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Re: [RC] Injuries--Diagnosis/Treatment Options - rdcarrieIt depends (how's that for an answer? <G>). But we're usually conservative. Unless we know for sure what the problem is (such as, we saw horse A kick horse B and now horse B is favoring that leg a bit, but it looks like it's just sore and will be fine in a day or so), we'll generally haul them in to the vet. If we suspect something with a tendon/ligament, we'll get an ultrasound done to look for damage. This is important (IMO) in determining what kind of rehab the horse needs (confinement, handwalking, etc.). We'll then follow the vet's instructions regarding length of confinement, reintroduction of work, etc. Ultrasound is really important, since it can show whether there has been damage to tendon fibers. This will influence how long true recovery will take, and how gradually work should be reintroduced.
A couple of examples...in late May I took my gelding to his first 50. He slipped and fell in some slick mud and we were pulled at 38 miles for a sore hip where he landed. I took him to a chiro for adjustment as a precaution afterward. She could feel the bruise in his hip muscle that I had not noticed. I did not confine him, but did apply hot towels to that area each evening and then massaged the bruised area. I did this for 4 or 5 nights. I left him loose in the pasture to move around.
Second example...My husband's Paso Fino had been fine during conditioning rides. The herd had been doing lots of running in the pasture for several days. We went out for a ride, and hubby immediately (within 1/2 mile) felt that his horse was a bit off. After several attempts to see something while trotting him out, I was finally able to see a slight lameness in the left front when my husband rode the horse toward me at a trot...it was that slight. Rather than just turn him out for a couple of weeks, we had him ultrasounded...this showed a very slight strain of the suspensory ligament. We have gopher holes in the pasture, and he may have hit one of them while running...he'd been fine up until that ride. Vet recommended a few days of confinement, then turn out if the horse wouldn't do a lot of running, and daily riding at a walk for 1 mile. He gets a recheck on the ultrasound next week. When we brought a new horse home 4 days ago, we confined this injured
gelding to keep him from the inevitable running that a new horse always generates. Had we just turned this guy out for a couple of weeks then took him out for another ride, we would have further injured the ligament.
Hope this helps...we're really sold on the value of ultrasound as a diagnostic tool and to guide recovery and rehab.
Dawn in East Texas -----Original Message----- From: Val Nicoson <sweetmare55@xxxxxxxxx> To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Wed, 14 Sep 2005 20:57:50 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [RC] Injuries--Diagnosis/Treatment Options Looking at what most of you do with your own horses
when "things"/injuries/etc happen to them...regardless
of the cause---be a kick injury (not open wound),
sprain or whatever. Just looking for opinions...
Do you strictly use pasture rest...or do you have an
ultrasound or whatever done to see the extent of the
injury?
Does it matter since ultrasound doesn't necessarily
heal?
At what point do you put them on stall rest...versus
leaving them in a small pasture? (eg. a couple horses
and not an entire herd)
My understanding is that being able to walk about
freely rather than standing around a stall is better
for the proper healing of ligaments/muscles/etc that
are injured. I do realize that running with a bigger
herd would be detrimental to the healing process. But
free walking with perhaps some unprovoked trotting
might be OK.
Granted, serious injuries may need complete stall rest
and I'm not against that.
I've been dealing with a number of sprains and/or
pasture injuries on my horse over the course of 5
years. Each time she is put on pasture rest, most
rarely involve intense treatment...just time to heal.
While thinking about this while she's recovering from
a sprain from being too competitive on a training ride
I thought I'd pick some more knowledgeable/experienced
brains and see see what most of you do with your own
horses and see if maybe perhaps I'm overlooking and/or
not doing things that perhaps I should.
Thanks once again,
Val
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