stifle issues..help

[smurfette]

Mild lameness in stifle started one month ago.... horse has had pasture rest for that time. Has good days and bad days, but overall not much better. Had vet out today... she thinks it is a strained patellar ligament.... not really serious at this time, just needs rest. Vet recommends 4-6 weeks of stall rest since last month of pasture rest has not improved the overall lameness. There seems to be two schools of thought as far as rest goes.... stall vs. pasture. Stall advocates say this restricts activity and will give ligament best chance to heal. Pasture advocates say horse needs to be out stretching it and able to move. Horse is pretty herdbound and separation/anxiety is another issue to consider... Assuming she will stay calm in the stall having a buddy or goat in the barn I'm trying to decide what is best for her. Has anybody else dealt with this type of ligament strain injury? What worked or did not work for you?
Anybody have a goat they don't want??

 

[erinjograves]

Hmmm. I havent had one of my horses have this type of ligament issue before. My old man has stifle problems and when it acts up I have to ride him consistantly in straight lines, no circles no lunging just straight lines.

I am all for stall rest if the horse is going to rest. If the horse is pretty much going to be a basket case, you would try putting him in a smaller pasture or in a round pen so he still has restricted movement but can still see his buddies.

Had a boarder who had a 16.3 hand 3 year old screw up her hip while she was playing in the field. 3 months of stall rest. That was fun!!!! We moved her to the side of the barn where she could see out the window and have contact with one other horse and that helped.

Good luck with this. Stall rest is always a pain in the butt, but its worth it in the end!

 

[smurfette]

Hey thanks for the reply, c'mom SOMD horse peeps, bring it on.

 

[Sparks]

You can give him a daily tranquilizer (the name totally escapes me right now) to help keep him quiet while on stall rest. Your vet will write you a Rx.

Can you keep at least one other horse in his sight while he's laid up?

 

[IntegritysDream]

I dont know too much about stiffle issues, but i know my horse has something going on in his, its not like he goes lame, but he will start brusing his hind end hoofs real bad and like his foot will kinda give out sometimes (hasnt done it in a longg time) like when you are walking and your ankle will kinda give out and you stumble a little bit, mostly he just gets stiff now and his one hoof will bruise, but its only when weather changes. Anyways the vet and farrier said at first it was just a weekness and it would get better (which it did) but when the stiffle thing starts flarring up like on cold days (esp after its been warm for a while), to go up and down little hills and do straight lines and all that, but he neveer really pulled or tore something(that we know of) so this is different then your situation =/

 

[mingiz]

I had a ssh filly that had a stifle issue. She was just started under saddle when it happened. Hers wasn't just stiff it was popping out. So after the stall rest for a few days then she would be in the pasture. It got better but again later on it started to pop out again so I took her to the vet , it was xrayed and hers was basically a weakness in the ligamnets that are around the patellar. So the vet injected her stifle. I took her home gave her 1 year off she was 3, and then started her back this past spring and she hasn't missed a lick yet....She seems pretty strong. She can cow kick that leg out with with meaning now.... You see it more in babies than older horses. It's basically a weakness. Vet said NO circles and alot of walking on incline and up and down to get them to rebuild everything...Riding mower is great for jogging them in the pasture...lol Good Luck with yours. The ssh will be going to the mountains next month so we'll see how strong she has gotten....

 

[smurfette]

Was her activity level restricted at all after the initial stall rest, or was she just turned out in the pasture with others? SSH? Spotted Saddle Horse? Haaaaaaa.... riding lawn mower.... what a hoot!

 

[mingiz]

QUOTE=clementine;2868820]Was her activity level restricted at all after the initial stall rest, or was she just turned out in the pasture with others? SSH? Spotted Saddle Horse? Haaaaaaa.... riding lawn mower.... what a hoot![/QUOTE]

She was only in the stall until she could bring the leg forward. Hers would pop out and she would drag her leg. I would have to go out and get her and back her up for it to pop back in. I would stall her for a few days with bute to help with the inflammation then I would turn her out in the pasture. She was in with 3 others and they didn't chase her so she was able to relax some out there. Yes a Spotted Saddle Horse... I went with Molesworth as her vet mainly because I knew her when she worked at the harness track and she knows legs. This was the last ditch effort on my part to decide what to do with the mare...So we injected her stifles and So far it has worked... Time is the major essence. If you can give your time off it will help...Think of it as if you had a severe hamstring pull, it takes a long time to heal and you still have to work it to get them to be flexible again... Hence riding mower.....

 

[Robin]

Mild lameness in stifle started one month ago.... horse has had pasture rest for that time. Has good days and bad days, but overall not much better. Had vet out today... she thinks it is a strained patellar ligament.... not really serious at this time, just needs rest. Vet recommends 4-6 weeks of stall rest since last month of pasture rest has not improved the overall lameness. There seems to be two schools of thought as far as rest goes.... stall vs. pasture. Stall advocates say this restricts activity and will give ligament best chance to heal. Pasture advocates say horse needs to be out stretching it and able to move. Horse is pretty herdbound and separation/anxiety is another issue to consider... Assuming she will stay calm in the stall having a buddy or goat in the barn I'm trying to decide what is best for her. Has anybody else dealt with this type of ligament strain injury? What worked or did not work for you?
Anybody have a goat they don't want??

Clementine,
Sorry to hear about your horse. This could have happened during all the rain and muddy situations, or laying down and getting up. If the turn out rest did not help the situation perhaps the stall rest might benefit. The first day or so they will be upset to the routine change. Most will get over it. Another suggestion, bump back her feed rations and give her more hay in the stall to keep her busy.If most horses come in at night you could turn her out in a small pen on an opposite schedule, when she will be moving around on her own and not being over active by other horses.
There is calm and cool pellets or quietex powder calming supplements. Many others on the market to keep her stress levels down.
Good Luck, Its always hard on the horse and the owners, when injuries happen.