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  Discussion on Tenosynovitis protocol vs. tendinitis?
Author Message
New Member:
andreas

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 28, 2010 - 8:37 pm:

Hello Dr. O

Thank you for having the most informative website on horses that there is!

My horse has been diagnosed with a mild grade 1 tenosynovitis of the DDFT. When he hurt it he showed no lameness except when he was flexed.
There was initially some swelling above the fetlock and heat. I put him on bute, ice therapy and kept support wraps on. My vet injected him with hylauranic acid and steroids. He then was rested in a stall for 8 weeks at which time the vet gave me the ok to turn him out. 8 days later he came in with swelling on the same leg.

Back into the stall with ice therapy,bute & supportive wraps. The vet checked him yesterday and he's sound unless flexed. No heat or swelling anymore and the wraps are off.

My question is this: Is there a difference in recovery protocol for a tear in the sheath than for a tear in the actual tendon? My guess is that a tear in the tendon is much worse, but I could be wrong. While I surely don't want to risk turning him out too early again, he becomes a lunatic when he's in the stall for very long. Is it truly necessary to wait 9 months if he flexes sound and the ultrasound shows healing? I can't get my vet to commit to any time frame at all. Your input would greatly be appreciated..

Thanking you in advance
Andrea
Member:
dres

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 28, 2010 - 9:00 pm:

Andrea if your horse is a accident waiting to happen , why bother with the turn out? Be safe, give him a larger area but not a full size turn out for his brain to be happy .. Any tendon or otherwise is serious and will always be weaker after healing then before the damage..

On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots...
New Member:
andreas

Posted on Thursday, Jul 29, 2010 - 7:42 am:

Thanks Ann,

I so wish I could give him a larger area, but I tried by taking the gate out of his "stall" (which is really a run in) to make it into its full size about 12 x 36 He started cantering in it immediately! I had previously tried to put him in a cattle pen with 3cc of ace and he immediatly started bucking and running!

Warren is a 16.2 Thoroubred who is an ex-race horse. He is kept outside 24/7 with access to this run-in. He is usually a sweetheart, but gets downright dangerous when he's kept in confinement. I have scoured the internet for the ace crumbles, but can't find them. I'm leary about the reserpine, so I'm giving him ace liquid an hour before hand walking him, but i'm having to up the dose the longer I keep him in. He's just high energy!

That's why I was hoping that I wouldn't have to confine him in the winter, because that will increase it 10 fold. To compound the problem, he is like so many thoroughbreds and not an easy keeper. Unless I want him to go down to skin and bones, he needs his high fat grain and rice supplements. So that's my dillema. I'm fully committed to seeing him recovered, but I don't want it to take an extra day if he doesn't need it!
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Jul 29, 2010 - 5:46 pm:

Hello Andrea,
Both tendinitis's and tenosynovitis's vary greatly in their severity so you cannot compare one to the other in any general sense, you have to look at the specific injury. Most tenosynovitis's do have damage in the tendon and their own set of problems too, see HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Lameness » Diseases of the Lower Limb » Flexor Tendinitis for more on this.

I think it is a mistake to go from the stall to turn out. The best course is to gradually bring him along, including the size of his turn out space. How well he does with increasing exercise determines how long before he is out in the pasture. If you have a tendon injury we recommend you follow the protocol as even apparently mild problems can become chronic.
DrO
New Member:
andreas

Posted on Thursday, Jul 29, 2010 - 6:23 pm:

Thank you Dr O for your information, it is helpful to know I should do this in stages. I'll be trying to figure this all out and keep you posted.

Thanks again
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