We recently had radiographs done of Valor’s right hind pastern, the one that showed a potential issue on the bone scan last month. Our main concern was that there might be a bone chip in there, so clean X‑rays were a relief. With this knowledge, we formulated a new plan. With Dr. Fleck’s guidance we have opted to take a conservative route to start.
Since Valor’s foot soreness was a clear problem on the bone scan, we have put Valor in glue-on shoes to allow his foot pain to heal. He has also been put on Equioxx for pain management. We’re hoping that the combination of the shoes and pain medication will be enough to get him on the path to soundness. If we determine that this conservative plan is not enough, we will take the next step by having Valor’s shoulders, right stifle, and hips injected with platelet rich plasma (PRP). PRP is a regenerative therapy that uses the horse’s own blood to help speed along the healing process. This will be a more cost-effective method than steroid injections.
We’ll take things one step at a time and hopefully this initial plan will work. We should know more in the next few weeks.
