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Discussion on Severe Stifle and Pelvis Injury in a pony
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New Member:
casper02
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Posted on Tuesday, Mar 25, 2008 - 10:20 pm:
Hi Guys,
I'm wondering if anyone has ever gone through this before. 6 weeks ago my 12HH Welsh Pony was kicked or fell in the paddock. When the BO went to bring her in she was non-weight bearing on RH, shaking uncontrollably. He for sure thought she broke her leg. We called the vet immediately and carried her inside. They took X-Rays the best that they could on the farm and nothing was reported broken (they were only able to take 4 X-Rays due to the high up location) I wanted to take her to the Vet school for a detailed exams but it's 2 hours away and there was no way that she would be able to stand the trip. The vet thinks its severe muscle damage and pulled ligaments. Stall rest with Bute. She is not able to lie down. Severe swelling in the stifle region.
Fast forward to last week, I had her Digitally x-rayed and ultrasounded. X-Rays again showed nothing broken but the ultrasound (trans-rectal) showed muscle tears in her pelvis and stifle as well as ligament tears (Collateral ligaments and Patellar ligaments,I believe) They also believe that there is damage to her Menisci. On top of all that they felt roughening of the tibia which they think could be an indication of a small fracture. She has been on 2gr bute in the morning and Recovery EQ at nights for the last 4 weeks. She is no better. Toe weight bearing slightly. She has been on stall rest ever since.
They recommended a 3 month check up.
Has anyone ever had an injury this severe and the horse come out of it? She is not a riding horse. I rescued her from a very abusive home years ago. I just want to do whats best for her.
Is there anything else I can do for her? I was debating rapping her back legs to take the pressure off since she is not able to lie down - good or bad idea??
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Wednesday, Mar 26, 2008 - 5:06 am:
Poor pony, I have never had such an injury in a horse, but reading through this I wondered if there is a chance she could founder in her weight bearing leg. I am not sure if there is anything you can do to prevent that or not. Hope Dr.O. can ans. your questions. Good Luck
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Member:
ajudson1
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Posted on Wednesday, Mar 26, 2008 - 6:49 am:
Oh, I agree, poor pony, and poor pony's owner! I would suggest doing massage a few times a day. Without a chart in front of me showing muscles and bones, I am not 100% clear which muscles you can reach so I would just start at the places you think the muscles are injuried and start lightly. Watch her reaction. Eye's blinking, sighing, licking, increased breathing are all signs it feels good. Maybe we have a HA member who is trained in Massage that can give more in depth advice; but I know pony will appreciate it and it will help her heal too. I am just learning about this myself. It might help to head over to Amazon and order "Equine Massage for Performance Horses" by Jim Masterson.
I just saw wonderful results with one of our horses who was resting a hind leg for months. I only did one basic part of the massage and he's been using that leg/hind qtr ever since.
Good luck, keep us posted what happens.
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Wednesday, Mar 26, 2008 - 7:33 am:
I wonder if rigging some sort of sling to bear the weight of the pony would make the little one more comfortable and help the healing (as well as possibly prevent a founder on the other leg?).
Best of luck for your pony...I hope she is able to make a full recovery.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Wednesday, Mar 26, 2008 - 8:14 am:
Hello Casper,
if the injury is as described this will be a permanent lameness. What is less certain is whether pasture soundness is obtainable: are the collateral ligaments on one side completely torn through? If so the prognosis would be poor for even pasture sound.
Consider rapping the opposite leg for swelling control but it will not help the supporting tissues that much.
DrO
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New Member:
casper02
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Posted on Wednesday, Mar 26, 2008 - 8:50 am:
Thanks for the reply. I'm unsure if the tear is complete. If it is not complete, is the prognosis better (I'm grasping for straws here)I will request a copy of their report.
Am I just delaying the inevitable? Do I give it until the 3 month mark and see if there is any improvement? They did say to me that if there is no improvement by 3 months the prognosis is quite poor. I don't want to cause her any more pain then she is already in - is there any harm in waiting out the 3 months?
