Do you want the good news or the bad news first?
The good news is that at a recent lameness check back in early June, Jupiter was the soundest he’s ever been. Putting him on Equioxx, tacking on some front shoes, and legging him up has proven to be a tried and true regime for improving his soundness.
The “bad news” is that at that same lameness eval, while his movement looked great, palpation of his back revealed high sensitivity. We put him on methocarbamol, a muscle relaxer, to help ease some of his pain, and gave him some time off from ridden work, opting instead to do strengthening exercises like trot poles and carrot stretches. We also measured him for a better saddle fit, suspecting that was part of, if not the main, issue.
But after several weeks of this abbreviated work, rest, and rehab, he was still quite sore. We had the vet out again for another recheck and to x‑ray his back in the event that something under the hood was causing him distress. His back x‑rayed clean – no evidence of kissing spines or anything else that would point to a sore back — which is, of course a good thing, but still begs the question as to if not that, then what?
The vet felt that there was a chance that the slight mild positives in his hind limbs (post-flexions) could be related to the pain as well, perhaps the back compensating for something happening in the limbs.
She also made note that his back sensitivity, while not gone, was mildly improved after the movement that accompanies a lameness exam. Because of this, our new plan for rehabbing would be to test his back, work him unsaddled, test his back again, and saddle him if there was not increased sensitivity. Making sure, of course, that if he did exhibit any increased tenderness that we would walk it back. If he was still off after our new rehab plan, the next step would be to take him off the Equioxx and see if we couldn’t exacerbate that lameness to better pinpoint where specifically it was stemming from.
Jupiter also met with Dr. Rathbone for a round of acupuncture, the results of which were immediate and marked relief. Since his appointment, his daily checks for soreness have shown an almost night and day difference from only a few weeks ago, when even a light touch would cause him to flinch.
Jupiter has also been treated to several rounds of pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy which has also shown a significant difference in his comfort.
The changes so far since his vet check have been significant and reassuring, and we can only hope that they continue as he gets back into the full swing of things!
