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  Discussion on Iodine injections and stifle lock
Author Message
Member:
redback

Posted on Saturday, Mar 15, 2008 - 8:31 pm:

Hi Folks:
Just though I'd pass on a quick reflection on my horses response to Iodine injection for mild UPF. At the time I was concerned that my horse had become very tight in her action after the injection. Some 14 days after the injection she was very sensitive in the area, refused to let you touch the stifle and not going well.
The Vet came twice and took dozens of xrays all showing nothing abnormal.
I went one week to the trainer and started to use my infrasound machine and a week later she was getting far less sensitive and improving. This could have been time or the machine?
The vet wanted to inject another drug to release the stifle. I decided that we best not start messing around further. Instead she went on a ten day bute treatment. (The bute ended up creating ulcers so maybe that wasn't the best, but it probably assisted the stifle)
During the next ten days we continued the infrasound and by the tenth day, after the vet she had no sensitivity at all.
In my mind two things were learnt.
1. The post iodine injection rehab is critical. You ned to balance getting the joint working with over inflaming the joint, my horse raced 7 days after the injection, that was far too soon.

2. In my horses case it effectively took 3-4 weeks for her to overcome the soreness and inflamation. So I would say the advertised post iodine injection time is too short. If a heavy inflamed reaction occurs don't over react just give the inflamation time to calm and assist where possible.

Regards
Geoff
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Mar 15, 2008 - 10:07 pm:

Thanks for the information Geoff, this may help others faced with this common complication of internal blistering of the medial patellar ligament. My only comment is that in 20 years of practice I have never had bute create a ulcer problem Geoff. What were the symptoms and how was it diagnosed? I do believe if inflammation was the problem the bute was likely to help.
DrO
Member:
redback

Posted on Sunday, Mar 16, 2008 - 6:56 am:

Hi DrO:
Sorry I should have said stomach ulcers were created or inflamed by the bute. The bute treatment was ingested. She showed so many symptoms of ulcers that we treated her without scoping. Symptoms included bad temper, poor coat, poor performance and appetite. She has had a rest and with the use of Rice bran oil, linseed oil and more grass she is much better even her coat is now healthy and not dry, she is doing much better at training now.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Mar 16, 2008 - 9:00 pm:

Those symptoms are not specific for ulcers Geoff and many common to any horse who is faced with remarkably increased stall time or experiencing chronic pain as from the medical procedure. And they would be expected to get better with time.
DrO
Member:
redback

Posted on Monday, Mar 17, 2008 - 4:52 am:

Hi DrO:
All I'm doing is reporting on my experience with my horse so that the information may be of help to others. I have read elsewhere that Bute can create gastric ulcers and this is what my horse was treated for and responded totally to the treatment. She was never stabled. Sometimes as owners all we can do is treat symptoms and avoid massive Vet bills in an attempt to identify specific causes. Often I have left no stone un turned to find causes and ended up none the wiser. You may be totally right.
Neither of us can prove otherwise at this point so its a bit academic.

Regards
Geoff
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Mar 18, 2008 - 7:02 am:

I understand Geoff and I am trying to put into perspective what I consider a highly conjectural situation: associating the use of bute with a "clinical gastric ulcer synDrOme" when horses are "ADR" (Ain't Doing Right). It is is important to correct the notion this is a well established problem as bute is a inexpensive way to fight inflammation in a horse yet many choose not to use it because of such reports. Also treatment for ulcers which may or may not be a problem is expensive in cost and time.

In my experience and in the scientific and veterinariy literature such cases of bute induced gastric ulceration that leads to clinical symptoms as you describe are not commonly found, in fact I have never seen such a case.
DrO
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