Coffin joint arthritis

[Darkwater]

This might get a bit long, so sorry in advance - if anyone has any experience with coffin joint arthritis I would really love to hear about it.

My old mare hasn't been right on her front feet, one in particular, since she has been turned out 24/7 for summer. I was hoping she had just tweaked something messing around with her new field friends and vet recommended Loxicom (she can't have bute/danilon - long story) and field rest for a few days as there was no obvious injury. She seemed a lot better initially and had been sound for a few days after coming off the anti-inflammatory so I took her for a short hack. She felt fine to ride but the next day we were obviously back at square one with the lameness.

Vet was called back and he is fairly certain it is arthritis in her front coffin joints - she was diagnosed with hock spavin in both hocks about 7 years ago and shortly after with very slight changes in both front coffin joints although one more the other (matches up with the one she is most lame on at the moment). Now that this has been mentioned I think it makes a lot of sense and I can see all the same problems we had with her before. Taking her shoes off and giving her some time off saw her come sound from her initial diagnosis and we have had no problems for the last 6 years and she has been in light work ever since. Vet is coming back next week for xrays and in the mean time she is back on Loxicom until she is comfortable again. The problem is, if her xrays show what we are expecting, I really don't know where to go from here.

The vet wont want to give her steroid injections as he doesn't want to risk triggering laminitis (she has never had lami, but he thinks she is the type to be at risk if given steroids) and she can't have long term anti-inflammatory drugs due to stomach/gut problems. She is 22 now and owes me absolutely nothing, so if she is field sound and needs to be retired then that is what will happen, and I am possibly thinking too far ahead as we obviously need xray results first but I would be really interested to hear from anybody with experience of coffin joint arthritis and how you managed it. Thanks x

 

[paulineh]

I have an Arab mare that was diagnosed in 2012 with Navicular and Coffin Joint problems. To start with we did the full veterinary treatment including egg bar shoes. In 2014 I took her shoes off. To start with she improved but recently she has become potty in walk.

After doing some research I started her on Green Lipped Mussel (On 22nd May) within a few days she was walking better and now has started to walk out in the woods, she does wear hoof boots when she goes out. Maybe it is worth trying the GLM. I get mine from Healthspam and give her 3 capsules twice a day. This will be reduced to 1 capsule twice a day after a month. I have ordered some from Gold Label and will see if that works too.

 

[pines of rome]

Have you tried her on Turmeric? Have a look on the turmeric user group on FB.

 

[Darkwater]

She already wears hoof boots when we hack out, we too tried the route of remedial shoeing but she showed little improvement so we took them off, and she improved 100% at the time being barefoot. I've just started using her boots to get in and out of the field as its a horrid stony track to her stable and it seems to be helping her to do it with her boots on.

Thank you both for the suggestions, I will look into GLM and tumeric.

 

[ester]

I'm surprised he is so reluctant to do the steroid injections.

I have a welshie and discussed the risk with my vet and his feeling was that if you were only injecting one (we were at the time) he really wouldn't worry, if doing two he would keep off grass etc. He had steroid and HA injections. - although he has been sound since barefoot anyway.

One thing that struck me is that you said since she has been out 24/7 - is it possible that is just too much grass for her atm and has made her sensitive?, although that wouldn't explain the worse in one, is that foot noticeably different?

If mine I would block the worst coffin joint and see if that brings her sound before deciding how to proceed I think.

 

[applecart14]

My horse has it, and was described as moderate to severe, but he had an active splint at the time so I was never certain that it was that that made him lame. He has only had three steroid injections in the whole time I've had him (eleven years) and even the vet is not certain about this now.

My horse was shod differently with the angle of his toes altered, and he was given rubber pads. I also tried Equipak but it wasn't that long lasting.

 

[Sheep]

How long has she been unshod?

My boy has this problem. When shoes came off, he improved steadily and after about 4 months, got a bit worse temporarily. It coincided with major changes in the hoof angle. He's now much improved, sound and coming into light work.

 

[Darkwater]

I'm surprised he is so reluctant to do the steroid injections.

One thing that struck me is that you said since she has been out 24/7 - is it possible that is just too much grass for her atm and has made her sensitive?, although that wouldn't explain the worse in one, is that foot noticeably different?

I might be wrong when I say he wont do injections - I can just remember that when she was first lame in front several years ago, he wouldn't, but she was quite severely overweight at the time as she had had a lot of time off due to her hocks, so it might be an option this time if she is less of a risk. It is something I will discuss with him when we know more, i'm just trying to think about other options as well.

The grass had crossed my mind as well but she is on restricted grazing as she always has been, her weight is fine and she is definitely more lame on her front left than the right and she is sound behind. Neither the farrier nor the vet seemed to think it was a lami type problem, they suspect that being out on relatively hard ground 24/7 and messing with the youngsters when they first went out that has brought this to light.

How long has she been unshod?

My boy has this problem. When shoes came off, he improved steadily and after about 4 months, got a bit worse temporarily. It coincided with major changes in the hoof angle. He's now much improved, sound and coming into light work.

She has been unshod for about 6 years. When she was first diagnosed we tried having her shod in heels on her backs and with rubber pads on her fronts, but it made little difference and she wasn't sound enough to be in work so we took them off and she has been sound ever since until now.

 

[ihatework]

Xrays to check the extent of arthritis but also to check the foot balance.

I'd ask the vet about joint injections. Lami risk is low unless the horse is already predisposed - never the less there are also some non steroid joint lubricants that could help.

Then I'd maintain on IM pentosan

 

[Zuzzie]

My horse has coffin joint arthritis in his right fore - diagnosed about 5/6 years ago. Tried all the treatments but nothing worked. Tried a lot of the recommended supplements including turmeric but nothing made any difference. Last time I looked the Turmeric Group on Facebook had closed. The only thing that did work and was like a miracle cure was the steroid injections. However, the effects wear off. The first injection lasted about 8 months or so. The second about 5 or 6 months and the third about 3 months. They are not a long term solution and, in my opinion, I suspect they cause even more degeneration in the joint. I've found that I can hack out my horse quite happily and even jump a small log or two on one bute per day. When he was first diagnosed he was competing at affiliated medium dressage so his career went out the window but he is very happy now enjoying a chilled out life. He is 21 and looks like a 5 year old.