southerncomfort
Well-Known Member
My 25 year old mare with hock arthritis is not looking right at all at the moment.
I retired her at the end of summer because the arthritis suddenly flared up badly.
I've been managing her with Bute and she's been improving. However, I've seen her lose her balance twice in the last couple of days. I got her out on to a hard flat surface today and she's definitely uncomfortable on her near fore. If I hold up her off fore she struggles to keep her balance and when I put her in the field she stumbled on her near fore.
I've read that arthritis often appears in the coffin joints in horses that have hock arthritis. Does anyone have any experience of this and could tell me how you knew it had progressed?
My plan is to poultice overnight just in case it's an abscess and ask the vet to come tomorrow
I'm going to pray for an abscess but if it isn't and i can't keep her comfortable, I think I might have the worst decision to make soon.
I retired her at the end of summer because the arthritis suddenly flared up badly.
I've been managing her with Bute and she's been improving. However, I've seen her lose her balance twice in the last couple of days. I got her out on to a hard flat surface today and she's definitely uncomfortable on her near fore. If I hold up her off fore she struggles to keep her balance and when I put her in the field she stumbled on her near fore.
I've read that arthritis often appears in the coffin joints in horses that have hock arthritis. Does anyone have any experience of this and could tell me how you knew it had progressed?
My plan is to poultice overnight just in case it's an abscess and ask the vet to come tomorrow
I'm going to pray for an abscess but if it isn't and i can't keep her comfortable, I think I might have the worst decision to make soon.