Hock arthritis, Dont know what to do now

Jojo_Pea4

Jojo_Pea4

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My boy was diagnosed with Hock arthritis in both hock. Saw instant difference in work and happier to handle. Had vet out to trot up so could up work load.

He had steroids in May and over the last month felt him gradually getting worse. I've got the vet booked to give him another steroid inject into his RH (LH is now sound as lower grade of arthritis). He gets better with work but if I anything other than walk on a hack he is sore the next day and on bute. I am going to have a chat with the vet when she comes out.

Has anyone had two lots of steroids injects and got a sound horse back in full work? He's 15 now and I feel i'm never going to be doing more than a light hack with him.

Any advice, any success stories.
 
No advice but mine is having both hocks injected today. I seriously hope it works but the more I read the more I suspect it won't :(

Someone mentioned using ethanol to fuse the hocks on my post. Maybe consider this?

According to my vet I will still be able to hunt my boy, but after reading others posts maybe not.
 
Have you had a look at shoeing - there may be something that can be done with wedged pads on the hinds to relieve the joints a little but it depends on the location and severity of the arthritis.
Another option may be tildren - have a google and see experiences of others (be warned its not cheap).
Just a couple of suggestions that you could discuss with your vet as you both know the horses issues first hand.
 
I noticed a massive difference straight away but gradually getting stiffer. His LH is sound and have seen an improvement just struggling to get his RH sound. I keep hearing bad stories and not good.
 
My mare had her hicks done 6 years ago and apart from not jumping was still acting like a two year old.

She gets sore if I don't do stuff with her, on hard ground, Icey and cold weather so gets a danilon for a few days.

She has to have back shoes on as the way her hocks were fusing it was down her hooves unevenly
 
My mare had her hocks injected last yr and it didn't work for long. She then had a 4 week course of something (can't remember what is was called!) that improved one of her hocks but not the other so following my vets advice she had irap injected into one hock that was still painful. I am amazed at the outcome of this. If you want to know anymore pm me.
 
Mine has had his steroid injections done at the yard, as the vet has all the equipment to do on yard treatment. They have to go on box rest as the risk of lami is very high.
 
Yes mine went in for the injections because the vet wanted it as sterile as possible with the injection being direct into the joint. She did it whilst I waited and it didnt take long then it was 3 days box rest followed by a short time on small paddock turnout.
 
My horse went through all this with his bone spavin, he had steroid injections, adequan and three lots of tildren. All the time his spavin was diagnosed as mild to moderate on the one leg and mild on the other. In the end I had fusion using ethanol which is basically a high concentration of alcohol. It cost £300 for both hocks to be done and kills the nerves in the hock instantly which shows obvious instant improvement to the horses action and way of going. I'd recommend it and would say firmly forget about steroid injections and ask your vet about ethanol fusion. Here is a link about it
http://drtanis.com/2011/05/12/ethyl-alcohol-joint-fusion/

the hocks take about 18 months or more to fuse but once the horse is out of pain the results can be dramatic!
 
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