Bone spavins...again!

FAYEFUDGE

FAYEFUDGE

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Hi,
Sorry I have more "worries" on this subject!
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Thanks to all who answered before!

1) It has been suggested that if I use bute, whilst the hock is fusing, the process will be slowed down. Is this true?

2) The vet thinks that by the look of my boy's x-rays his hock joint is 80% fused. Should I be fairly confident that it will actually fully fuse?

3) Are there cases of the joint never fully fusing?
If so, what is the outlook for these horses?

4) At the moment only his near hind is affected, but I'm told that this can be a bilateral condition, so how likely is his other hock to be affected?

Sorry for all the questions!
I have bombarded my vet with all my queries but just wanted some answers from other owners who have been here.
I am worried sick... I'm sure you can tell lol!
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Hey,
1) I wouldn't think that it would slow down the fusing -it will mean that said beast is putting weight on it and therefore helping with the fusing process?
2) Should fully fuse - its nature that it will heal itself
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3) Cases - few - will be in constant pain ...chance of irregular bone spurs .....
4) Depends on why he got spavins - due to an injury, or broken too early/heriditary etc. Did vet say why? My mare was bilateral due to either being broken in too early or mummy horse....(you know, a nice Irish person breeding from a mare that was crippled, and then selling the seemingly fine baby to the UK)

Any other questions? My mare had surgery and so far in the 2 years since has been fine. Hers was only just starting, and she was 5 when diagnosed.
 
To be honest I think Fudge got his spavin from being slightly cow hocked, which is why I'm worried the other one will be affected.
He isn't even that unsound it but it's terrible knowing that in reality I am riding a lame horse.
He had absolutely no boney spurs, but you could see very clearly where the joint had fused etc.
Thanks for you help!
 
Hey

I understand your worries my boy has Spavin in both his hocks...

1) I was told the same thing about bute - he was kept off it until now when they have nearly fused together so the vet says it wont prevent it now (and we've just diagnoised navicular in both fronts so he really needs it)

Bi-lateral - It is my understanding that it can develop in the other due to them not using themselves correctly - so they alter the movement and it causes fusion in the other leg.

It always fuses - just sometimes it needs a little help along the way.

Out of interest how are you treating his spavin? Riv has had tildren as he had huge spurs growing off his hocks and on his last x ray they had all but disappeared - I was amazed, and the fusion is happening quite quickly...

Good luck and I hope yours makes a full recovery - I sympathise with the worry - been treating mine since May but he had been lame on and off since November and the vet thinks he may have had it when i bought him 4 yrs ago!!! Again he wasn't noticably lame (though he is now) and had been seen by a vet numerious times before it was caught.

xx
 
My vet says there are very few that spontaneously fuse.....
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My horse has fairly bad ones but he's happy to be ridden and still gallops and jumps and is on no pain meds. He had the steroid injections to both hocks and not a lot else. He was lame for about three months. Stop worrying
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Hi,
Basically because Fudge's spavin are (hopefully) almost fused there was no point in him having Tildren etc.
I have been advised that my best course of action is to keep him in work and give him bute if and when he needs it.
My vet said that Fudge's spavin has probably developing slowly over the past 2 years!
The lameness is hardly visible on a surface, but is noticeable after flexion and on concrete.
 
I've not been allowed to ride mine since May - but his spavins are quite severe and limit his movement - at the moment he canters moving both his hind legs at the same time - bunny hop style its quite funny...

I do know lots of horses who work fine with the spavin though - Riv just likes to be difficult!!!

Sure it will all be fine - sounds like he's getting the best possible care.

xx
 
Hi
1/ i would rather have slower process and have my horse pain free although I would imagine if they use the hock correctly ie pain free it will fuse quicker.We used danilon its kinder on the gut.
2/You are well on the way to recovery
3/I wouldnt concern myself if your boy is already fusing
4/My vet treated my horses other hock and took xrays and couldnt find any other problems.I assume we had spavin due to early racing training which would always be on one rein around the course.You can maintain the other joint with a good supplement to prevent the other one breaking down .I use newmarket joint supplement.
Like you I was heartbroken we had surgery as he was in alot of pain prior to surgery.Hes injured at the moment but as far as the spavin goes he looks excellent and is using the hock and is straight . Welcome to the support group lol
 
My horse's highest joint on his right hock is 100% fused, there is no spurs on any other joint.
He also has clear x-rays on his left hock, as in no arthritic changes at all.
He had no treatment and the joint fused very quickly on its own with very little lameness involved.
My vet had never seen a case like this and was so amazed his x-rays were sent to be used at the vet college.
I dont use any pain relief for him, he is on cortaflex HA and is out 24/7, and has no more than two days off.
 
I am really surprised that the view is that the spavin will 'always' fuse. My horse was diagnosed with DJD about 6 yrs ago - as a 5 yr old. He received diagnostic treatment from one of the best veterinary centres in the country. They said that not all spavins fuse.
I have never heard of bute slowing down the process of fusion.
My horse did not respond to tildren all that time ago. They told me it was either maintain him on bute (or without bute if possible). OR have invasive surgery. For many reasons I decided the surgery was not for him. My horse has spavin in both legs, but the right one is worse. He is competing in showing and dressage, maintained on Extraflex HA. If he is uncomfortable he gets 1 bute a day. Things have been like this for a number of years. He does not have great movement of his back legs, in a dressage sense. He is sound though and happy to work.
I do think that spavins can be of different types, and 'fusion or non fusion' is a simplistic description.
 
1) Bute is actually though to speed up arthritis just a a little, due to the way it's metabolised. Bad news for those using it for 'normal' arthritis, but good news for bone spavin.

2) Some spavin never fused, and never will without intervention. However, if you lads is pretty much done already, it's very likely to keep going.

3) for those that don't fuse, you can either try and salvage the joint (i.e tildren) or you can try to chemically or sugically fuse it. Both types of 'artificial' fusion are horriffically painful for the horse, and expensive, so rarely done. They otherwise remain lame. Generally if them turned out, they will eventually fuse over many years.

4) Bilateral spavin is very common. It however it often not noticed until the worst effected side has fused and totally pain free and the other side starts to limp. When bilaterally lame, it's hard to see the less lame side.

Try not to worry too much. If you can keep him pain free on low level bute, there is not reason you can't keep riding him. Try not to worry too much about wheither it fuses or not. Worrying won't make it fuse faster!

Incidently. pretty much all horses with hindlimb lameness have sore backs too, cos it affects the way they move. Hindlimb lameness is the very first thing that should be checked when there's issues with back pain (unless the saddles clearly a terrible fit), as it's so common. He'd probably really appreciate some treatment from a good physio.
 
I second tbe physio comment. My boy has the physio a few times a yr and he appears to love her!! Frees up any areas of tightness, hopefully preventing (or spotting early) any back issues or other musculoskeletal issues linked to the spavin.
 
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