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Discussion on Fetlock xrays
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Member:
jivete
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Posted on Tuesday, Apr 29, 2008 - 9:08 pm:
I've posted about my Spanish Norman before and thought I'd update. She has a very subtle unevenness tracking left as compared to right. Her strides appear even both direction, but are slightly less fluid and are shorter overall tracking left. I've had several different lameness evaluations, with very different diagnoses.
I decided to have the vet (different since I moved barns) out for another evaluation after I noticed the shortness after riding more trying out a new saddle. It is subtle enough that I have a hard time seeing it on video and on the lunge I have to have her track left than right then left again to notice the difference.
This vet confirmed that I'm not completely crazy and she flexed lame on the front left fetlock. He took xrays and sent me home with a disk. What he found was some mild remodeling on the front, medial side of her fetlock. This is consistent with a little thickening of the joint capsule at this location. Her left foot turns in slightly as well.
He's coming out next week to block the joint and possibly inject it. Mostly what he recommends is getting her weight down (difficult considering percheron/andalusian = fat on air) possibly joint supplements and keeping up on the balance of her feet.
I wanted to hear others thoughts and possibly Dr. O's interpretations of the following x-ray. I have several, but thought I'd just post the one now.
What's reassuring about this is for the most part, she's mostly improved since I noticed this 4 years ago (she's now 6). I'd like to use this mare as a low level dressage horse (1st to 2nd level) with moderate trail riding. My plan is to bring her in for the summer (she's currently pastured) and try to get her weight down a little. The lower picture is from last year, but her weight is similar right now.
Thanks for any thoughts.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 30, 2008 - 6:28 am:
Hello Carla,
Before I comment I would like to see the other 3 views of the fetlock.
DrO
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Member:
ekaufman
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 30, 2008 - 9:52 am:
Hi Carla,
I can't comment intelligently on the x-rays. I will say that I would be inclined to get the best farrier care I could for this horse. Hard to tell from that photo, but it seems that her front feet might benefit from an expert review. She has a big front end, and her foreleg conformation may be challenged to support her over time, to my eye. I would invest in her feet to prolong her career.
Assuming she is comfortable enough to work, I think she would likely benefit from any discipline that trained her to transfer her balance off the forehand (except possibly jumping, where she has the landing to contend with). Strengthening that hind end seems like a good idea for her, and first/second level are not overly difficult, although some of the movements (counter canter) may prove challenging. As with any horse, it depends on how she uses herself and her attitude about the whole thing.
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Member:
jivete
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 30, 2008 - 10:50 am:
I will post the other views tonight when I get home. Thanks!
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Member:
jivete
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 30, 2008 - 2:10 pm:
Thanks for the comment Elizabeth. Can you elaborate on what you feel the best hoof care would entail? She has excellent feet and the vet recommended possibly adding front shoes only because she does have a tendency to wear them out of balance after 3 weeks or so (I have her trimmed every 4-5 weeks). Also, shoes could potentially facilitate a quicker breakover than rolling the toe would. He also mentioned if the wrong farrier put shoes on her, they could potentially lame her because of the way she breaks over on her front left foot and forcing a centered breakover would not make her happy, which makes me just a little weary. A barefoot horse can wear their feet the way they need to, especially if they have a little bit of conformational issues. I'm just curious about the comment.
She's suprisingly light considering how heavy she is (although her head isn't quite that big, it's a little bit of trickery from the camera angle).
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Member:
jivete
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 30, 2008 - 9:25 pm:
The other xrays...
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Thursday, May 1, 2008 - 7:35 am:
I agree with the interpretation and the plan your veterinarian has Carla. The ap suggests the horse suffers from some degree of angular deformity in the fetlock and the reason for the chronic changes.
DrO
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Member:
jivete
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Posted on Thursday, May 1, 2008 - 9:06 am:
Thanks. It's nice to have confirmation. She does turn in slightly on this foot.
Is this a situation where you think shoes would be beneficial or not? She has great, strong feet and I am certainly not above having her feet re-shaped (hate to use the word trim) more often to keep them properly balanced. But if shoes would help keep her sound I'm definitely not opposed to them either.
