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  Discussion on Stifle-Stiringhalt or back?
Author Message
New Member:
pmsmom

Posted on Saturday, Oct 6, 2007 - 4:49 pm:

Hello everyone, I am new to the board and boy can I use your help. My 3 yr old paint gelding was diagnosed, by a highly recommeded Leg/back vet, as having UFP about a year ago. We did xrays to rule out joint damage and they were clean, the vet did an internal blister on both stifles which did not help. I went back in 3 months, same conclusion, said since he was young and not very muscled up in the back end, he recommended turning him out for 6 months on 24/7 pasture turnout to grow a bit and see if things would work themselves out. They did not. We had the MPD surgery done 5 weeks ago, which has helped with some of his symptoms but not most of them, so I have to assume we have more issues going on here. His symptoms are as follows: "hitching" of the right hind leg when he first starts out walking,looks like a stringhalt type lifting of the leg, I have felt of the joint while he is doing this and I can not feel it popping or catching, nor are there any sounds when this happens. It is hitching up and slightly outward. He extends fully in all strides and the hitching is only at the walk. He also "hitches" oddly when you turn him in a tight circle, looks like a male dog cocking his leg to pee, he sometimes will loose his balance when this happens and teeter for a few seconds before he gets straightened back out. Also, when you bring his hind right back as to clean it, his leg,buttocks, lower back spasm and jerk. It is only on this leg and it doesn't do it if you bring his leg forward. My vet is aware of this and believes it is possible it might be stringhalt, and doesn't seem to think it is EPM.
He currently has him on Methocarb to see if that will help relax those muscles and has us walking him under saddle for 30 minutes a day. He is also under the care of an equine chiropractor, as his "issue", or his weak back end, seem to be causing his back and hips to need adjustment quite regularly.
I am at a total loss at what this could be and could use any thoughts and help you can provide.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Oct 7, 2007 - 11:35 am:

Welcome Bobbi,
Your veterinarian thinks your horse has stringhalt and your description is consistent with the diagnosis Bobbi. One other consideration should be Shivers however. The dog peeing stance and holding up of the leg resembles Shivers. We lump this condition that is more frequent in cold bloods in the article, Diseases of Horses » Lameness » Muscle & Tendon Diseases » Rhabdomyolysis: Tying Up, Shivers, PSSM, EPSM.

If you are comfortable with the Stringhalt diagnosis we have both diagnostic considerations and treatment recommendations at Diseases of Horses » Lameness » Diseases of the Upper Rear Limb » Stringhalt. If you remain uncertain of the diagnosis I recommend a referral to a equine hospital for further diagnostic work.
DrO}
Member:
ekaufman

Posted on Sunday, Oct 7, 2007 - 11:46 am:

Hi Bobbi,

I had quite a lesson in differential diagnosis on hind-end neurological conditions last spring. It didn't make me an expert, but my old stringhalt stallion was evaluated by an equine neurological specialist, who told me a number of things. Stringhalt is a diagnostic bucket for a variety of neurologic insults/trauma/inflammation that cause a certain kind of funky hind-end symptoms.

Some stringhalt does come from the stifle, but it can also be caused by certain kinds of spinal trauma etc..

If you want to try to identify the cause (sometimes possible) in order to see if you might be able to improve the symptoms (also sometimes possible), it requires an expert exam in a properly equipped clinic or vet hospital. Even an expert can't perform a pasture exam that will positively identify or absolutely rule-out a cause for stringhalt.

In my case, the exam would have run about $400 including all the incidentals.
New Member:
pmsmom

Posted on Sunday, Oct 7, 2007 - 4:25 pm:

Thanks Dr. O and Elizabeth,
at your suggestion I looked up EPSM and after reading a large number of articles found that his symptoms are much more consistent with EPSM than Stringhalt. His "hitching" is slow with an outward movement, opposite of the Stringhalt quick jerky movement. He also parks out his hind end a lot. I am going to talk to my vet Monday about the possibility. I am also going to start making slow changes to his diet immediately, it is something that cannot hurt and would be so awesome if we see some benefits from it.

Elizabeth, I thank you for your advice, that is why I am spending so many hours researching different conditions, I feel now that I should have waited to have the stifle surgery done, it might still have been needed, but there were things were missed in the diagnosis that should have been considered.
It seems that getting an accurate diagnosis can be very complicated and time consuming, especially since so many different diseases can have such similar symptoms.
If my current surgeon/vet is not willing to explore the possibility that this is something other than stringhalt then I will take him another hospital facility for further diagnostics.
Thanks again to both of you for your help.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Oct 8, 2007 - 7:46 am:

You are welcome Bobbi, a serum muscle enzyme panel can help rule in EPSM.
DrO
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