Gutted - Tildren treatment didn't appear to have worked

Birker2020

Birker2020

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My 12 year old 17hh WB gelding was diagnosed with mild bone spavin in November 2008. In 12 months we chucked everything we could at him as it was going through the insurance. He had three lots of tildren, adequan injections over a seven week period and intra articular joint injections of steriods/HA. Bailey had his last Tildren infusion in Oct 2009 just before my insurance claim expired and the vet said that on the lunge he was tracking up very well, and not lame and on the whole he was very pleased with him as he had made very good progress and the treatment had worked well. Last Friday as the vet was already visiting the yard I had him look at my boy on the lunge as I was concerned he had been displaying similiar symptoms as previously when diagnosed with Bone Spavin. The vet said that it was the bone spavin that was causing the attempting bucking, tail swishing and swapping hind legs and declared that the treatment he has received over the past twelve months has not worked. As you can imagine I am very upset, partly because it hasn't worked but also because he has had a bad time of it with the Tildren side effects each time following infusion and it all seems like a bit of a waste of time, although I don't regret giving it a go for one minute.

Bailey is now on a three a day two week bute trial to see if it helps. If not he will be on two bute a day for the rest of his life. The bute is purely to mask the pain and will not alter the structure of the hock joints nor help slow down the rate of degeneration. As the injections or Tildren do not appear to have worked he will not have either of them again. The vet seemed to think that he would have many years of usefulness left (I am about to affiliate BD). My vet has also assured me that low level bute will not cause a problem even if given over many years. The vet said to continue with the same level or work (schooling, bit of small jumping, unaff dressage nov/elem) and see how he goes.

Has anyone been in a similar situation and has your horse been on the bute for long and how is it getting on? Does anyone know where I can get the cheapest bute from (I know its POM medicine but the vet may do me a prescription)?

I took my horse to the riding club yesterday and cantering on the thawed grass in circles on both reins and did not find a problem with him. Nor did he appear to be his usual rushy/shying self. I am wondering if the bute is working. He had received 4 x 1.4 sachets by the time I rode him.

Any help gratefully received. xx
 
No suggestions but just wanted to say I have followed your posts and I hope he continues to find a job with you for the years to come. It is so frustrating when you try so hard and it still doesnt work.
 
So sorry the treatment hasn't worked
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I've noticed a big difference in Chum since the treatment stopped working and him being on Bute though he is nowhere doing the level of work that your horse is.

He is obviously less stiffer and is very relaxed (if he could be more chilled than he was lol) and enjoying his new life as a light hack. I've since bought a new pony so the pressure is off both of us too.

Fingers crossed the bute trial will show you that he can continue the same level of work.
 
I am so sorry that the treatment has not worked but at least you can say you have done everything for him possible and probably more than alot of others could have done. Have you thought about herbal for him if you do not like the idea of bute long term. We use buteless on the race horses and found great results with it on the ones we have used. It might be worth a try and it is perfectly alright to compete on
 
Thankyou to all the people who replied to my post. I really appreciate your advice. I am going to try a bute free supplement and see if that is as effective and someone has sent me a PM with advice on where I can get cheap bute from so I am hoping we can get this nailed. Bailey is a really nice horse and I love him to bits, I am hoping we can get it nailed.

Thank you for your kindness x
 
My old Mare was on 1 bute a day for years. It was arthritis in her hips that brought the end for her not the bute.

Have you considered using magnetic stable/ turnout boots on him and putting him on Synequin or something similar.

One of my mares is 19 and has spavin in her back legs. Since I put her in Synequin last October she has been floating around the field. You won't get immediate results with it though and during the loading period it is expensive.
 
I'm so sorry to hear this - I am going through similar so I know how you feel - Just thought i'd say that I had a really good response with my old horse (who had the same problem as yours) and we found that liquid Devil's Claw worked a treat - he walked out of the box so much looser on a morning!
smile.gif

Good luck - I hope you find a solution!
Kate x
 
I look after an 18yr old mare who as spavin in both hocks. Shes has the Adequan injections and is now on Synequin and also "floats around the field" look more sound than she ever did. Would add thought that her workload is rather minimal, her owner doesnt hardly ride but she is more sound than a year ago.

good luck for the future x
 
Thanks for your replies once again. Yes my horse has magnetic boots (bioflow) on overnight. I would like to consider the snequin if its not too expensive and I think I will try the liquid devils claw when we come to affiliate BD due to all the drug testing they do.
 
