. Soon it got to the point where he just seemed a little too off, so I kept him out of work until he could be seen.

The vet upstate did a full exam on him, and as it turned out, the first vet somehow had an entirely incorrect diagnosis. He said that when my gelding was initially lame, it's because he tore what he estimates to be 50% of his superficial flexor tendon. At this point, it had healed about 75% but was likely a slower heal since we were working him, but said that it would have taken a year and half to heal anyway and it likely didn't extend that timeline by much since he wasn't working that hard. He recommended 6 more months off, and advised that I put him in Back on Track boots for 12 hours a day, and said that 24 hour turnout in a small paddock was okay. The boots REALLY helped with the swelling, especially since he had started to develop a strain on the other leg because he was starting to compensate.

I just came home from college to visit for a weekend, and I could tell he is still off at the walk. I know that the barn owner is keeping an eye on him, but I'm starting to get worried that he'll be off forever. Maybe some of it is that I'm overly cautious since I feel so horrible that I had worked him while he was still injured, though I was basing it off of what the first vet had said. Obviously he's been off since the second vet looked at him, but he's still not looking any more sound.

The 6 month timeline ends at the beginning of January, and I'm considering getting him re-checked when I'm home over winter break to see how he's coming. It would be a little early, and my concern would be driving several hours upstate in the middle of the winter for a non-emergency, but it would be nice to be seen by the same vet. I have also considered seeing if the vet that the barn owner usually uses will be out around that time, but she usually recommends not using him since he's pricey and the upstate vet is so good. The next time I'd be able to get him seen is when I'm home in March, which is still not great weather but gives him a little longer to be better.

I'm just trying to figure out what would be best for him. I would just call the vet and ask, but he's constantly so busy that unless you make an appointment it's hard to talk to him.

Any recommendations?
 
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