Marlene, it could very well be DSLD. The symptom of
not being able to move around after laying down for a while certainly goes along
with that diagnosis. I have an Arab with DSLD. After laying down for a while,
when he does get up, he puts all his weight on the front end because the rear
fetlocks are swollen and painful. After about 3 minutes and a few painful steps,
he seems to walk it off.
I have had two ultrasounds done. The first one
showed holes in the ligaments that resembled Swiss cheese. I tried
ultrasound/heat therapy and stall rest. We did the second ultrasound and
found that the previous holes appeared to heal, which resulted in "wind puffs"
on the outside, however new holes developed.
It is a VERY PAINFUL disease. Of course I don't
ride my horse. I give a gram or two of bute daily and 24/7 turnout. It
helps, but one day he will lay down and not be able to get up. His fetlocks have
dropped a tad, but the bumps or "wind puffs" on the outside constantly appear
and disappear. The overall appearance of the fetlocks resemble an egg and a
very large one at that.
Since I have discovered that my horse has DSLD,
which was about 4 years ago, there has been much more research done. Print out
some of the info from the internet and give it to your boarder to read. It's a
shame she spent so much money on a horse and doesn't have the money for anything
else. I'll bet her horse is sore or at least "off" after a ride. It is VERY
PAINFUL to carry all that weight on diseased fetlocks.
PLEASE encourage her to be a better horsewoman and
do right by her horse! Get the vet, do an ultra sound and determine a course of
action from there. There really is nothing you can do for DSLD except pain
management. Surely she can afford a tub of bute because her horse is IN
PAIN!!!
