Hock DJD / Fused Hocks

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jenz87

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Hello
At the end of last year my cob aged 10 was diagnosed with DJD in his hocks (very mild) but making him 3/10 lame anyway. He has had both hocks medicated 4 weeks ago and is still lame near hind. Vet wants to wait 4 more weeks and if not right to fuse his hocks.
Im not keen on doin this, however if its the only option i guess i will have to?
However anyone else have this experience, and after fusing hocks did you have to semi retire / limit work?
He is a cob who has been doing county showing and BD prelim / novice level, so im a bit heart broken if i need to retire him.

Anyone any experiences etc?

Thankss
 
My Vet is of the opinion that fusing hocks is the very last option to try. Have you had any investigations done on his back as well? Often if the hocks do not respond well to injections there is also a problem with the back.

Don't give up yet, there of lots of things to try, just depends how deep your pockets are!
 
I too don't think I would rush into fusion after exploring other avenues, is it definitey only his hocks? Also it sounds as though injecting has worked for one and not the other? there is more than one injectable too, some suit some more than others etc.
I certainly wouldn't be trying injection and going straight to fusion as it brings it's own issues, there is a long thread on here atm called Stanley's fusion journey which you might want to read.
 
Has your vet scanned to check he doesn't have PSD too? Often goes hand in hand with bone spavin due to compensating and would certainly be a possible cause for the steroid injections not resolving his lameness.
 
What has your vet told you about the down side of fusion? I've just taken one on where the advice was fusion is better because the steroid injections become less and less effective and once it's fused that's it - no problem. No limits on what he can / can't do.
 
Well it's true that steroid injections usually become less effective, it is not true that post fusion that's it no more issues relating to it!
 
Following with interest as am considering hock fusion for mine. Steroid injections not nearly as effective second time round for us so currently on a bute a day, but if there's a more permanent solution...
 
ester said:
it is not true that post fusion that's it no more issues relating to it!
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Genuinely interested, if the cartilage is destroyed and the bones fused together (so there is no rubbing which is what causes the pain) then what other issues persist? Obviously assuming the arthritis isn't a side effect of something else somewhere else!
 
I'm just not sure about the claim that 'fusion is better', it is an option if nothing else works and essentially is just trying to speed up the natural process but either chemical or surgical can be painful for the horse, and can take an extended amount of time to be successful. I am sure a read a report about compensatory issues/concussion effects higher up the leg from the fusion down the line too but can't put my hand on it atm. It is not something I would do without a lot of thought and consideration.
 
Polos Mum said:
What has your vet told you about the down side of fusion? I've just taken one on where the advice was fusion is better because the steroid injections become less and less effective and once it's fused that's it - no problem. No limits on what he can / can't do.
Click to expand...

My youngster has arthritis in one hock that is half fused (by itself). He has steroids to help with inflammation/pain but they didn't last long unfortunately.

My vet has said virtually the same, that we are aiming for the bones to fuse as when this happens the pain goes, horse may still have stiff days but should be sound.
 
I have heard that if you can keep your horse sound enough to do enough work, the hocks tend to naturally fuse together over time anyway. Usually this results in a sounder horse.
 
A friends horse who suffered with spavin said that her vet stated that natural fusion is very hit and miss and often doesn't take place at all, hence why chemical arthrodesis is such a positive move although this said, you can get problems down the line with concussion moving into the top hock joint.I read on this forum that this happens in 6-8% of cases and can sometimes take 3-4 years.It can be remedied with remedial shoeing/anti inflamms.
 
My gelding was diagnosed with spavin in both hocks 3 years ago. Steroid injections have worked for him. I was offered tildren but declined due to colic risk. I asked vet about fusion as insurance would only pay 1 years worth of treatment for it so I wanted it as sorted as possible. Vet wouldn't do it. He said it was too risky and it doesn't always work. If it doesn't work then it's goodbye horse.
My boy has good days and bad days, and has had a further 2 sets of injections, the last being a year ago. He also has remedial shoeing, turmeric and is currently on devil's claw while the weather is cold. When he's good he's sound enough to school, when his hocks are bad he changes leg in canter so I know not to school him and we just hack. He's good in himself and enjoying work despite his sporadic hock stiffness, in fact he's more forward-going.

2 queries for your boy: what does the farrier think and has he been shoeing according to what the xrays have shown? And is he laminitic? because my boy gets laminitis in both hind feet approx 2 weeks after the injections. This obviously makes him lame behind for a good while after injections! So make absolutley sure that the lameness isn't actually a touch of lami from the steroid injections.
 
My mares recently been diagnosed she's 14 yrs. She had steroid injections and 6 week rehab was large improvement but not 100% so opted to have them fused. My vet said can take up to a year to fuse depends on the horse but once fused she should be able to continue as normal. Vet highlighted that there's horses that have had hocks fused and gone back to eventing at novice.
I've also got arthritis so can vouch it really depends on the individual!
I'm hoping my girl will go back to compete med possibly advanced med.
 
My 29yo has hock arthritis and his hocks have fused naturally, he is sound and just a bit stiff at the start of rides on cold wet days
 
flo25 said:
My mares recently been diagnosed she's 14 yrs. She had steroid injections and 6 week rehab was large improvement but not 100% so opted to have them fused. My vet said can take up to a year to fuse depends on the horse but once fused she should be able to continue as normal. Vet highlighted that there's horses that have had hocks fused and gone back to eventing at novice.
I've also got arthritis so can vouch it really depends on the individual!
I'm hoping my girl will go back to compete med possibly advanced med.
Click to expand...

Can i ask what rehab you did? I'm currently on week 4 and a bit stumped as to where to go next, I posted about it to see if I could get some ideas!
 
Hello- I currently have a thread on here about my horse who had the ethanol fusion done in October. I have just updated it so it should be near the top of the board if you want a read. In a nutshell, he became bilaterally lame and was diagnosed with arthritis on Xray. Both hocks showed bony changes with the left being the worst. We did try to medicate them but sadly after 4 months he was lame again and my vet advised fusion. At this stage I can't say whether it has been a complete success but certainly there have been improvements. The rehab has been tough... its crtitical that you do the prescribed exercise as it is the movement and concussion that actually gets the bones to fuse. Stanley is doing much more work than he ever did before and the winter weather has made it hard going so be sure you can commit to at least an hour of riding a day no matter what the weather before you undertake this. Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
So she had steroid injections after showing I think 4 tenths lame did 6 weeks coming back in so....
Week 1 2 days off after injection out on field as much as poss then walk 20 mins and 5 min trot
Week 2 25 walk 15 trot
Week 3 25 walk 25 trot
Week 4 20 walk 30 trot
Week 5 introduce 5 min canter
Week 6 increase canter to 10 min.
That's me recalling it without checking paperwork so only rough will look tomorrow. She then had check up around vets and was 2/3 tenths lame so had ethanol injection to fuse hock. Then started rehab again from scratch now on week 4 but lost a week due to terrible weather. Vet said more work the better no less than 3 times a week. She has her check up in few weeks will keep you posted.
 
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