Coffin Joint Lameness - any experience? UPDATE

[hollyberry86]

I posted in the equine health problems area a while ago about my pony's lameness. Basically to give some background:

My pony first showed signs of lameness at the beginning of September. The Vet had a look at him and used hoof testers but as he had been shod two days previously he said it could well be to do with that and to keep an eye on it and see how he goes and to call him out if still lame a week later.

After a few days he started to improve but a week later was hopping lame. Had the farrier out initially to take shoes off and check for absessses. He couldn't find any, no heat, lumps, bumps nothing. Decided it was definitely off fore that he was lame on. Got the Vet out later that day and again couldn't find anything but agreed very lame. He was then put on a course of bute and box rested for two weeks.

After two weeks he seemed a little better but still slightly lame in walk and obviously in trot. Vet advised one more week of box rest as there had been improvement.

One week later had Vet out again, still lame but not as much as 3 weeks before. He nerve blocked the leg to try and ascertain site of lameness. He showed improvement when nerve block was injected in foot so decided it was there. X rays were then taken but nothing could be seen. Vet advised two further weeks of box rest but no more bute. He also advised to start walking pony gently in school for 5-10 minutes a day.

Two weeks on again pony has shown signs of further improvement but over the past few days had started to become progressively worse and today is very lame. Vet tried his foot with the hoof testers-no response, no heat, lumps, swelling again. He has told me to put my pony back on bute and not to walk him so completely box rested. He will then come out in a weeks time to see if there has been an improvement.

I had his feet trimmed and front shoes off a week and half ago and the vet came out this week to look at him again. He's still very much lame and he wants to come out on Tuesday to medicate the joint he says it'll take 3-4 weeks to see if that has worked and if not will have to go for an MRI scan unfortunately not something they can do at the clinic so I'll have to have him transported.

When I posted in the equine health problems forum it was suggested to poltice his foot, I spoke to vet and he said there was no point and unfortunately I was then called away with work and have been out of the country for nearly a week.

Has anyone had experience with lameness like this? Vet is insistant that it is definitely due to his coffin joint. And also dare I ask long term prognosis?

Sorry if I've posted in the wrong forum this time I just thought I may be able to catch a few more people who have been through this!


Just edited to add that he is 7 years old and has been out of ridden work for nearly a year due to work commitments, needing a new saddle and then getting strangles at the start of the year. He was just coming back into work when this happened (he was being long reined in walk and lunged very gently in walk and trot gradually over 6 weeks in the school)


Thanks
Holly

[lillicob]

I had a similar experience, my mare damaged her annular ligament, nerve blocked and was still not 100% sound and was also lame in her foot after x rays vet said there was "wear" to her coffin joint.
Got her over all of that and sound and then 12 months later she went lame again, vet out, x rayed her foot, (different vet) said coffin joints were fine as i thought this was the issue, but she had damaged to her deep digital flexor tendon at the back of the hoof, and sinker.

Not saying this is what your pony has.

With an abscess they tend to be hopping lame, and i would speak to my blacksmith if this was the case.

If he wasn't 100% sound after blocking the foot this would suggest possibly 2 issues causing the lameness, mine wasn't hence the vet suggesting coffin joint problems. So they want to inject the joint with steroids?

[hollyberry86]

Hi Lillicob,

Thanks for your reply!

The vet couldn't see anything wrong on the x-rays. He is not hopping lame, when he first became I lame I suspected it was something to do with him just being shod, I had the farrier out again and he had the shoes off on both front feet and hoof tested them and used a temperature gauge and couldn't find anything. He had his feet done again last week and farrier still can't see anything wrong so I think you're right in saying that they should be hopping lame.

After he was nerve blocked in the foot he did become completely sound so vet is convinced it's just to do with that. He is going to 'medicate' the joint on Tuesday which he said is a combination of antibiotics and steroids. Did you completely box rest yours? Ollie (my pony) has been completely box rested for 7/8 weeks now. At one stage vet said I could walk him gently inhand for 5-10 minutes but now he said he has to stay in completely and I think said pony is going a bit stir-crazy being stuck in constantly. He was good as gold for the first month but I think he's had enough now!

[secretlady]

I have a horse who i bought 8 yrs ago lame was told she had taken a kick she seemed to get better but lame on a turn to me it seemed the shoulder i had the vet out several times but he really didnt no took her to local vets where they nerve blocked her etc still couldnt find reason he referred her to Zen where we took her they done tests and told us yes def coffin joint .The mare sometimes looks sound in the field but on hard ground when she turns still sometimes looks lame we do not and have not rode this mare since we bought her but wouldnt send her back as we bought her from a dealer and i no what would of happened to her .

[mady]

I had one with coffin joint lameness. It was a long process to diagnose and only seem lame when schooled well wasnt really lame just struggled to bend one way.

Eventually he became slightly unlevel on the flat.

He was injected straight into the joint and then was to be rested for 3wks. The vet said if not sound by that time then probably wouldnt be sound again.

