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  Discussion on Newborn foal with contracted tendons - treatment advice
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New Member:
Tassjane

Posted on Monday, Sep 20, 2004 - 8:30 pm:

Hi I am looking for some advice for my now nearly 3day old colt foal who has badly contracted tendons on both forelegs.

The vet and I have been working on him and he has had splints from about 18 hours of age (1.5" PVC pipe). We changed them after 24 hours to make them stronger, which caused a bit of pain but the foal is now quite happy again. The foal has had a shot of oxytetracycline every day for 3 days - no scours or any other problems.

He can now stand pretty much unaided, though needs a little hand to get up. He is trying to walk though is difficult in the stable with hay etc - he is really only dragging his front legs because he can't bend his knees.

My questions are;

How long can we keep giving the oxytet. and it still have a role in relaxing the tendons?

I read someones response on contracted tendons and it suggested going to "soft splints" what are these?

If we go to the option of severing the tendinous insertion of the flexor carpi ulnaris (or is it the ulnaris lateralis?) behind the knee, when should we do this (what age) and what is the prognosis - could he still be a riding horse albeit not an endurance prospect?

We are in Tasmania, Australia and my vet is doing a great job, but he thought it might be useful to see what others have found out as he has only seen one or two of these sorts of foals (we are a bit remote here!)

Any information gratefully accepted, I am serious about trying to get this foal to survive and be viable.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Sep 21, 2004 - 7:14 am:

Welcome Jane,
Wow, oxytet everyday for 3 days. If I am going to see a response, I see it in just a hour after administration and it usually lasts for 2 to 3 days. I have repeated it after 2 or 3 days but only once or twice.

I suspect they meant well padded splints but if you post the question to that discussion, it should be automatically emailed to the poster assuming they have this option in their profile selected.

Contracted knee (carpus) can have a number of different causes and which structure you transect depends on which is causing the problem, see the article associated with this forum for more on this. When to give up on more conservative treatment depends on many factors Jane and we discuss general rules in the article for when more aggressive therapy should be untaken.
DrO
Member:
Tassjane

Posted on Tuesday, Sep 21, 2004 - 8:11 am:

Thanks for the feedback. We will cease with the oxytet for now then. The little boy managed to get himself up this afternoon and have a drink by himself. Brought tears to my eyes. If the oxytet lasts for up to 3 days perhaps taking the splints off tomorrow isn't a smart idea??? He has had them on for 3 days and we have reset them once. He can sort of walk in them. But we thought we might take them off tomorrow and see how he went, if he buckles we will put them back on again.

Is there any guidance on how long you can leave splints on? My vet thinks once the little boy can walk on his toes then we should take the splints off and let gravity and motion do its bit.

I have gone from a foal that wasn't breathing to a foal that walked in the sunshine and drank from his mum by himself in 3 days - I just want to keep him progressing.

Any help/suggestions most welcome!

Cheers
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Sep 21, 2004 - 11:16 pm:

How long you can leave them on depends on how well they are constructed: as long as you are not causing sores you are OK. The idea is for the oxytet to give you a breather: it is not a cure in itself. The splinting should continue with the idea that as the oxytet wears out the splints help stretch out the tissues as they contract back.
DrO
Member:
Tassjane

Posted on Wednesday, Sep 22, 2004 - 12:22 am:

Thanks again for the info Dr Oglesby.

We didn't give any oxytet today! My vet was really pleased to have a bit more info and very pleased about the link to scouring (ie not a problem - makes perfect sense!).

The little boy (Motive) had his splints off today - the knee on his best leg is straight so we have now only splinted his fetlock. The bad leg still needs a full splint but it is nearly straight.

So is it OK to be removing the splints as the leg straightens even though there is still lots of oxytet in his system? We are thinking that as the leg is straight we now want to encourage movement. He is finding it a bit easier to walk with flexion in one knee....There is only one sore on his leg and we can make new splints in about 30 minutes so I am happy to keep them on as long as he needs them. My vet is saying that we should try to get out of the splints ASAP so that Motive develops muscle and tone and increases movement.

Do you agree?

I must reiterate how fantastic your advice and this resource is for us. We just don't get many horses like this and so experience is short on the ground. I am so much more confident with the treatment now and Motive is really making great progress - thank you so very much.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Sep 22, 2004 - 8:05 am:

Thanks for the kind words Jane. I should state that the oxytet is not without some risk, see Equine Medications and Nutriceuticals » Antibiotics and Antimicrobials » Tetracycline, Oxytetracycline, & Doxycycline.

I am afraid these are all clinical judgements that only can be made looking at the foal, watching how he changes, and be prepared to make adjustments depending on these changes. Your vet is absolutely correct in that exercise is very important to proper growth and adaption so if he or she believes there is a fair chance the foal can straighten from here without the splints, you should go for it...but be ready with the splints just in case.
DrO
Member:
Tassjane

Posted on Wednesday, Sep 22, 2004 - 12:30 pm:

Thanks again.

We will keep an eye on the legs and see what happens. I am hopeful we can keep reducing the splints and increasing the activity levels. He is generally more independent although tonight a bit wobbly - but its been a big day!

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