Arthritis in young horses

[IrishMilo]

I know the research and info is out there but would like to hear personal experiences please, good and bad - not hearsay. My six year old Connie's just been diagnosed, with bony changes showing on X rays. They're there in both hocks - left worse than right. 1/10th lame on LH. Spine/neck/suspensories were X rayed at the same time and are fine.

I bought him to jump but I don't really care about that, would basically just be happy with getting him to the point where he's comfortable under saddle hacking and light school work to keep him kicking over. If that isn't going to be possible then would need a serious think as he's not really a great candidate for retirement.

He's already barefoot with good feet and out 24/7, we walk a couple of miles in hand every day, and I plan to have him to lose about 20kgs. He's about 420kgs. He doesn't tolerate ridden work atm without exploding so that's not an option.

The plan's to start with steroids into the hocks and I've ordered YuMove on vet's recommendation. He's also just been started on Omeprazole.

TIA

 

[Pippity]

I've had great results with steroids in my 8yo's hocks, and the vet's extremely optimistic that she'll continue to respond. My plans for her have always been a bit of low-level everything, and the vet's optimistic that the arthritis won't impact that. I'll PM you some videos of before and after the steroids to give you an idea of what they can do.

 

[ycbm]

Take a look at boswellia, it's had good results in proper trials for arthritis. Hopefully you can nurse him along until they fuse, when he should be pretty much OK.
.

 

[SO1]

Sorry to hear this. Arthritis in younger horses does seem to be more common now.

I would be cautious about steroids and natives especially at this time of year and if needs to loose weight. Are there other options some people use cartrophen and perhaps then have steroids in the winter when the laminitis risk may be less?

 

[IrishMilo]

I would be cautious about steroids and natives especially at this time of year and if needs to loose weight

He'll lose the extra weight before I take him back to mitigate the risk. He's not grossly obese, just carrying a bit more than I'd like. He did have steroids for his SI a few months back and was absolutely fine so should be OK.

Take a look at boswellia, it's had good results in proper trials for arthritis. Hopefully you can nurse him along until they fuse, when he should be pretty much OK..

Think I'm just worried for the bit between now and then. I know natural fusion isn't guaranteed and chemical fusion sounds a bit worrying/hit and miss due to risks from what I've read. Surgical fusion seems the most sure fire 'fix' if nothing else works but sounds incredibly painful and obviously carries risks too. Gah.

I've had great results with steroids in my 8yo's hocks, and the vet's extremely optimistic that she'll continue to respond. My plans for her have always been a bit of low-level everything, and the vet's optimistic that the arthritis won't impact that. I'll PM you some videos of before and after the steroids to give you an idea of what they can do.

That's good, thank you.

 

[SEL]

Mine was also 6 when she was diagnosed. Steroids only worked for a really short time but gel injections made a huge difference.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Go for Arthrimed gel injections rather than steroids if your vets agree. They are spendier, but much longer lasting, and because they do not contain steroid they do not have the laminitis risk. About £800ish for both hocks in these parts.

If the arthritis is confined to the hocks, then that bodes well. Get a good body worker on him to make sure he moves freely and well as part of the rehab.

Good luck.

 

[IrishMilo]

Mine was also 6 when she was diagnosed. Steroids only worked for a really short time but gel injections made a huge difference.

Go for Arthrimed gel injections rather than steroids if your vets agree. They are spendier, but much longer lasting, and because they do not contain steroid they do not have the laminitis risk. About £800ish for both hocks in these parts.

If the arthritis is confined to the hocks, then that bodes well. Get a good body worker on him to make sure he moves freely and well as part of the rehab.

Good luck.

Thanks both. Gel injections are definitely a route that we discussed so it's an option for sure. I was a bit shell shocked at the time to ask all the questions I had and discuss a solid treatment plan. I have a friend who's a vet physio who I'll be seeing much more of now I'm sure...

 

[bouncing_ball]

Take a look at boswellia, it's had good results in proper trials for arthritis. Hopefully you can nurse him along until they fuse, when he should be pretty much OK.
.

Have you found a cost effective long term supply? And do you know what RDA for a 500kg horse was in trials?

 

[Flicker]

To be honest, of all the places to have bony changes I’d probably be least worried about hocks. It is very common. There are so many treatment options available and the benefits of keeping horses with arthritis in work are now well documented. I know many horses who have spavin and are in full work and completely comfortable.

 

[Griffin]

My mare has been recently diagnosed with arthritis in her SI joint, she is ten years old.

We have a fairly positive prognosis and she seems happy in the level of work she is doing at the moment (schooling or hacking up to five times a week). I am currently using Feedmark's Extra Flex Ha and some boswellia having had success with both in the past with arthritic horses. It's early days but it seems to be making her move more freely already which is really pleasing.

 

[Michen]

Mine has just been diagnosed too, it doesn't worry me tbh at this point. He has never been positive to flexion and was 100% sound in mid May, then his rehab work for a ligament injury took a dip and now his hocks have become an issue.