Eventually we had to have him PTS.... sorry

[blackdales]

Have pm'd you

[lillicob]

Nov 11, 2012 7:41:33 GMT hollyberry86 said:

Hi Lillicob,

Thanks for your reply!

The vet couldn't see anything wrong on the x-rays. He is not hopping lame, when he first became I lame I suspected it was something to do with him just being shod, I had the farrier out again and he had the shoes off on both front feet and hoof tested them and used a temperature gauge and couldn't find anything. He had his feet done again last week and farrier still can't see anything wrong so I think you're right in saying that they should be hopping lame.

After he was nerve blocked in the foot he did become completely sound so vet is convinced it's just to do with that. He is going to 'medicate' the joint on Tuesday which he said is a combination of antibiotics and steroids. Did you completely box rest yours? Ollie (my pony) has been completely box rested for 7/8 weeks now. At one stage vet said I could walk him gently inhand for 5-10 minutes but now he said he has to stay in completely and I think said pony is going a bit stir-crazy being stuck in constantly. He was good as gold for the first month but I think he's had enough now!

Mine wasn't good on box rest, so i did turn her out, but she wasn't incredibly lame until the second time she went lame a year or so later, then she had to stay in, being led in hand she bucked like billyo and would of done more damaged, turned out she just walked around and grazed.
Think she was a bit of a mystery with the first lameness as she was lame in 2 places, eventually found out it was due to the deep digital. Its frustrating not knowing exactly the cause and i would opt for the MRI. Medicating the joint is all well and good but the chances are that it will have to be repeated.

[xlucyx]

Our show horse showed bi-lateral hoof lameness, we had him xrayed and xrays showed nothing so was mri'd which showed desmitis of the collateral ligament in both coffin joints, after months of box rest he is now turned out for 6hrs a day and has half hr ridden walking exercise on hard ground x3 a week and touch wood is ok, he is due to start trotting exercise in a couple of weeks so will find out how he copes. Vet is very hopefull but we are taking each week as it comes with him. He is 8yrs old with very little mileage.

[hollyberry86]

The Vet medicated his joint and pony has improved steadily over the past 5/6 weeks and I'm now able to walk him in hand for five minutes per day. He's still box rested apart from that but the Vet is coming out to do a check up again next week and if all is well wants me to start riding him in walk and then if still ok after a couple more weeks can start to gradually be turned out.

I'm over the moon he is improving as it was looking rather gloomy at times. I have another question though if you lovely people don' mind!

Basically we haven't had the easiest 12 months and I think with being kept in for 3 months with strangles and this now he is to put it mildly 'on edge.' He wasn't always a spooky pony but will jump out of his skin at anything right now and whilst I am fine handling this on the ground I feel too nervous to be riding him right now whilst he's practicing his airs above ground. He's full of himself and no surprise really after what he's been through but I'm not the most confident rider and the thought of getting on him right now is scaring me.

I would prefer to keep doing some groundwork and then have him being able to be turned out for a while before getting on him. I think this would be safer and better for him too? I wonder whether the vet wants to see whether he can carry a rider to show his joint injury has healed?

It's a real shame as we were (and are still on the ground ) a solid partnership but over time with him spooking I've lost my nerve

Do you think also it would be better when he does come into ridden work to find a more confident rider to begin with? I'm really happy he's improved but now worried about the next steps!!!

Thanks for reading

[fluteybeauty]

mine had a lameness very similar she varied to begin very lame not too bad then suddenly painfully lame i intially had the vet when she hopping lame after being shod though she did react to hoof testers scans xrays and 3 nerve blocks later that was suspecteld deep digital felxor but we never got to the bottom of it she only has a missing heel bulb so mri was not a option with regards to insurance though as my vet put it the anything to come up on a 1500 mri wouldnt help my horse and outcome likely to be similare possible pts he as she wasnt even fit to go in the field plenty of bute and box rest. She also had imprint shoes to balance her foot. The vet and me decided she had a month of strict box rest she litrally never left her box i was to terrified to see she was stil lame to show us some improvement though a month on without bute she wasnt really any differant i was completely heartbroken and so gave her one last chance despite everyone saying i was wasting my money and prolonging the inevitable that at 19 she wasnt getting better. My vet was great supported my descision and listened to all my worries and always appeared confident in her. So she went back in her box with the bute for 5 more weeks and i got both her refer vet and our own out to make a final decesion she had improved greatly better than either vet could have expected she was walked in hand for a month but when from strength to strength by the forth month she was out in small paddock and i was back riding 6 months down the line a massive bruise came out of her heel !!!! based on how shes recovered the vet recokons its unlikely to b her deep digital but more to do with hoof inbalance and a differant farrier thought the heart bars she had begun to wear had not helped her she now almost 8 months on got normal shoes and is slowly getting back into work but its been a long road!!

[hollyberry86]

wow, what an amazing story! It's really great she's now on the road to recovery

I'll ask the Vet about whether he would recommend having an MRI scan next week for my boy.