Arthritis in young horses

[Lottiedots]

Only came on here to do a post as I have just been told today my 6 year old has arthritis in his right hock and right shoulder. Seems you have very similar situation !
They are injecting his hock and shoulder with steroid injection tomorrow. Ive not had a horse with anything like this so im a bit shocked that an otherwise healthy 6 year old has arthritis.
Please can you let me know how you get on. It would be great to have a bit of support right now. Also interested in knowing what the best supplement to use would be, so much on the market! The vet suggested anything with MSN or HA. ...

 

[IrishMilo]

Only came on here to do a post as I have just been told today my 6 year old has arthritis in his right hock and right shoulder. Seems you have very similar situation !
They are injecting his hock and shoulder with steroid injection tomorrow. Ive not had a horse with anything like this so im a bit shocked that an otherwise healthy 6 year old has arthritis.
Please can you let me know how you get on. It would be great to have a bit of support right now. Also interested in knowing what the best supplement to use would be, so much on the market! The vet suggested anything with MSN or HA. ...

Sorry to hear that. It is a shock. My vet recommended anything with Green Lipped Mussel in it - she said glucosamine is good but the studies on how effective it is are variable. I got the YuMove subscription.

 

[gemisastar]

A friend has a now 10yo Connie x mare who was diagnosed with arthritis in her hock a few years ago. It's been medicated at times, but she had it x-rayed last year which showed that the hock has pretty much fused. There were changes to the other hock too - she uses her as a happy hacker and we go barrelling about all over the place, she is perfectly happy. We don't think she'll be a horse that will make old bones but currently she is a happy little thing who absolutely loves to go out and about. She does not school her, ever, although we are hoping to go and have a play over some small xc courses with a view to doing some low level hunter trials next year. Make of that what you will!!

 

[Lottiedots]

Sorry to hear that. It is a shock. My vet recommended anything with Green Lipped Mussel in it - she said glucosamine is good but the studies on how effective it is are variable. I got the YuMove subscription.

Thanks. I was just looking a Maxavita which has Greeen Lipped Mussel. I used it once for my old boy. Might give that a go then but ill look at YuMOve too.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Would it be worth testing for anything else? Open to anything tbh.

I mean, yes.. what high dose of Vit E was he on? It could be worth doing a blood test for his muscles. PSSM1 testing is about £30 and PSSM2 and variants is about £200, both involve sending hair off. I know it is in the Connie lines somewhere. Maybe join the PSSM Forum (theres also other groups) on Facebook and see if anyone can link his pedigree to a potential carrier.

 

[Lottiedots]

Thanks. I was just looking a Maxavita which has Greeen Lipped Mussel. I used it once for my old boy. Might give that a go then but ill look at YuMOve too.

Thanks. I was just looking a Maxavita which has Greeen Lipped Mussel. I used it once for my old boy. Might give that a go then but ill look at YuMOve too.

So interesting to read you story. My boy erupted out of the blue last September , totally out of character so wasn't prepared. Unfortunately I landed badly and broke my leg. He was ridden ny my instructor for 6 weeks then we turned him away for 4 months. Got him back into work in the spring but his behaviour has been erratic . Very over reactive to changes in weather etc. We had him scoped for ulcers which came back negative . We didn't consider him lame a this stage. The lady who has been helping me with him felt he still had gut issues still so we have treated him for that. Gradually he had become less willing to move forward, no longer happy on the lunge, explosive behaviours, particularly on the right rein on lunge. Felt not sound right fore and not coming through right hind. So got vet out and results are arthritis right shoulder and right hock. Not great news but at least I feel I have a reason now why he was behaving so erratically. Feel that he probably has some sort of pain reaction the day he bucked me off. But we didn't know back then that was the issue as he wasn't showing up lame, but maybe 'not quite right" was all we could say at the time. I was interested to hear similar behaviour from your boy with the explosive behaviour. Might be worth giving him something for his gut since its the first thing to react to pain and they hold a lot of tension through the gut. (Also on Magnesium.) It will be investing to see how they are once we have their pain under control. Let me know how you get on!

 

[IrishMilo]

Update for anyone going through similar, now a month post-spavin diagnosis.

I started him on a month's course of Omeprazole and YuMove. All school work/lunging was stopped and we walked out in hand a few KMs a day for about three weeks. I desperately wanted him to lose some weight after he came back from being turned away in a friend's grassy friend for a month. He's lost around 20kgs in the last six weeks so I'm really happy with that. I'm aiming for him to lose around another 10.

After a few weeks of in hand stuff I started light hacking, just walking. We've just started little bits of trot. He seems much happier in himself with a much reduced workload and regular exercise. He's mostly out 24/7 but comes in at night if it's raining, as he gets desperately miserable if left out and walks the fence. I also notice a decline in his behaviour when he gets cold.

Before:

Now:

I have a friend who's a vet physio - I've decided to try laser therapy before steroid injections. I've read very positive things and would rather work from least invasive --> most first.

 

[Lottiedots]

Thats good to hear. We are currently walking for 20 mins and progressing to 30 mins next week and introducing trot work. He seems happier and we have physio next week so will be interested to see what she says. fingers crossed for our boys!

 

[IrishMilo]

Milo's doing well. I haven't lunged in anything other than big walk circles for pole work since he got back from the clinic, and have probably been in the arena twice, just doing walk and trot. We've progressed to short canters in straight lines out hacking which he's loving.

He's lost a lot of weight but kept good muscle which is perfect. He's far less explosive to ride now which is nice.

He had the first of what will be many laser therapy and physio sessions yesterday, done by an old friend who's a vet physio. We had a long chat about the various treatments out there - she said shockwave is not something she has much faith in as the studies don't back it up, which was interesting. She's totally convinced by laser therapy.

His right knee clicked a lot as she was working on that leg - he's always clicked when walking. Could be something or nothing...

 

[Abi90]

My 7 yr old has ringbone. We found it when I went looking for something when she starting bucking earlier this year (that was caused by her saddle).

The x rays look quite bad but she is sound and not positive to flexion. She was medicated in Feb despite being sound (hadn’t realised the saddle was the issue at this point) and it’s now October and she’s still 100% sound.

We only found it because I noticed some swelling on the pastern the day I took her into the vets for a gastroscope!

It will inevitably shorten her ridden career and I was devastated at first but she tells me when she doesn’t like doing something so I will just listen to what she wants to do x

 

[Goldenstar]

I too would have wanted to confirm by blocking thAt this is the primary issue .
I would inject steroid to settle it down I would a little later inject arthramid ( or similar ).
for sure I would in a young horse only use steroid .
The gel type medications can give long term relief and are the very worth while particularly when the horse is young .
I would caution that very often there’s more going on than the hocks and would want a issues with performance type vet all over him like a rash .

 

[eggs]

I am wondering whether it is the Omeprazol that is helping your horse as the behaviour you mentioned seems to be more indicative of ulcers than hock arthritis.

He is looking a much better weight - well done.

 

[QueenT]

In addition to other good advice here I’d definitely consider shoeing. Our connie has spavin in the left hock and does really well with asymmetrical JMD shoes on both hinds. Some also use eggbars - the point is that shoe branches are longer to support joint stability

 

[Laurac13]

I am wondering whether it is the Omeprazol that is helping your horse as the behaviour you mentioned seems to be more indicative of ulcers than hock arthritis.

He is looking a much better weight - well done.

I agree the explosive behaviour could have been ulcers rather than pain from the hocks
Glad he’s doing well though ?