I am positive that his hocks are an issue because he's currently the fattest he's ever been, the most unfit and in the least amount of work. This horse was hunting, jumping, working hard and has never shown a hock issue until now.

Personally I don't want to jump straight in to injections, so I'm upping the walk work over the next few weeks and he's getting plenty of turnout etc, we will reassess soundness then before deciding.

I'd see how yours goes with losing some weight and upping some fitness and I'd consider bute to allow you to do this if necessary. 1/10 lame after flexion really is minor..

 

[IrishMilo]

Mine has just been diagnosed too, it doesn't worry me tbh at this point. He has never been positive to flexion and was 100% sound in mid May, then his rehab work for a ligament injury took a dip and now his hocks have become an issue.

I am positive that his hocks are an issue because he's currently the fattest he's ever been, the most unfit and in the least amount of work. This horse was hunting, jumping, working hard and has never shown a hock issue until now.

Personally I don't want to jump straight in to injections, so I'm upping the walk work over the next few weeks and he's getting plenty of turnout etc, we will reassess soundness then before deciding.

I'd see how yours goes with losing some weight and upping some fitness and I'd consider bute to allow you to do this if necessary. 1/10 lame after flexion really is minor..

I would totally agree with you normally but he's already showing so many signs of being in pain that he didn't do a year or two ago... bucking, cow kicking, not wanting to go forward (totally unlike him), super stiff through his whole body and unable to bend to the right under saddle. That's why I took him to the clinic as I KNEW there was something wrong despite him being sound and well in himself. The vet said she was being mega picky to even put him as 1/10th lame. He was positive to flexion on both hinds (not that I necessarily think flexions are a good test of lameness...)

He's not even that overweight tbh so I don't imagine his weight will make much difference, but I want him at a point where he's on the skinny side of OK.

 

[HashRouge]

I have a 17 yr old Welsh Sec D who has been sitting in the field doing nothing for about 5 years. He was diagnosed with arthritis in his hocks ages ago (I'd guess he was 9 or 10), but it was an add on to assorted other problems that he had - navicular, SI pain and ulcers (I'd guess the SI pain was linked to at least one of the other problems, but not sure). He had steroid injections once I think (I get a bit vague over what treatment he had for what issue!) but in the end we just couldn't keep him sound and in work for any prolonged period of time, so we retired him to the field. He's a complicated chap anyway and can be very tricky to catch, so it just seemed like the easiest option. However the rest seemed to be just what he needed and he has been wonderfully sound for years now. I don't know if he would stand up to ridden work, but I'm often tempted to get back on him as I watch him doing a marvellous extended trot round the field whilst refusing to be caught. I don't know if that helps or not - he had far more problems than your boy, but he's really sound now and no sign of stiffness in his hocks. I don't see any reason why he wouldn't stand up to some hacking and light school work, having seen how he is in the field.

 

[conniegirl]

Mine was diagnosed with arthritis aged 6 after going lame at a show, unfortunately his body was riddled with it and after 18months and £10k of vet bills he was retired to a field.
He will be PTS before this winter aged 10

 

[Tiddlypom]

OP, were the hocks nerve blocked?

 

[TotalMadgeness]

My horse showed issues from age 6 and was eventually diagnosed when he was 9. Steroid injections worked very briefly, boswellia didn't work and neither did tumeric. The most success I've had is with osphos and keeping him on danilon (once a day). His supplements are currently Science Supplements Flexability and devils claw root. His weight is managed very carefully, he is shod, plus he is exercised 5 or 6 times a week - slow hacks (no trotting on roads ever), loose schooling (no lungeing ever) or ridden schooling - flatwork only. He can manage a decent Novice test now whereas before treatment he couldn't do an Intro. He is not jumped. He can also win ridden horse / sports horse type showing classes at local shows. He gets physio treatment once a month. The vet and physio are both delighted with him and his progress (and so am I as I thought he'd only be a light hack at best). Good luck!

 

[Dyllymoo]

I've no experience but I have a tub of unopened YouMove if you would like it (free of charge)…

 

[IrishMilo]

OP, were the hocks nerve blocked?

No.

 

[Tiddlypom]

No.

Your vet found changes on the X rays, but the degree of lameness does not always tally with that. You say he is not generally happy in himself, I’d have preferred to confirm that the pain is just in his hocks by blocking them out - you’d expect to see his whole way of going transformed by the block if the problem is just in the hocks.

That is what my vet tells me, and it is how she does it, anyway.

 

[Michen]

Your vet found changes on the X rays, but the degree of lameness does not always tally with that. You say he is not generally happy in himself, I’d have preferred to confirm that the pain is just in his hocks by blocking them out - you’d expect to see his whole way of going transformed by the block if the problem is just in the hocks.

That is what my vet tells me, and it is how she does it, anyway.

Agree. I asked my vet just to x ray hocks and he refused. He said it would mean nothing as to whether that was the source of the nerve block without one or the other and that a positive block is a far better diagnostic tool if its a financial case of do one or not both.