You may well find that his hocks have yet to fuse. My vet and many online articles seem to suggest it happens infrequently, but I do think it is more unusual for a horse to become completely and unrelentingly lame /unrideable due to spavin. My lad was crippled with it, had HA injected into both hocks and came temporarily sound before becoming possibly lamer than ever. I put him up for loan as a hack, couldn't go through with it and he came 'sound'. The following winter I hunted him well and he has been fine since. He'll be 15 this year. His jump isn't affected and he's as fast as he ever was on the flat, can roll right over in the field and has no other indications, really, that he ever was very, very lame.

Ask Pidgeon on here. Hers has had it.
 
i am very sorry to have read your post. it particulary struck a cord with me, as my wonderful boy who i have had for only 6 months (lame for 2 of them) is going to a referral centre for a further workup and bone scan. i know how you feel as i too got mine for BD. i hope that you are able to reach a way to manage your horses issues
 
Sorry to read about your boy, one question though can you compete either unaff or aff while your horse in on bute?

I hope you get something to work
smile.gif
 
Nope you def can't compete affiliated on bute. Unaff it depends on whic rules (if any) they are running under (i.e. if it says on schedule 'to be run under BD rules' then no bute allowed).

A lot of bone spavins fuse up by themselves and the horse then becomes a lot more comfortable again once the process has finished - sometimes better than trying in vain to stop the fusion occuring. So my advice is don't rush him.

I have used Tildren on my kissing spine horse and it didn't work at all...having said that neither have steroids, shockwave or physio! But devils claw given longterm does seem to help a bit.

You could try NAF superflex or cortaflex if synequin/cosequin are too costly - i'm not sure on relative costs though.
 
Tildren basically prevents fusion of the hock joint which is what it is meant to do as fusion is not the answer in all cases. Tildren’ is composed of Tiludronic acid, a bisphosphonate which inhibits bone resorption in horses. It aids in the treatment of lameness associated with arthritis in bone spavin. It works best in cases existing less than 6 months. He is not crippled with it, nor is he lame. The HA and steroid injections did not work.
 
Thanks hun. Nobody seems to understand how gutted I am that it doesn't seem to be working. I just want to be able to compete BD, its took me ages to reach this point and now it doesn't look like its going to happen if I can't even manage to canter a 20m circle on the right rein without my horse swapping his hind legs... will have to see if the bute works but I really don't know how I am going to finance another £10 a week for the rest of his life on top of all that I am already paying out.
 
Weather stopped me from riding, so frustrating. However, yesterday I loose schooled him in our very small indoor school 20m x 20m and on right canter he didn't change once so I think he is ok. The bute stopped last Friday as there was no point continuing with the trial if I could not see if it was working or not.
 
I never injected for my lad with spavin and it's taken nearly 2 years but I have a sound horse now - the key factors for me were

getting the shoes off - cut down shock and vibration and let his fet grow the way they need to to support what's above and the way it is moving (stop imposing our ideas on the hoof of how it should be shaped) and

diet - remove cereals and sugars which can aggravate arthritic issues - and use a good daily dose of linseed meal to provide good building blocks and Omega 3 and 6

We do 6 hour hacks at the weekend and lots of shortwe ones in between - canter gallop and we also school, but less repeating circles as that can ticke things up.
 
Hi,

My gelding had the eact same problems, he had tildren and injections in his hocks.... none of which seemed to make any difference in my opinion...!

We ended up putting him on Newmarket joint supplement which i would defo recommend... he was so much smooth through his gates and it definately helped with stiffness etc!

I was using him to jump BSJA previsouly but then was concentrating on dressage working at novice moving to elementary... he wouldn't have gone any higher than that due to his condition but i was happy to stay there with him.

He too went onto a type of bute a sachet a day which definately helped keep his pain free... this slowly went to nothing and i would just give him one if we were going to be doing alot riding wise!

He is still on newmarket joint supplment and i wouldn't have been without it!

Hope some help, any questions let me know!

Good luck!

x
 
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