Stifle Injury

Question
My 22 year old Thoroughbred (ex-racer) mare injured her stifle a little more than 2 weeks ago.  I'm not sure how she injured herself, just that she came in lame from the pasture.  She probably slipped in some mud.  My vet took xrays and determined that there was no fracture.  She was unable to determine which ligament(s) were injured because my mare would not let her palpate it.

Per the vet: She is on bute, currently 1g per day. She was iced 2 times daily and treated with DMSO for the first week, and treated with Surpass for the first 2 weeks.  I started to hand walk her today and cold hosed her after the walk.   

My vet is concerned about the possibility of her getting ulcers from being confined to a stall with minimal walking  for 6+ weeks.  The vet also wouldn't really give a prognosis on whether she will ever be able to be ridden again.  

I don't know anyone that has had a horse with a stifle injury, so I just wanted a 2nd opinion on what you have seen for recovery from stifle injuries, any post injury treatments/therapies, and maybe an opinion on ulcers and their prevention.  Before the injury I wasn't really riding her that much, just trail riding and some training level dressage, so I would be happy if she recovered enough to go for an occasional trail ride.

Thank you,
~Jen


Answer
Hi Jen -

I'm glad to hear that your mare's x-rays were clean!  One thing to remember about them however is that some fractures will not show up on x-ray until the new calcium begins to form (showing bright white on the x-ray) as the repair work begins.  You may need to order new shots in a few weeks if your mare's condition appears to get more complicated ... just food for thought.  My TB gelding had us puzzled about a bad leg wound with increasing pain.  His first two sets of x-rays revealed nothing but the third week finally showed us several cracks that had been caused by whatever created the gaping wound on the side of his canon bone.

About the ulcer concern, the best thing you can do to help prevent them is to make sure that your mare has free choice good quality grass hay in front of her at all times.  Unlike humans who only create gastric acid when we consume food, horses were designed to eat all the time so they produce digestion aiding gastric juices constantly ... whether they are eating or not.  Therefore, you want to be sure that your mare isn't standing in her stall with gastric acid churning away at her empty stomach or intestinal lining.

It sounds like your mare's injury is most likely a soft tissue injury - either muscle, tendon or ligament.  If you've ever sprained your ankle, you'll remember how many times you secretly wished you had just broken it instead because it seemed to hurt forever!  Stifle joints injuries can be similar but the joint is a pretty big one so every time the horse moves, it is subject to further irritation.  This injury will take time to heal because the blood flow to soft tissues is not as plentiful as blood flow is to bones.  I can't say if you'll be able to enjoy trail rides in the future Jen but continue the hydro therapy and give your mare plenty of time.  I personally think grooming is great for this kind of injury to stimulate blood flow and also to keep your mare happy ... I think it's good for both of you actually!  Time will be your best friend in this situation.  I'd love to hear how she progresses in the next few weeks.

I hope this helps!