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Discussion on Old mare with possible fibrotic myopathy
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 4, 2009 - 5:37 pm:
Our 28 yr. old Arab mare was today diagnosed with possible fibrotic myopathy. About a year ago you may remember that she seemed to have pulled a muscle in the inside upper right hind leg when she was struggling to get up. I wasn't home, but from what I could learn she must have laid down in the sand near the barn to take a warm nap, then rolled over and cast herself against the barn or got her leg under the pipe fence and pulled it trying to get up. At any rate, I got home the following day and the vet came out and looked at her. She was a little swollen upper inside of leg, and walked a little "off" but other than that seemed o.k. The vet put her on bute and stall rest for a few days. I messaged her swelling and cold hosed her upper leg. Then she was hand walked each day and gradually built up to easy riding and daily turn-out in the field.
Lately it seems like her leg is worse; I have noticed that she is walking "weird" and have also become concerned about her possibly having difficulty getting up as she has to struggle with that leg to really work to push herself up.
I took her to the vet today and he feels she has fibrotic myopathy in her leg. You can feel the tendon and it feels like a very hard thick cord strung tight. Her forward reach is limited, and the foot goes down quickly when the forward limit is reached.
At her age I would assume it wouldn't be wise to do surgery on her? She is peppy and happy to move out, but I have been nervous to ride her and have been giving her hand walking, light longing, and turn out.
Is there any thing else I can do to improve her condition other than surgery? Is the exercise and even some light riding good for her or can it make her condition worse? She has a little arthritis in some of her joints as I can hear her "clicking" sometimes when she's first moving around, so I give her a couple of grams of bute now and then. She is on Glucosomine and MSM plus multivitamins. She is also on Pergolide. I just want to keep her happy, comfortable, and going as long as I can. Thanks.
Thanks
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Member:
shirl
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 4, 2009 - 5:57 pm:
Sara, so sorry to hear about your mare. Did your vet suggest any kind of exercise for her, or that she'd be safe to ride?
Take good care and sending hugs to both of you.
Shirl
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Member:
paardex
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 4, 2009 - 6:06 pm:
Poor Beau! What did your vet suggest? An operation does seem a risk at her age if she still is happy! [didn't you mention a buck last week?]
Jos
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 4, 2009 - 6:59 pm:
My friend had an old mare that had a fm in her rear...I posted under this heading and asked Dr.O. about riding her, as she wanted to lend me her for my husband. I decided to decline.
My friend still has the old mare and they ride her lightly...up the road and back type of thing. This year she decided to try to drive her and she said she was doing VERY well with that.
Maybe driving is in your future
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 4, 2009 - 7:04 pm:
Yes, the vet said to just remember her limitations and to go ahead and use her. She still enjoys being used. She's the only horse I've ever had that seems to enjoy being lounged! Vet said that he's seen horses where the shortened stride shows up at the walk and trot but not at the lope or gallop, which would make sense I guess if you think about the way the legs move at the gaits. I am concerned about it getting worse or the leg getting weaker. I think it is strange that I haven't noticed it until the last few weeks. I guess the shortening of the stride has been gradual instead of all of a sudden. Also, I have been thinking she maybe had some arthritis in her hocks (and she may) as I hear little creaky noises on cold mornings. (She and I sound a lot alike actually!)
Shirl, this is the mare that Lonnie called me about when I was at Denver last year. I've had her since she was a coming 2 yr. old and my parents had her before that.
Yes, Jos, she bucked a little. She also jigs and whirls and spins every now and then...just enough to assure herself that I'll never turn her into a lesson horse for small children!
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 4, 2009 - 9:27 pm:
Diane (Jeez, I almost called you Angie again!)
Dumb me; I never thought about driving her. This mare used to drive like a dream! I have a jog cart and an antique buggy she pulled. She was wonderful to drive and enjoyed it. I'll have to wait for the mud to dry out, but it would be fun regardless of whether I ride her or not.
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Member:
paardex
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 4, 2009 - 10:32 pm:
Unless she bucks spins or hears tigers and lions then you would want Lonnie to be around!