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Member:
ekaufman
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Posted on Thursday, May 1, 2008 - 9:44 pm:
Hi Carla,
Sorry-- missed your question. It sounds to me like you have good local advice for your mare's feet. When I hear different things from my farrier and my vet, I ask them to talk by phone and get me a single recommendation. That has always worked out well for me, and for the horses as well.
Good luck with her!
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Friday, May 2, 2008 - 6:32 am:
Whether shoes can help will depend on the cause of the lameness. So despite the suspicious radiographs wait till the nerve and articular blocks are done. In the meantime you can read our recommendations of treating fetlock arthritis at Diseases of Horses » Lameness » Diseases of the Lower Limb » Overview of Fetlock (Ankle) Lameness.
DrO
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Member:
jivete
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Posted on Thursday, May 8, 2008 - 3:17 pm:
Well, she blocked at the fetlock. The vet also injected with a steroid so I won't know for sure for another five days or so if it makes her 100%. The good news, while a little thin, her synovial fluid was clear. And vet recommended leaving her feet the same. Which is nice because with moving her into the stall to lose weight, an added joint supplement and the vet bills, I'd rather not have the added expense of shoes.
She's also finally gotten the hang of her grazing muzzle. She looked so depressed wearing it at first, it was pretty pathetic. So hopefully she might actually lose a little weight this summer. I'm hoping for a slim 1150 lb.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Thursday, May 8, 2008 - 8:31 pm:
When you say she blocked at the fetlock was this done with a low volar peri-neural block or was the joint itself injected with anesthetic?
DrO
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Member:
jivete
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Posted on Friday, May 9, 2008 - 9:01 am:
I believe it was inject with an anesthetic and I think steroid combo M-something I believe. I try to pay attention to the specifics, but sometimes the names escape me. I have a hard enough time remembering people's names. My receipt just says block LF.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Friday, May 9, 2008 - 5:09 pm:
How the fetlock was blocked is important to the diagnosis Carla. If the joint was blocked it constricts the diagnosis to the joint and periarticular structures if the whole fetlock area is blocked then the diagnosis can be many more things. The examination of the fluid, the radiographs, and the steroid all suggest the joint, I just wanted to be sure.
Well let's give it a few days and see what we got. Good luck!
DrO
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Member:
jivete
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Posted on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - 8:52 am:
Well, so far so good. I rode last night for the first time since her injection and she felt great. Very even on both reins as far as I could tell (or course before I always felt like I was looking for uneveness). So hopefully we've isolated the problem. Now comes the challenge of keeping her comfortable.
She's already lost a tick (27lbs)on the weight tape and the farrier is coming out Thursday to check the balance of her feet and trim her. I plan on ordering joint supplements today or tomorrow.
Thanks for your help.
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Member:
ekaufman
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Posted on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - 3:36 pm:
Good news Carla! Remember that horses can't read x-rays, and plenty have long happy careers with ridiculous looking "problems." Let us know how you get along with your sweet girl.
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Member:
jivete
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Posted on Sunday, May 18, 2008 - 11:09 pm:
I know this isn't quite the place to put this, but here is an updated picture of Lily. I'm afraid she might be losing weight a little too fast. She goes out with the grazing muzzle during the day (and does graze with it) and then comes in at night. She gets a flake of hay 2x/day and just a handful of grain. How quickly can they safely lose weight? I realize the weight tape isn't the perfect measuring system, and with her round withers I have a hard time making sure I've got it in the right place. It seems like she's lost about 50-80 lbs already.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Monday, May 19, 2008 - 7:09 am:
There is no problem with weight loss that occurs over several weeks time as long as the horse does not go below the condition you are shooting for.
DrO
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Member:
jivete
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Posted on Monday, May 19, 2008 - 9:48 am:
Thanks, I wasn't sure if it was similar to people, where the dr's recommend only losing 3lb a week or so.
Is there a way to move a portion of this post to the appropriate forum that way I can keep commenting on it and others can find it if they're looking for fat horse info? Or should I just start a new post?
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