Page 334 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

CLINICAL SIGNS

These include:
VetBooks.ir • lameness

•
heat
• swelling

• pain on gently squeezing the ligament

• thickening of the ligament

• a dropped appearance to the fetlock in severe cases.

DIAGNOSIS

Diagnosis is made on the clinical signs and ultrasonography.

TREATMENT

The aim of treatment is to relieve pain, reduce inflammation and swelling, provide support
and encourage healing. It includes:

• cold therapy

• support bandages
• box rest

• controlled exercise

• non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, e.g. phenylbutazone

• correction of any foot imbalance.

It may also include:

• local injection of stem cells or platelet-rich plasma (PRP) into the lesion

• topical DMSO
• if the injury is associated with a splint bone fracture, surgical removal of the fractured

part of the bone may be necessary

Progress is not easily monitored by serial ultrasound examinations as the ligament contains
some muscle tissue which looks the same as an injured area of ligament. Also, some lesions

persist, despite disappearance of the lameness, making it difficult to advise when the horse
should resume work. Comparison with the opposite limb is often helpful. As the ligament

heals, the scar tissue causes the ligament to become enlarged.