We did do both but it was the block that was the confirmed diagnostic.

 

[IrishMilo]

Your vet found changes on the X rays, but the degree of lameness does not always tally with that. You say he is not generally happy in himself, I’d have preferred to confirm that the pain is just in his hocks by blocking them out - you’d expect to see his whole way of going transformed by the block if the problem is just in the hocks.

That is what my vet tells me, and it is how she does it, anyway.

I get the logic but I'm already into the thousands at this point and insurance aren't covering any of it... At this point I'd rather see the evidence of something through X rays than do a nerve block, so I know exactly what's there and to what extent. The vet struggled to put him at even 1/10th lame so I'm not sure how much use it would have been anyway - the majority of his issues only present under saddle, and given he's a Jekyll and Hyde at best of times in regular work, even if I could have ridden him through a block it would have been unreliable IMO...

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Your vet found changes on the X rays, but the degree of lameness does not always tally with that. You say he is not generally happy in himself, I’d have preferred to confirm that the pain is just in his hocks by blocking them out - you’d expect to see his whole way of going transformed by the block if the problem is just in the hocks.

Second this.

His hocks may not be hurting him.. it might be elsewhere. I've seen terrible x-rays and the horse is totally sound.

 

[conniegirl]

Mine had hock xrays and they looked awful but they were not what was making him lame as there was no change when we nerve blocked there. his arthritis riddled SI joint and several severely affected spinal processes are what was making him lame, if we had just taken those Xrays as gospel then my horse would have been in a lot more pain for a lot longer

 

[IrishMilo]

Second this.

His hocks may not be hurting him.. it might be elsewhere. I've seen terrible x-rays and the horse is totally sound.

Mine had hock xrays and they looked awful but they were not what was making him lame as there was no change when we nerve blocked there. his arthritis riddled SI joint and several severely affected spinal processes are what was making him lame, if we had just taken those Xrays as gospel then my horse would have been in a lot more pain for a lot longer

Possibly. All I know is that we looked at spine, suspensories, hocks and neck and the only thing that showed anything at all was the hocks. His SI was medicated a while back + had shockwave and made no difference. I feel it makes sense for me to treat the issues as and when we find them and then going from there with nerve blocks if there's no improvement.

 

[Tiddlypom]

I do feel rather cross on your behalf, OP. It would have added comparatively little to your bill to perform confirmatory hock nerve blocks when your horse was already in the vets being x rayed etc. It is poor practice not to have done so.

Joint medications are expensive, and it could be time and money wasted, leaving less in the pot if there are other issues.

You are obviously trying your best for your horse, and I wish you all the best in finding a resolution to his problems.

 

[IrishMilo]

I do feel rather cross on your behalf, OP. It would have added comparatively little to your bill to perform confirmatory hock nerve blocks when your horse was already in the vets being x rayed etc. It is poor practice not to have done so

Thank you. Genuine question, and I will discuss this with the vet, but what would you have hoped to achieve with a block of the hock? I took him in because he bucks explosively and cow kicks when asked to move, but only under saddle. A nerve block of that area would only make sense to me if he were lame or did those things on trot up.

 

[Tiddlypom]

If he only does it under saddle, then could you cautiously ride him at the vets? Owners do that sometimes at mine, if issues show up more when ridden. That behaviour IMHO isn’t a very common symptom of standalone hock arthritis.

Don’t want you to get splatted, though.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

A nerve block of that area would only make sense to me if he were lame or did those things on trot up.

Second @Tiddlypoms comment, usually they go stiff or aren't keen on jumping but not explosive with hock arthritis. Usually the vet would nerve block, you'd ride and see if they feel better. Last week mine had both front feet nerve blocked as he gradually got worse on hard ground and moving downhill. I rode 15 minutes after the nerve blocks, wow what a difference. It was like I was on a different horse. He was totally sound prior so the only way to tell was to nerve block and get me on him. Have you had bloods done on him, and more so his muscle bloods?

All the best, I only know the feeling of spending so much money and getting no where all to well.. hope he gets sorted!

 

[IrishMilo]

If he only does it under saddle, then could you cautiously ride him at the vets? Owners do that sometimes at mine, if issues show up more when ridden. That behaviour IMHO isn’t a very common symptom of standalone hock arthritis.

Don’t want you to get splatted, though.

I'd be happy to ride him for the vet. My only reservation with doing it is that he's been out of work for months so he would be fresh and likely to throw shapes anyway (he's the type that needs daily work to stay sane), and his performance is so variable day to day, even if he felt normal after the block, there's nothing to say he wouldn't go back to the old behaviours the next day (which is essentially what's been happening over the last 6 months).

Have you had bloods done on him, and more so his muscle bloods?

No, although I do treat him as PSSM positive. He was on a high dose Vit E supp which didn't make any difference (which is basically the only change I could have made I think, as already out, off as much starch/sugar as poss and exercised daily in some form). Would it be worth testing for anything else? Open to anything tbh.