Coffin join osteo arthritis - what to do next with this wonderful 15.2 - advice?

S

snowcrew

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 March 2011
Messages
57
Location
Hertfordshire
Visit site
Just wondered if anyone had any advice for my dear mate with her 15.2 PN event horse. (14 yrs old)

She bought him off a senior pc/pn event rider in March and due to travel commitments was unable to do much with him til May, when after about 6 weeks he became very short in front.

After box rest, x rays, scans, joint medications etc - due to elimination the vet has diagnosed osteo arthritis of the coffin joint (in both legs) and the horse should be worked through initial shortness.

She is now working him and he does come sound with work, some days better than others but obviously eventing him would not be appropriate as she does not want to aggrivate the arthritis. I think she has come to the decision to find him a new home but definitely doesnt want him sold down the line because on a good day he still looks like he could go eventing.

I understand from the vet that he can continue with work and be ridden etc but to take care with the ground, be attentive to shoeing etc etc.

He is such a jolly little chap and loves his work, enjoys hacking and is a sweetie to handle.

Anyone had any experience with osteo arthritis? It would be such as shame to retire him completely as he does come through his shortness and loves to go out but what next?

Ideas? Help?

Many thanks
 
My horse had this, over 10 years ago, and I was advised that prognosis and treatments is much as navicular. He had bar shoes on, from an examiner farrier, but his angles ended up out of whack a year or so down the line, and eventually I found a Natural Balance farrier who got him sound there and then at the first shoeing. He recommended to keep him in lightish work, and that trotting on the roads even was okay, as long as you did it for long enough to really get th eblood pumping. NB farriers vary enormously as I had a well respected one years later who was not so good. Anyway, I lost the horse to a field accident after a couple of shoeings so can't report on long term results.

Since then I have gone the barefoot route and would do that again for that condition. Hoof balance is ciritical, some farriers will keep the angles and foot function very well, but too many do not. I think there are more good trimmers as a proportion of the total, than there are farriers. I also think that any arthritic conditions of the lower leg must benefit from the reduced concussion of no shoes.
 
Has he had an MRI? One of ours was diagnosed with this intially but on MRI was shown to have collateral ligament damage. It is important to eliminate this as injections will not help it much and it may need a lot of rest rather than working through it.
 
misst said:
Has he had an MRI? One of ours was diagnosed with this intially but on MRI was shown to have collateral ligament damage. It is important to eliminate this as injections will not help it much and it may need a lot of rest rather than working through it.
Click to expand...

Yes, sorry, also has had an MRI at Royal Vet College and the diagnosis through the process of elimination is osteo arthritis which blocked out sound to the coffin joint area.

Both our vet and RVC vet concluded to work through it. Have done box rest route for six weeks, etc etc and he seems better out 24/7 where he can potter about.

Has had one joint medicated which seemed to improve marginally.

Thanks for your help though
 
My RID stallion was diagnosed with this in one front foot about 4 years ago (after problems with a mare who was playing hard to get he went BADLY lame!) He had a steroid into the joint - and then went onto Bute and a good joint supplement (Riaflex Complete.) He came sound within a week and we dropped the Bute after 2 weeks - have kept him on the joint supplement. He's now 20 - still hacking out - and looking after his mares!
 
My 14 year old WB gelding has just been diagnosed following xrays of moderate to severe arthritis in his n/f coffin joint. This I suppose should come as no surprise as he had a steroid injection in the joint 6 years ago when he showed intermittent low level (grade 2) lameness and xrays showed a bony spur on the coffin joint. I was extremely sceptical at the time as he also had an active splint and I thought it was that, which was making him lame. Now it turns out its been getting progressively worse - not helped by him overcompensating on this leg due to bone spavin in the diagonal opposite o/h hock.

He's been given a steroid into the coffin joint last week and the vet is optimistic that he can return to the level he was at previously, although I will have to take the ground into consideration more on fun rides/O.D.E's.

As MISST says ligament damage is also associated with coffin joint deteriation due to the fact that the coffin joint presumably takes more pumelling when the ligament is damaged (I'm guessing this is the reason and the way the foot falls differently maybe). My horse is currently recovering from a slight sprain of the lateral branch of the suspensory ligament. Last time he was lame and had the joint medicated (the six years previously) within a few weeks he was diagnosed with the same ligament damage so the two, it would seem, seem to react to each other, bit like horses with hind leg problems have kissing spine due to the way they carry themselves.

I would also personally agree with SBloom who speaks about farriers. A good farrier is a vital 'piece of kit'!!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
We have a horse with coffin joint arthritis. She has steroid injections into the joints but unfortunately they didn't work. The farrier is very careful with her foot balance and the vet said her shoeing was good. She is now on joint supplements and is sound on one bute a day. She lives out 24/7 to keep her moving. We mainly hack so she is not a competition horse and hopefully we can keep her going like this for some time to come.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top