Jos
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 4, 2009 - 11:31 pm:
She never did any of that when driving. She was trained to drive at 1 yr. of age by an old fellow in Nacogdoches, TX who believed in just driving them right down town to get used to noise and traffic. The things that "spooked" her under saddle were large rocks, hikers with back packs and fishing poles, and bears!
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Member:
lilo
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Posted on Thursday, Feb 5, 2009 - 9:37 am:
Sara - I just want to add good wishes for your mare. Seems like driving might be the way to go.
Lilo
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Member:
vickiann
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Posted on Thursday, Feb 5, 2009 - 4:16 pm:
Great idea about the driving.
Hope that she will do well for you, Sara, and have many more good, healthy, happy years in spite of her limitation.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Thursday, Feb 5, 2009 - 6:10 pm:
Sarah our article describes a standing surgery that should be safe in an older horse or do I not understand your concerns? From a nonsurgical standpoint what should be done right at this moment is hard to say. If the muscle tendon unit is in the process of shortening there are two thoughts:
1) With exercise it may be prone to reinjury as it is not completely healed yet.
2) By forcing exercise perhaps you will keep it shortening up more.
So I often take a middle road and think light forced exercise the best course in such cases and would suggest you contemplate the prevention exercise in the article.
DrO
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Thursday, Feb 5, 2009 - 7:09 pm:
Dr.O, I'm concerned about the anesthesia and the recuperation factor. At her age my main concern is to keep her happy and pain free as possible. Using her is way down on the list of importance as I have plenty of others I can ride. (She love getting out,however.) Our local vet doesn't have a U.S. machine which can take a sonogram of the tendon. Would you reccomend that I take her somewhere that can?
By "forced exercise" do you mean hand walking or lounging? Probably that's in the article also. I'll go re-read it. I read it over quickly when I got home from the vet's, but guess I didn't absorb it all.
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Thursday, Feb 5, 2009 - 7:37 pm:
I've re-read your article. Do you think the standing surgery would be a good idea on a horse or her age?
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Friday, Feb 6, 2009 - 7:36 am:
I think the surgery could help with the FM but whether you wish to do it depends you your goals and resources. Horses with FM are not painful.
DrO
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Friday, Feb 6, 2009 - 9:26 am:
Thanks Dr.O. I think I'll call Alamo Pintado and talk with them. I'll find out the cost and look into it a little further. It would mean a 10 hr. drive for her, but she's a pretty stout girl for a horse her age and can bear weight on it, so I don't think that would be a problem. If it isn't painful, then my main concern would be it getting worse and making it more difficult for her to get up. My worse nightmare with her would be to walk in to feed in the a.m. and see her down, unable to get up and have to put her down while the rest of her is "hale and hearty."
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Member:
shirl
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Posted on Friday, Feb 6, 2009 - 5:16 pm:
Sara and Dr. O,
You may remember me posting "somewhere" about my mare pulling back from a falling object, swollen thighs, etc. Had the chiropractic vet out today to check vertebrae, etc. While waiting I notice a very hard area on the back of her upper hind leg. Since I'd been zooming in on the thighs, I'd not paid notice to the back of upper leg, neither did my regular vet. Well, diagnosis is an adhesion from either a very extreme pull on the muscle or a slight tear. I'd guess FM. He explained how to stretch the leg, massage that area, light riding some of which could be on a slight incline. I've noticed her forward stride on that leg is not the same as the other, but no limp involved. Just passing this info on, and wondering if this is going to get worse as she ages. She's 16 now, of course I didn't ask the vet as I was stunned at the discovery.
Good luck with your girl Sara.
Shirl
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Saturday, Feb 7, 2009 - 6:51 am:
Once it has matured Shirley, most horses don't worsen up.
DrO
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Saturday, Feb 7, 2009 - 9:39 am:
Dr.O, why does it take so long for the FM to show up after an injury? In the case of my mare it's been around a year since her injury. Does it mean she has continued to cause injury or has reinjured it?
