Suspensory Injury

[SpursNScrubs]

Hi all I was wondering if you call could give me a little input/advice on what i should do with my mare's suspensory injury....

A little backgroud.... she is 25 years old, and is pretty much semi retired, before the injury we just did some light trail riding and hacking around the farm, after recovery this is all we hope to do as well. In September she came up very lame behind, took awhile for the vet to get out and in the meantime I was poulticing and cold hosing. Few weeks later Vet diagnosis a tear in the suspensory branch and a strain of the deep flexor tendon. Since she is 25 and doesnt do much, we are just guessing she got pissy in turnout and kicked someone or something a little too hard. Anyways.... Vet prescribes Previcox until she is moving better, and alternating poultice, and this heavy duty homeopathic herbal hot "pain salve" which she said works wonders. Mare showed considereable improvement by december, and we were off the Previcox and just poulticing and cold hosing. During this time the Vet said to get mare turned out breifly (and by herself)  everyday providing she stay quit because she was worried at her age she would lose all muscle tone if she didnt have some kind of exercise.  She has been about 80% sound only appearing to be slightly off when i asked her to take a trotting step.

Yesterday there was heat in the area of the injury and some soft swelling, but she doesnt really look off. Cant get ahold of vet, I've been giving 2 grams of bute daily, leaving her in the stall and poulticing/cold hosing.  Should I be doing anything else?  Sweating too? Is this kind of inflamtion coming back normal in the recovery process? originally the vet had said maybe March of April till she was recovered, but the more I am reading on this, seems like it usually takes longer 7 months?!

Any advice or imput would be appreciated

Thanks

[DandilionBelle]

Having two horses with past suspensory injuries, I have a little knowledge on the subject.  These little swelling "hiccups" are not only expected but the norm in my humble opinion.  When they do happen, give some kind of pain relief (if necessary), and give your horse a day or two of limited turn-out coupled with 2-3 daily handwalks (10-15 minutes each).  Think of it as taking a step back for a few days until the swelling decreases.

Most older horses take just under a year (if not longer) to come back from a suspensory injury.  Lots of rest and good farrier work makes all the difference.  Bring them back VERY slowly and stay off lunge circles.   If you are looking for your mare to come back to a w/t semi-retirement, it is entirely plausible from your description.  Just be aware that you can have flare ups and days when she's going to "lock up".

Good luck!

[schancend]

I had a gelding that was only 7 when he had a tendon sheath injury. It took a good 6 months before he was sound and that was with 2 ultrasonic treatments and hosing and I also used magnetic therapy to help with healing. It did take him almost 12 months before he was sound enough for anything other than light trail riding. With your mare being older I would expect it to take longer and a few setbacks now and then--but it sounds like you are doing the right things. Good luck.

[morganhorse86]

Ugh. That sucks, especially at her age. It sounds like you're doing everything I can think of.

The only thing I wouldn't do is turn her out until you get a hold of the vet.

And I've been battling a torn straight sesmoidean ligament in my (now 17 year old) gelding for two years. He was stall bound for 7 months in 2008 and was sound enough for turnout. Then got MUCH worse and has been stall bound since April of 2009. Absolutely NO turnout, as he's a kook. We're up to walking for 40min, trotting for 2min U/S; I heart acepromazine. Here's hoping he's out of the stall by April... keeping my fingers crossed. And this was the "best case scenario"- at the beginning, our only goal was to get him sound enough for turnout. Now he MAY be a nice pleasure horse. Unfortunately he doesn't like being "just" a pleasure horse... sigh.

[summer]

My mare had a bowed tendon and suspensory injury.  We had quite a few episodes of minor swelling and heat during rehab, mostly during increases in trotting under saddle, and especially when we started trotting all the way around the arena. It was so discouraging sometimes.  Like 1 step forward, 2 steps back.  I did the same as the others; bute a couple days, icing, decrease work a little, and back to trotting only on straight lines, walking through the corners.  Just when I thought the leg would never stop swelling, it just completely stopped.  I think it was about a year after the injury.  We still warm up with straight lines down the quarterline and walking the turns.  I started the cantering rehab with straight lines also.  (My horse stays quieter on straight lines down the quarterline, instead of next to the arena wall).  I think the injury took about 15 or 16 months to heal completely. 

After each ride I wrapped a softgel icepack around her injured leg with a sports medicine boot for about 15 minutes.  She lived in a big stall with an attached small paddock, but she did not go in the pasture at all last summer, and when I put her in the roundpen, I was usually sorry, because she would get crazy.  I would hold her on a lead rope and let her roll in the arena (I advise wearing a helmet!)

Good luck!   

[pacer79]

I train harness horses.  I had a really good stakes winning mare that bowed a tendon.  Alcohol wraps work to help suck the tendon or suspensory back in.  DMSO mixed with predef 2x (cortisone) does a great job to get the extra fluid out of the leg.  Use it as a sweat.  Wrap with quilt and then put saran wrap over that and then the stall bandage.  I turned her out rather than stall rest.  I have found with soft tissue injuries that if you can keep them moving they heal more naturally and set harder.  My mare damaged hers when she was two.  She raced heavily as a three year old winning stake races and pacing miles in 1min and 52 seconds which was good enough to win 40000 in purse money.  Poultice inbetween and try to get the heat out of the leg.  If you can get the heat out and the fluid, it will heal just fine and she should be sound again.