Hock Arthritis/spavin - treatment

[chestnut cob]

Mine was diagnosed with bilateral spavins 2 and a bit years ago. Had both injected with steroids and 2 courses of Adequan in about 6 months plus lots of physio/osteo. He had 3 days box rest, 3 days field rest then brought back into work slowly over about 6 weeks. All work was in straight lines, gradually introducing bits of trot and canter in the 6 weeks. Horse was totally different afterwards and has stayed pretty good since. His work improved immensely and his hocks look OK - his undoing has been ringbone in front but if he hadn't developed that I think he'd be jumping and hunting happily (and regularly).

 

[maisie2011]

My NF pony was diagnosed with spavins at 10years old and I tried the inter-joint cortosone (sp?) injections and every supplement on the market with no success. Maisie now is a happy hacker on 1 x bute a day to keep her comfortable (she's also developing arthritic changes on one of her pedal bones). She still does pleasure rides - when she's in company you would believe there was anything wrong with her!

I spent a fortune of the insurers and my own money looking for the miracle cure, but sometimes you just have to accept the limitations of some conditions a horse develops.

 

[PercyMum]

The Ginger Ninja was diagnosed with spavin in his offside hock - x ray was gross:it looked like a bomb had gone off in there . He was very sore and thought he would have to be PTS)

Had Tildren - only worked for 6 months, but he did show a slight improvement and was managed on Danilon. Accepted he would just be a happy hacker and popped him on loan. Loaner coud'nt be bothered to ride him and he ended up doing nothing for a year. I got him back and he spanged a front suspensory and was given a course of Cartrophen, which is much better AND permanent compared to Tildren. Combined with a new saddle, he is like a new horse!

So this is what I figured helped him:

1 - Turned away for best part of a year which allowed his hock to fuse
2 - Cartrophen sorted out any last little niggles
3 - EA Glucosamine been given throughout which I think supported his system (I tried Synequin but noticed no difference; there was a difference with Glucosamine) and allowed him to 'heal'
4 - He lives out full-time which I think keeps him supple and happy

Hope that helps. Really feel for you but it isnt the end of the world, although it might feel like it now xxxx

 

[peanut]

My horse was diagnosed with bilateral spavins and suspensory ligament damage all at the same time which makes it doubly difficult with treatment/outcomes.

She had Tildren for the spavins (I'm not prepared to risk cortisone injections as she's laminitic) and shockwave therapy for the susp. ligaments and was then turned away for the winter. She's back in work on Devils Claw root and is sound. I am looking into other supplements.

 

[Evergreen]

Mine had ethanol injections to encourage fusion 7 weeks ago and has gone from 4/10 and 3/10 lame with a very sore back to 3/10 and 2/10 lame with a back only a little sore. She is moving differently according to vet but not necessarily moving better - legs are coming under her belly more centrally, whereas before she was twisting her feet when they hit the floor.
Shes managed on 1 danillon a day and lateral extensions and according to vet MUST be worked hard for those hocks to fuse. For me, this is a good result. Complete soundness is usually achieved after a year for these types of injections

Previously she had steroid injections, which were expensive and short lived relief - wate of money.

Interesting. I think I will try the steroid injections but if they are short lived will go the ethanol route. Not heard of it before. I would be able to work my horse hard in trot but can't get canter though. His hocks look like they have started to fuse in places so maybe it won't be too long. I just hope that they do fuse eventually.

 

[Evergreen]

Tildren didnt work for me, first set of steroids didnt work nor did remedial shoeing. In end tried a different vet and went for a cheaper steroid jab and it worked really well alongside no shoes on her back end. Been sound now since March this year, fit healthy and cant tell she has spavins 6 change in her hocks 4 on right hock 2 in lower left hock.

That's a brilliant result. I haven't a clue what steroids are being used in my boy's hocks, just that he is having 4 jabs in each and two different types. They have quoted me £210 plus vat plus the £300 already expended for the xrays. So actually, not quite as bad as I'd expected. Hope the invoice doesn't end up too different as it was just an estimate.

 

[Evergreen]

I had a horse diagnosed with bilateral spavin in March 2009 - he was x rayed, nerve blocked and injected as thank goodness the suspensorys did not show up which was my main worry.

I had to bring him into very slow work after two weeks box rest and was only allowed to walk. Finally in September he was passed sound and was able to proceed normally. In March 2010 he went and did an intro and went DC. The following week he was moved up to PN and he just did not feel right from the off. I did dressage, sjed him and then withdrew. Got him sent back and he was x rayed again where he showed barely any changes from the year before. He was out of insurance money so he was injected again.

