DJD- Any experiences?

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noggin667

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Hi all, I have a 10 year old irish cob that was recently diagnosed with DJD in the very early stages in his hock. I am currently working with the vet treatment wise and I was wondering if anyone has experienced DJD with their own horse. Any tips on management and care are greatly welcomed.

Thank you for reading this
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Hi my cob gelding has just been diagnosed with DJD in his coffin joint .. Its been a nightmare and i have shed so many tears over the whole thing.. Hes slightly lame or was at the trot, hes been xray, cortastone injectected (pls excuse any spelling mistakes!) That didnt work so now hes in the process or IRAP treatment. We now have him on the New Marktet Joint supplement and are just playing the waiting game to see if we can get him sound.. Hes only 6.. Apparently the xrays have shown up significant changes to the bone which would have been there before we bought him and the vets says that something has triggered the lameness. Its just a case of trying to get him sound now and managing his condition. I wish you all the best for your guy.
 
We have a horse that at 12 has just been retired to my yard because of DJD in his hocks.

He's as happy as larry in the field, but not sound enough to stay in work.
 
Hi..my mare has it in both hocks...
She is now nearly 20yrs old (tb ex-racehorse)...it started 2004 (she was 16)...after examination/x-rays at clinic she had her hocks injected (course of 2), remedial shoeing and put on newmarket js...she then had more bounce then ever and I carried on riding for 3 years (hacking, dressage, jumping)...retired her last year but I can still take her for a walk in the summer if i wanted too...last autumn put her on one bute every other day. She is now not shod behind, but still is in front.
Field exercise is the best...but my horse cant be out 24/7...So since last autumn we now give her bute every other day to help her due to the bad weather and when having to reduce her time out. Its the wet weather that gets to her the most...
It really is a case of discussing it with your vet so you understand it...and realising your horses reactions with the djd ie. sometimes her legs come up puffy - sometimes if I have had to restrict her turnout (medical reasons) so we bandage...once she is out for normal hours its not so bad...nor is the summer..so long as not wet!!
Good luck with your horsey...
 
I owned a TB mare that had it in both hinds,and just to make matters worse ringbone low in fronts(The ringbone came first!)You learn to manage it,and I owned her 12 years,she got both conditions in the last 4 of her life! I have to confess it was hard at times,and I seemed to know my vet on a regular basis,she was only capable of light work.....so light hacking only.I found in cold conditions rubbing in I think it was Ever living products Aloe Vera heat cream helped,also used Cortaflex HD(the stronger one !),we had the injections and they lasted awhile....did use bute,but the vet changed us over to I think it is a drug called Cortizone(can't remember quite the wording)feed one day off one day on,can't be given to horses prone to laminitis....it is better to give light hacking and keep the condition mobile,also some DJD sufferers end up with back related problems due to the hinds throwing the back out as happened in my case.....sorry to say after much discussions with back people and vet we called it a day....also my mare was put on Natural Balance shoes that did help....key to this is learning to manage it....and some horses carry on leading normal lives while others may not!
 
My 20yr old Highland x developed it bilaterally in his front coffin joints with navicular involvement. There was evidence that it was there to a lesser extent in his hinds too. Because he had it bilaterally, I missed it for months and still get nightmares about how I just thought he was being a lazy git. When nerve blocked, the result was shocking. He had steroid injections into both front hoof capsules and was put on bute and Newmarket glucosamine. Sadly it didn't make much difference. I was never able to ride him again and he deteriorated in the field over the summer. We knew he wouldn't cope with winter so he was quietly pts in my arms 3 years ago last October. RIP my Sullivan. Miss you.
 
FHC, also believed to be a Highland cross, developed advanced arthritis in one of his knees by the age of ten. This did explain why he was like a racehorse some days, and a dead donkey on others. Ten years later he is still happy (though retired years ago) and still charges around when he wants.

However he does go down very carefully twisting his knees to one side to get down as painlessly as possible. Both knees are now clearly arthritic and look very lumpy. This doesn't stop him lying down in his box regularly, or having a good roll in the mud on a regular basis.

When first diagnosed he had three injections (one a week for three weeks) of hyaluronic acid (expensive!) and continued in light work for four years after diagnosis. He's been on Cosequin for ten years. He had one sachet of bute every other day for around four years, but has been on one a day since then and it is noticeable if he misses it for more than the odd day.

It's best to keep the weight down, and to continue gentle exercise and to avoid deep mud, but obviously your vet should provide advice on your individual circumstances.
 
My 20 year old has it in the hock and also has navicular. My vet has put him on bute and said to keep riding him. We only hack out for an hour about 3 times a week, but he is a lazy so and so, always has been so dont know if he is feeling pain or still just idle. Some people seem to be advised to retire their horse and some to keep going, my vet says that people with arthritis are advised to keep mobile so I have taken her advice so far, though do feel a bit quilty about it.
 
Generally it's best to keep them moving, but due to FHC's knack for coming down on both knees when ridden (-though hardly ever when loose in the field!) he's lethal to ride. Otherwise there would have been absolutely no need to have retired him.

Horses have different natures so yours may just be naturally less keen.
 
Thank you all for taking the time to read this and reply:)

Vet has just started injections today, once a week for a month and then a review of his progress. You've definately given me some points to think about.
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Our horse has DJD in his hocks and it was picked up when we had him vetted. We went ahead and bought him as he was such a lovley horse and we only wanted him for hacking around. Every one on the yard said not to buy him but now 8 years later and he is still all sound and happy to hack ! We had his hocks x- rayed a couple of years ago to compare to the original ones and not much has changed. Good luck with your horse
 
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