What type of shoe should I use on Chance’s back feet?
I am looking for something that is glue-on, provides support and comfort, that has good grip, while providing protection for his hoof from the rocky terrain.
After some research, I found GluShus- a company out of England. Their shoes sound fantastic. They have an aluminum shoe set in rubber that glues onto the hoof. Read more about these shoes by clicking the link below.
I’ll let you know how it goes!
We decided to go ahead with the Stem Cell injections through the company Vet-Stem. Though expensive, they carry virtually zero risk, aside from a site infection, in comparison to the surgery.
Vet4 will gather the cells from his rear and stitch up the incisions made. From there, if there are enough cells, the culture will be sent to the lab, and in about two days, they are able to be injected into the leg!
UPDATE:
There were enough Stem Cells to inject! Chance is doing extremely well and is able to come home in a few days!!!
I asked if Vet4 could get Chance supportive back shoes before he left and he said he would.
Time to set up a trailer and get his stall ready in Sperryville!!!!
Text from Vet4 after ultra sound #3:
“I can see that he has a deep digital flexor tendon lesion and the medial side of the tendon sheath has improve but lateral side is about the same. The DDFT may the cause of all this in the first place and everything else is secondary. We will re ultrasound in 10 days or so just to confirm my findings. If they are correct, it would help to treat that area.”
Conversation with Vet4 :
So far, Chance has received; shock wave therapy, compression therapy and laser therapy.
Chance has a hole in his tendon. Vet4 believes that this is due to an infection/bowed tendon and severe lameness. The ultrasound, done yesterday, shows no change in size of the tendon hole after the previous two rounds of injections.
“Lymphangitis is a symptom rather than a cause and the cause was never treated.” Vet1 continued to treat it like a disorder rather than a symptom!
The swelling and infection have dissipated, as has the severity of the lameness. Though still lame, he is running around in the pasture.
Pain meds were started again due to increased discomfort and soreness.
Vet4 suggests doing one of the following:
1. Stem cell- which can take about two days if sample drawn has enough stem cells. If not, it could take about 4-6 wks to culture. Once injected he can move home. He is to be hand walked for a few days and then can go out as normal. Vet4 will come out in about a month to do another ultrasound and, depending on the size of the hole, may need to do further injections.
2. Surgery to clean out but NOT repair the tendon. This was not discussed in detail.
Payment plans may be an option. I emailed the office for payment options.
Time to make another decision!
Lameness originating from tendon sheathes.
Lisa A. Fortier, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVS Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
Laf4@cornell.edu
(Below is cut and pasted from Dr. Fortier’s “Lameness Originating from Tendon Sheaths”)
The most commonly affected tendon sheathes associated with lameness is horses are the digital, carpal, and tarsal sheaths. In general, the diagnoses of lameness originating from tendon sheathes is increasing with awareness and with the more common use of MRI. Clinical signs associated with tendon sheath lameness are variable with respect to degree of lameness and extent of synovial distension. In general, the lameness will worsen with flexion and with work, but the degree of lameness is not directly associated with prognosis for return to athletic performance.
Lameness associated with the digital sheath
Lameness can be localized to the digital sheath with a low 4-point block or intrathecal anesthesia. If sepsis is suspected, a clean (non blood-contaminated) synovial fluid sample can be obtained at the base of the sesamoid bones and axial to the palmar digital neurovascular bundle.
Simple annular ligament constriction, without involvement of the superficial (SDFT) or deep digital flexor tendons (DDFT) is a common cause of lameness associated with the digital sheath. When viewed from the side, the palmar/plantar profile of the digital sheath will have a “notched” or “cut-in” appearance at the fetlock joint. The integrity of the annular ligament (thickness and structure) should be evaluated using ultrasonography to be sure there are no other structures involved such as the SDFT or DDFT. Horses can be treated with intrathecal hyaluronic acid with variable success prior to surgical intervention. If the annular ligament is the sole structure involved and there are no adhesions within the tendon sheath, then a closed or semi-open annular ligament transection could be performed rather than a tenoscopic transection. If ultrasound examination reveals adhesions or synovial masses within the sheath, then tenoscopic exploration and removal of the masses/adhesions is warranted.
Performing surgical maneuvers or exploratory surgery under tenoscopic guidance has distinct advantages as compared to open approaches. Tenoscopy allows for more complete examination of the entire tendon and tendon sheath, resulting in a more accurate diagnosis than can be provided by ultrasonography and the surgeon has an opportunity for removal of pathologic tissues such as synovial proliferative masses, hyperplasic synovial tissue, and adhesions. Additionally, the use of tenoscopic portals instead of an open approach reduces potential iatrogenic damage to neighboring structures and decreases the incidence of postoperative synovial fistulation. The biggest take-home message of these notes should be that the presence or extent of synovial masses/adhesions is not directly correlated with prognosis and many horses return to full athletic performance after tenoscopic surgery and removal of adhesions/masses and annular ligament transection.
Longitudinal tears in deep flexor tendon are increasing commonly diagnosed. Like adhesions and masses, tears are frequently worse on tenoscopic exam than on ultrasound. In these cases, the tendon tear appears to be the primary cause of the tenosynovitis and the annular ligament constriction is likely secondary. Currently, debriding the tendon edges is the only treatment, but some tendon repair technique seems warranted. Ian Wright described a combined approach to repair these tears, but has subsequently discontinued this practice and simple debridement of the granulation tissue between tendon edges is recommended.
The Chances We Take 