After 6 weeks there was no change and frankly I did not have the patience of the previous year of waiting until September and all the walk work for something that only lasted 5 months so I chucked him out in the field and left him and pursued LOU as he had competed at Novice level eventing.

Pulled him out of the field after 4 months and sent him off on loan with a box of Danilon. He was fed one Danilon a day and was sound on it. After a couple of months he was taken off the Danilon as a test and he remained sound so it was completely withdrawn. There were no changes from being on the Danilon to being off it and he was worked really hard.

He just was not a good enough horse to spend a fortune on treatment. I sold him this year and he has gone to a wonderful home where he will be pampered and live the life of riley doing low level stuff and hunting.

I know the full history of the horse from a foal and things I think contributed to it include excessive lunging as a 5yo. He was always a bit cheeky and naughty and late to mature so I think that combination of being lunged into the ground and immature 17hh with an owner who was terrified of him did not help. It was not helped that he was kicked twice in the field by our geriatric grumpy hunter on the hock as he could not read body language.

Thanks. It's good that he is at least comfortable and doing some work. It gives me hope that my own will come right enough for me to do dressage with to say elementary. I'm not too bothered about taking him further as I don't have enough time for serious competing.

 

[Evergreen]

Just a quick reply- one of mine has mild spavin both hocks-had it diagnosed in 2008 at age 8 despite me being careful!- he gets distal and tmt joints injected roughly once per year routinely with depo medrone long acting cortisone injections, he's as sound as a pound, and working med level at home, (am too busy to be able to compete at the mo!)

I know when they injections need redoing as he just loses a bit of power thats all, only costs me about £250 so well worth it!

He gets Cortaflex too and shod with lots of support on his shoes, i just treat him like a normal horse and we manage it, lots of turnout, hill work, suppling work and try to keep him as strong as poss in his muscles. He also gets physio once or twice a year too if he needs it.


It is degenerative so won't get better my vet advised, sometimes apparently the bones may fuse if a horse has spavin but quite rare i was told- but he's so sound anyway! the injections though just make him more comfy and i appreciate they aren't miracle cures and won't reverse anything!

Gd luck with your horse.

Sounds like the injections have worked really well for him and seem to last a long time. I am going to try them the once at least.

 

[Evergreen]

Thanks to everyone who has posted on this thread. I really appreciate your time and help. It has been extremely interesting and varied reading. It gives me a much clearer idea of what to expect.

 

[CBAnglo]

I have a WB with juvenile osteoarthritis in the distal inter-tarsal and tarsometatarsal joints in the hock of both back legs. Which like Aran's horse was diagnosed when he was 6yrs old (which was about 2 months ago). I had the hocks injected with steroids. After the first injection he was sound for 6 weeks, then went lame. Had his hocks injected with steroids for a second time, and he was lame again after 5 days. He is going back to the vets at the end of the week to discuss other treatment options. But I have resigned mysef to the fact he is not going to be the event horse I bought him to be.

Same with my horse. Diagnosed at 6 but he was born with it - had him 2 yrs before he showed a problem. Did not show on scintigraphy or xrays, needed MRI scan of the hock to diagnose (of course the most expensive test). He had tildren (did nothing), steroid injection (sound for 1 month), antoher set of steroid injections which did nothing and then IRAP which made the biggest difference. Was not a surgical candidate as there was nothing wrong with the bone when he was diagnosed - that will come later. It is the cartilage where you can see he has the problem. He is currently on double dose of superflex and cosequin and has been for the last 3 yrs. He is retired but I occasionally take him for a 30 mins walking hack (well, the theory is that he walks but he sometimes has a sneaky canter). He is 9 now and I think he probably will last another year or so. We have just had the IRAP topped up but I dont think I will put him through that again as it is quite painful. He was better after the IRAP though, so who knows what I will decide in 9 months time. He also wear magnetic bands which I think have helped, and lives out as much as possible but he hates being out in winter - he gets very stiff behind.

