We have a 5yr old Q Horse gelding that came up mildly lame in his stifle joint. Ourselves and the vet assumed it was from him being on a new big pasture and running/playing and just starined it. The vet put him on stall rest, bute, & DMSO for one month. After his rest he was not any better..so the vet injested the stifle with HA..said give him 3 days stall rest and they he should be "right as rain". He seemed to be better for a day or two but then fell back into being obviously lame.
Any thoughts on this? Has anyone had vets inject without X-rays before?
Im afraid that his carrer as a trail and kids mount may be over at age 5...anything you have to say would be greatly appreciated.

Thankfully I have never had this problem but, I probably would have x-rayed just to be safe before assuming that he had just strained it especially if he is still lame after this period of time. Maybe someone else here has experienced this before and/or is more familiar with stifle injuries.

I personally think the industry as a whole needs to take a step back and put more time/energy/knowledge into everything we do.
In general we tend to go to the needle or "quick fix" way to fast.
Its very hard to treat something correctly if you don't know WHAT you are treating. Stifles are very tricky to diagnose, He is awlful young to start injecting, just because. If he is more of the lighter/taller QH's he may just have a weak stifle joint, the best treatment for that is slow hillwork to help build that joints strength. Another possible injury is the cruciate ligament, that should be treated completely different, time off and slow flat work during recovery. A poor fitting saddle or any spine shift, needs to be addressed by a chiropractor. And improper shoeing can change his body weight,foot flight pattern and balance, this can be rectified by your blacksmith over a few months.
Without seeing the horse those are a few diiferent things that can be taking place. There are many others, so no, You really need a proper diagnosis to treat him correctly.
As far as injecting- I use that only on horses past their late teens and only as the very LAST resort. In the last 15 years probably have had 20 horses and only injected 1 hock as a last resort horse was 17 and an ottb, and belonged to a client. So in the end it was their decision.

Muckbucket (love that name) how is your guy doing, is he able to maneuver any better?

He is still lame in the right stifle.
We just recently moved here and the only local vet here was the one that we took him too. I was not impressed by, first her people skills but was willing to look over that. However when we took him to the interior of the vet office to do the injection..well lets just say its was the most unsanitary office I've ever seen. So currently we're trying to lacate a vet that will preform an X-ray in him, which is proving to be difficult b/c I would rather not haul him to very far. The vet we took him to said you cannot use a portable x-rey on a horses stifle? Is this correct? She said we'd have to knock him out completly and use a digital horse x-ray machine, which may be out of our price range. I've read up on the stifle joint a bit and read that sometimes if the horse has poor conformation that it could put more strain on the joint and that after he recovers(with stall rest_ you can work him on hills to strength the ligaments & muscles. He is slightly sickle hocked in the rear and is about 1400lbs so maybe? Im just so unsure and haven't a vet you don't trust is even worse! Any ideas on what to try next?
Thanks

True, He will need to be sedated and flipped.

Although there are a bunch of other diagnostic tools. MRI, Ultra sounds, bone scans, thermal imaging. I really like the imaging because it can really help to pinpoint the problem area. You can also find an accupuncturist-look online to find someone certified-also for diagnostic. They may not be able to "fix" him, but can also locate the problem area.
Try to find a good trainer/breeder even a barn manager, and ask about their vets. Another really good option is the closest college or teaching hospital.
Let me know where in general you are located and I'm happy to ask around.
I have 4 different vets I use each one acorrding to their specialty,unfortunately you may have to travel.
Also you may want to get one of those cheap weight tapes to get an accurate reading. 1400 is really heavy, that may contribute to his hind end issue.

Well he's probably not 1400 now, that was in his four year old year when he was actually used everyday on the trail..he lost alot of weight when we had to put him on stall rest b/c he was fretting a lot. He's use to being on pasture with his "herd", Im sure you know how geldings are. Anyhow we're in Jackson, TN and I've only found two "barns" and one vet so if you know anyone reliable it's be great. He's a big boy about 16 hands and is slighty sickle hocked which can't help right?
Anyhow thanks so much!
MuckBucket!!

MuckBucket,

I contacted a friend in TN that has a wonderful vet. I didn't know where she was located in relationship to you. This is what she wrote:

Sorry...but I am on the other side of TN so I don't have any idea of vets over on the west side. If she could contact the Extension Agent in her area, they might be able to help her out.

I hope that provides you with SOME information that might be of help.

I am an hour East drive-time from Jackson. For all of my big horsey-problems, I go to Lewisburg Animal Clinic (which is east of Columbia). Dr. Victor Wakefield is one of the vets there, he took 8 years of equine-veterinary and he is wonderful. I have been burned by less knowledgeable vets, but have never made a mistake when going to his clinic or at least giving them a call for help! Their ph: is 931-359-5945 just in case you're interested in calling and asking some questions. Dr. Wakefield knows his job.