They didn't seem to think the risk of founder was all that great due to it being a rear leg. Is this accurate?
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Member:
rorien
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Posted on Wednesday, Mar 26, 2008 - 11:44 am:
Hi Casper,
Healing prayers go out to you and your pony. I don't have any other advise that has not already been given, but to watch for her being in pain. You'll be able to see it in her eyes.
And to answer your last question, founder in a rear leg is still a risk. Just look at the case of Barbaro, the race horse who broke a rear leg. The weight-bearing leg ended up foundering pretty badly.
Please keep us updated on how your pony is doing. 
Nicole
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Thursday, Mar 27, 2008 - 6:41 am:
The less damage the better the prognosis Caspar. I cannot judge whether this is going to be improvement or not but it does seem that your vets think there is a chance. Concerning mechanical founder of the weight bearing foot of a hind leg, unlike the front leg, I too have not had this happen behind. Overweight conditions or a small foot might make this more likely.
DrO
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Member:
jowidner
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Posted on Thursday, Mar 27, 2008 - 11:38 pm:
Caspar,
I have no advice to add, but did want to send sympathy and encouragement to you. It sounds like a very hard situation and I wish you and your pony the very best. Ponies are tough, and sometimes even severe injuries turn out better than we think they will once swelling goes down and tissues begin to heal. Hang in there and please let us know how things progress.
Jo Ann
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Member:
pbauer
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Posted on Friday, Mar 28, 2008 - 6:50 pm:
Dear Caspar,
Adding my prayers, too.
Very Sincerely,
Tonya
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New Member:
casper02
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 2, 2008 - 10:45 pm:
Sorry for the late reply, I got the reports from the vets and to sum it up the ligament involved is the Patellar Ligament (along with muscle injuries) and they believe the Menisci is also involved.
Since my last post, the muscle over her hip/pevis has completely atrophied(sp?) and she looks like a classic case of a broken pelvis. Does this make sense considering her injury?
On top of it all, she is DrOpping weight! This is a pony who lives on air for the most part. While shes in jail she's been eating hay all day. I would expect her to gain weight not lose weight?? Anyone have any suggestions for that? I am not planning to give her grain. She gets vitamines morning and night.
She is still non-weight bearing and her lameness is graded at a 4/5 as per the vets.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Thursday, Apr 3, 2008 - 8:02 am:
Yes, disuse atrophy of the muscles generally is visible by two months after an injury Caspar. And chronic pain can cause weight loss. If your ponies condition is less than you want and concentrates are not in the picture you must up the quality of the hay you are feeding.
DrO
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New Member:
casper02
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Posted on Thursday, May 1, 2008 - 8:41 am:
The pony was put down at the University of Guelph on Monday. The collelateral ligament was completely torn through and her meniscus was damaged beyond repair. There was less then 1% chance that she would ever recover 
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Member:
lilo
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Posted on Thursday, May 1, 2008 - 9:34 am:
So sorry to hear about the pony. Definitely it was the right decision, but it is always so hard.
My condolences,
Lilo
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Member:
ekaufman
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Posted on Thursday, May 1, 2008 - 11:32 am:
Very sorry to hear it. Condolences to you.
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Thursday, May 1, 2008 - 12:50 pm:
I'm very sorry to hear of the loss of your pony.
My condolences,
Fran
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Member:
jowidner
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Posted on Thursday, May 1, 2008 - 9:37 pm:
Casper, I'm so very sorry to hear your sad news. It certainly sounds as if you and your vets did all that could be done for your pony, and when she could not be helped, did the courageous and kindest thing by easing her passage from this world. Caring thoughts to you during this time.
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Member:
paul303
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Posted on Thursday, May 1, 2008 - 11:34 pm:
Oh, no. So very sorry.
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Member:
frances
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Posted on Friday, May 2, 2008 - 9:17 am:
Very sad for you and the poor pony Caspar. You both went through a lot; at least you know you did everything you possibly could to help her. She is out of pain now.
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Member:
mysi
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Posted on Saturday, May 3, 2008 - 9:30 pm:
I am so very sorry to hear about your pony.
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