Pedigree Query

Can anyone offer any suggestions for treatment for tendinitis? My filly is a two year old and this has already occurred once this year, filly was laid up from end of June to early September. Over the last month, she has progressed into training very gradually and just started jogging less than two weeks ago. This morning she was scanned by the vet and has beginning signs of tendinitis again. We are scratching our heads, should we lay her up for another 90 days and start from scratch or is this just too strenuous of a sport for her. If she can't even jog, how can she sustain more serious exercise? Does anyone know of any methods they have seen successful outcomes from that may be different than just laying her up for 90 days again? I know every horse is an individual and some protocols work for some horses but not all.

I like Equi-Tite (I think it is now called Equi-Block) which I put on young tendons and shins EVERY DAY before sending out to jog or gallop. You can use Bigeloil under a wrap to scurf a tendon. No matter what, the filly should at least walk. If you want to keep conditioning, you could send her out to swim. Quitting entirely just neutralizes all the work up until now. If the tendonitis is past that point, she might need a year and that is a whole other story.

She's had type 1 tendonitis. Laid up for 90 days, very gradually brought back up and now she's scanned a 1 again. My thoughts are either she is predisposed to it because of a conformational fault (slightly over at the knee) or she was not completely healed up after the first occurrence.

i've never heard of "tendinitis" in a horse. is there a lesion, tear, or is the vet just diagnosing general inflamation. what did the ultra sound scan show? Is there swelling?

I'd think layup would depend on severity--and, maybe, what happened in last two weeks of trot. Depending on what the injury is, lay up (for a race horse-if that's what she is) would be a last resort. easy progressive riderless exercise might be called for. As Madelyn noted, various ways to treat swelling.

My vet diagnosed my horse once with "early tendonitis" and she defined tendonitis as soreness or strain in the tendon that is the precursor to tears, lesions, bows, etc. We cut back to walking only, used ice boots and cold hosing, and Equi-Tite. The tendonitis in this case only lasted four days or so and he went on from there. I believe it really depends a WHOLE LOT on just how sore the tendon really is. If you have ever had tennis elbow you will relate to how much a strained tendon can actually hurt.