May 6, 2013. My vet and farrier discuss with me putting shoes with pads on Bailey for the first time as she currently was a barefoot horse. We put on lightweight aluminum shoes with a pad and set the shoe back on the hoof to encourage a dramatic rollover effect. This with the bute schedule did show improvement. She is still lame on roads, hard ground, down slopes at a walk. We discuss doing cortisone injections.
May 23, 2013. Bailey gets first joint injection of corticosteroids Depo-Medrol into her right pastern joint. After waiting the 10 day period, I saw great results for 2 months. Bailey was sound on all ground surfaces. I am hopeful the injection will provide comfort for possibly 4-6 months, through the riding season. X-rays are not taken, so it is hard to determine if the injection is getting into the joint with all the ringbone around the joint.
EXAM-LAMENESS – Shortened stride on R front at walk. Right front DJD in the
PIP. Last x-ray was taken 3 years ago. Administered .5cc torb/.5cc dorm. ABSES block was placed in right front. Pastern was sterilly prepped in standard fashion. PIP was injected with 60mg depomedrol and 250 mg Amikacin.
August 6, 2013. Bailey’s lameness has deteriorated in the last 2 weeks since the injection 2 months ago. The vet comes out to give Bailey her 2nd joint injection.
EXAM-LAMENESS – Lameness is moderate in severity. apparent at the walk.
Owner said that the last injection worked well but horse’s lameness has come back over the last two weeks. Discussed the possibility of surgery or ethyl alcohol injections in the future. Today: ab ses block w carbocaine, rf. sterile prep of dorsal pastern rf. sedated with .5 dorm and .5 torb IV. injected rf pastern jt with 6 mg triamcinolone, 250 mg amikacin, and 2 cc hayaluronic acid.
September 14, 2013. Bailey is barefoot again. The shoes are pulled off for winter and her upcoming procedures. It is becoming clear to me I need to do something drastic if I was going to have a horse to ride in the future. The injection was pretty much useless. After waiting 10 days to ride her and hope she is sound, she was just as lame. the injection did nothing. I schedule an appointment to have Bailey’s pastern joint injected with ethyl alcohol in a last desperate effort to make her comfortable and hopefully be able to be ridden some day.
4th TREATMENT- ETHYL ALCOHOL INJECTION FUSION !!!
to be continued…
If I were a horse... 