Risking turnout on an unclear diagnosis

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RP fell down in pasture Tuesday night. Legs are clean (no heat, no swelling) and blocking showed no improvement, but he's very lame. Vet did his best to move his shoulder around to find/access the source of the pain, but we couldn't find it. So, vet suspects it's up behind the shoulder blade, where it's nearly impossible to access. That also means we don't know exactly what we're dealing with...pulled muscle? torn ligament? fracture? could be anything.

Vet suggested 2 weeks of stall rest with bute for 10 days and robaxin for 2 weeks and then to re-asses. I know that 2 weeks is not a terribly long period of stall rest. But I worry about keeping a horse who's had his history of ulcers on stall rest. And after experiencing a horse develop arthritis on stall rest, I'm also paranoid about the long-term damage.

We do have a couple of very small turnout spaces I could put him instead. But they share a fence line with some very rowdy boys. There's another option, which is larger, where he wouldn't share a fence line with anyone.

Anyway, debating the pros and cons of turning out v. stall rest and would love to hear people's thoughts...

[heddylamar]

I may be in the minority, but I'm not a fan of stall rest unless there's a real clear necessity. And, even then, I try to limit as much as possible.

My elder mare has ulcers too, and she was a complete wreck on forced stall rest when her 1 month old foal (my current ride, Maia) was put on stall rest for 8 weeks. They had a huge stall (really 3 12x14 stalls) with a run that's essentially 4 12x14 stalls off that. And the third horse on the property was in the pasture overlooking the run. By the end of their stall rest, the vets were more concerned about Anzia's health than Maia's. We went through a lot of sedatives, ulcer meds, and probiotics.

Now, if I have to keep either in a stall, it's 2 days max, and then they both go into a teeny run with the rest of the herd next door. Without a bud, my two will get anxious as the herd moves away as are several others, but at least one of the horses is fine alone in the teeny paddock.

[khall]

I would not turn out with a horse that lame. Put him on preventative dose of GG and have you tried Triple Crown alfa lox? My ulcer prone mare is on alfa lox. Keep lots of hay in front of him.

[musical comedy]

I always have the minority opinion, but if I had a horse that was VERY lame and the source couldn't be diagnosed with blocks, I would be doing a whole body bone scan. Over the years, I don't think I have ever opted for the 'wait and see' approach. If the horse is lame up front and vet was looking in the shoulder area, then I would be suspecting the neck as the problem.

[Chisamba]

If I have a horse on pain meds I stall rest, if the horse knows how sore he us I turn out but keep other horses from causing it to move more than it would.

I had a horse fracture its neck slipping in pasture.

A lot of pain must have a cause

[blob]

I always have the minority opinion, but if I had a horse that was VERY lame and the source couldn't be diagnosed with blocks, I would be doing a whole body bone scan. Over the years, I don't think I have ever opted for the 'wait and see' approach. If the horse is lame up front and vet was looking in the shoulder area, then I would be suspecting the neck as the problem.

Vet doesn't think imaging options (x-ray, scan, ultrasound) will access it. He did some pretty intensive manipulations and suspects it's well behind the shoulder blade or even up inside the sternum. The neck, shoulder blade, withers, chest are all fine.

There is of course a cause, it's just something deep, deep. So hard to know what it is or how severe.

I've put him in a small pen (about 15 meters worth of space) the last two days while I was at the barn to ride MM. That way I could keep an eye on him but still give him some kind of turnout time. He's done nothing but eat grass and take small steps as he grazed. If he can continue doing this calmly, this will be optimal.

His pain/lameness also went from several days of no change, to much better overnight today. So I'll give him another day or so to make sure this isn't a fluke and then wean him off the bute.

[mld02004]

I’d do whatever keeps him the quietest, likely away from other horses who might get rowdy. My vet wanted very small turnout for my horses two tendon injuries and I opted for a larger area where she felt less confined and therefore quieter.

[Hayburner]

I would listen to the vet. Could you use Reserpine or another drug to take the edge off and hopefully ward off ulcers?