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Member:
shirl
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Posted on Saturday, Feb 7, 2009 - 12:24 pm:
Thanks Dr. O,
It was two months ago that the injury occurred, so maybe it's stabilized.
Shirley
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Saturday, Feb 7, 2009 - 11:07 pm:
Scar tissue takes months to form following injury and then it may contract for quite a period following its formation.
DrO
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Sunday, Feb 8, 2009 - 12:07 am:
Oh. Thank you. In the article on FM you mention hand walking. Is there a problem with light riding on even ground? Or with lounging? If either is mentioned, I missed it.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Sunday, Feb 8, 2009 - 8:24 am:
As long as walked I would not guess how it was done would matter that much.
DrO
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Sunday, Feb 8, 2009 - 10:58 am:
Oh good. Thanks. I walked her on a lead down to the end of the road and back yesterday, which she enjoyed. But lounging her and keeping her at a walk is difficult, so in bad weather, like today, I'll just ride her bareback in the arena. She's a funny mare; she really likes to do things and feel like she's working.
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Tuesday, Feb 10, 2009 - 8:14 pm:
I spoke with Dr. Rick at Alamo Pintado that cared for Libby. He said that they haven't had good luck with the standing surgery for FM. He said even more radical surgery had limited results. According to their experiences, about 1 in 10 have marked improvement. He said that especially given Beau's age, he wouldn't advise surgery. He did say I could go ahead and ride her, just be careful and mindful of her limitations. So, that is what we will do.
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Member:
readjoe
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Posted on Monday, Sep 28, 2009 - 2:08 pm:
Sara!
I just saw your post..and wanted to encourage you in the same direction of the surgery that Dr. O reccomended..the standing one..I had it done on my horse about 4 mos. ago..the KEY is the rehab! I was told to start riding my horse twice a day for 30 min..immediately..at a walk, and also stretch. He is an Arab..and we just got back from an endurance ride..he is 100% sound. Dr. Dean Hendrickson at CSU did his surgery.
remember..rehab is the key. good luck.
Mary Beth
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Monday, Sep 28, 2009 - 5:05 pm:
Hi Mary Beth. How hold is your horse that had the surgery?
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Member:
wgillmor
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Posted on Monday, Sep 28, 2009 - 5:29 pm:
Sara,
I had the surgery done on my TB when he was 18, also by Dr. Hendrickson and also with good results. That may give you another data point.
Mary Beth,
Great to hear of the success with your horse.
Wiley
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Member:
readjoe
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Posted on Wednesday, Sep 30, 2009 - 10:51 pm:
Sara,
My horse was 13 when he had the surgery. It is a standing surgery..and it took about 20-30 minutes.
good luck,
Mary Beth
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Friday, Jul 30, 2010 - 9:40 pm:
Sara I don't know if you have seen my threads on Flash, but tonight I was massaging her on the inside of her thighs and I do believe I discovered a FM in RR. The symptoms fit her well. When she slipped and bowed her tendon last year her back legs went right in front of her she literally did the splits on all 4, but the RR really got stretched. I was glad to see this post, I was wondering why something like that would show up a year later. Nothing really seems to help it, but she doesn't really seem "sore" just short strided with the hoof slap. I am so glad I think I have finally solved this mystery, while YES I am sure she has arthritis this was just so different. I wish I would have thought to feel inside her thigh long ago.
Did Beau ever get worse with this or did it stay the same and consistent...ever better or ever worse?
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Friday, Jul 30, 2010 - 11:54 pm:
She never got worse. I kept wishing I had done something to help her earlier on, but it's like she was fine and then there it was. Weird. I'm sure it happened more slowly, but I just didn't notice it. And, at her age (28), I'm not sure about the surgery to correct it. It didn't ever seem to bother her, and I was no long riding her except for a walk around the fields.
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Saturday, Jul 31, 2010 - 12:11 am:
Thanks Sara, Flash's seemed to show up over night practically too. It was strange she didn't seem to be really in pain..was confusing. Well I guess if she is going to have something else there are worse things...Thanks again!
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