 

[Boulty]

Mine was diagnosed with bi-lateral hock arthritis at around age 12 (he's around 16ish now) with the left hock being worse than the right (this was the leg he was mildly lame on). Had 3 of the tildren drips in total, was sound for around a month after first one but when work was upped became lame again, second one brought him sound briefly again and no effect after 3rd one. Vet I used at the time was a bit iffy about giving steroids to horses unless he absolutely had to so advised bute when it became clear the tildren wasn't going to keep him sound. For the next couple of years he was managed on a low level of bute daily (got it down to around half a sachet a day eventually) with larger doses given if he had a stiff day. He was also given various joint supplements over this time. One day he stopped eating the feed with bute in and his loaner (he's on loan at moment due to me being at uni) noticed that he didn't seem lame and so, with my consent, decided to just see what happened. That was about a year ago and he hasn't been on a regular dose of bute since, just synequin. He did have flexion tests done last year because of a problem we were having with him being reluctant to pick one leg up for his feet to be picked out (wasn't lame & was fine with all other legs and it was eventually concluded the problem was probably related to him having mud fever on that leg and it being uncomfortable for him to bend) and he was actually more or less sound after flexion of the left hock, but still lame after flexion of right so my assumption is that fusion has probably occured in the left hock. He has had on and off neck problems related to him being very on his forehand, which we think is at least partly related to the arthritis but as long as we keep up to his exercises this doesn't pose much of a problem. He does seem to thrive on regular work (when he had a few weeks off due to loaner being on holiday she said he definitely felt stiffer when she first got back on him) and is out 24/7 for as much of the year as can be managed. He can be a little stiff sometimes until he's warmed up but can still do most normal activities (still enjoys going for a nice gallop across field, which he probably shouldn't be doing, but it keeps him happy and still used to pop small jumps, although hasn't been doing much of that since current loaner took him on as she doesn't jump and I don't think it's something I would be looking at re-introducing him to)

 

[foraday]

left hock had floating bone chip and PIT was the last to fuse- still got 3 mm to fuse here all the rest are fused

RIGHT hock had a bone cyst the beginnings of changing to fusing.

Enter Centurion Mini Pulse machine!

Right hock - cyst completely disappeared within 3 months of treatment

Left hock started as 2cm to fuse to 3mm in 12 months.

Continue to ride daily and jump on soft surface only

Physio every 6wks to 3 months depending upon whats needed.

Remedial shoeing - set toe on both hinds and with hooks at the beginning reducing to lateral extensions and now just a wider shoe at the back. Rolled toes on fronts.

Supplements - wendalls herbs easy mover and equine america gluocosamaine.

Hope that helps

 

[K27]

Sounds like the injections have worked really well for him and seem to last a long time. I am going to try them the once at least.

Good luck with everything, my fingers are crossed for a successfull outcome!- keep us posted- the long acting cortisone injections are really good, there are side effects but the pro's for far outweigh the side effects for my horse, but each horse is different i suppose!- my vets only give my boy a small amount of cortisone into both hocks and he also gets an antibiotic jab after (which not all vets will do!) to lessen any infection risk , the injections take about two weeks to kick in and it's just light walking work until then, and then i'm allowed to fully work him.

Good luck with your horse!

 

[Evergreen]

Good luck with everything, my fingers are crossed for a successfull outcome!- keep us posted- the long acting cortisone injections are really good, there are side effects but the pro's for far outweigh the side effects for my horse, but each horse is different i suppose!- my vets only give my boy a small amount of cortisone into both hocks and he also gets an antibiotic jab after (which not all vets will do!) to lessen any infection risk , the injections take about two weeks to kick in and it's just light walking work until then, and then i'm allowed to fully work him.

Good luck with your horse!

I have been told to box rest him for 3 - 4 days and then walk only for first week. I just hope the injections work. It will be so loveky to have a horse that is no longer so stiff.

 

[Evergreen]

Enter Centurion Mini Pulse machine!

Not heard of this. Is that shock wave therapy?

 

[Evergreen]

He can be a little stiff sometimes until he's warmed up but can still do most normal activities (still enjoys going for a nice gallop across field, which he probably shouldn't be doing, but it keeps him happy and still used to pop small jumps, although hasn't been doing much of that since current loaner took him on as she doesn't jump and I don't think it's something I would be looking at re-introducing him to)

Sounds like he's doing well. So nice to hear of good outcomes.

 

[tabithakat64]

My horse was diagnosed with spavins in February, he's 9 years old and the right hock was much worse than the left (he was 4/10 lame).

He had his hocks injected with Cortisone, had 6 weeks worth of Adequan injections, and was on Danilon and Cortaflex whilst being brought back into work.

He was stiff for the first few minutes and struggled with hills at first but has gradually improved. 6 weeks ago he was taken of all meds and is still (touch wood) sound.

Last weekend we competed in our first dressage test

I should also say that I was advised to avoid tight circles, bad ground conditions and keep jumping and fast work to a minimum and turn him out as much as possible.

My horse is also shod with lateral extensions and rolled toes as advised by my vet.