hock fusion

[cellie]

I have a 6 yr old tb who has just been diagnosed as lame in his hock.The vet has been talking to me about hock fusion is this the same as bone spavin fusion that I have been reading up on.He is going to go for xrays and nerve blocking asap for complete diagnosis but its not looking to good at the moment .The vet is talking about putting him on bute and working him hard to make the bones fuse as he already has calcium growth around this area.This all sounds a bit harsh but Ill do anything to help him if this is the way forward rather than a operation.If anyone has any info or has dealt with this I would be gratefull for feedback.

 

[seabiscuit]

Yep thats the only way to go. Rest or light work makes the problem worse. Can take up to 2 years for it to fuse or could be a few months. Everything will be just fine once fused!!

 

[cellie]

Have you dealt with this problem with your horse.Im feeling bit negative at moment the general opinion is selling him to hacking home but I have been through so much with him I would prefer to see it through.

 

[seabiscuit]

Yes he is now out winning dressage and showjumping.
Don't feel negative! It is so, so common, and commonly found in many top performance horses!
Just hang in there and he'll come right! No need to sell him off for hacking.(don't believe everything that the vet says!)

 

[cellie]

wow thats good news dont think I could bear it if we could only hack I love the variety.Its not just the vet ,my friends are advising me to move on the vet has been been excellent considering the last 2 years .Since I have had my boy (2 yrs this nov)he has done a ligament tendon and bruised a cannon bone thats why I said we have been through alot.How long did your horse take to come sound and did you ride him through it with bute.Thanks for the advice

 

[Butterbean]

OH's horse Marco went very lame in 2006 (when he was 8) & was eventually diagnosed with hock spavin. Took ages for the vet to diagnose it - well, he said initially that it was probably spavin but wanted to do nerve blocks, x rays etc etc ... couldn't do the nerve blocks but had all sorts of other tests including gamma scan .... nothing was very conclusive so a few months later they said oh well very likely spavin, have some bute and work him through it. Which we did, it really helped him, he was back doing Prelim dressage within 6 weeks and jumping again within another couple of weeks. He was then sound for most of 2007, doing dressage, hunter trials, fun rides etc.

However he has gone v.lame again over the last month, looks like something is going on with the spavin in his left hock and also one developing in his right hock. So he has just been put back on the bute, we are getting more x rays to see how the joint has changed, and going to try to work him through it again.

So we are really hoping that we can work the same trick twice and get him sound again, we were hoping to go Intro eventing with him this year. Good luck with your boy.

 

[cellie]

Thanks Butterbean.I have put him on devils claw for timebeing which seems to be helping.We should have appointment next week for nerve blocks and x rays.Took him out this morning and he is fine in straight lines so I think the schooling and extra work I have been doing has really inflammed that hock joint.If working him through is the way to go then I am happy to do that I dont think I can bear to let him go hes not a easy ride and wouldnt be easy to rehome he has very spirited moments to put it mildly.Probably have to school in moderation in future and see what the out come is with the vet.Keep in touch its helpful to have someone dealing with same problems keeps your spirits up .Good luck with your horses.

 

[samuelhorse]

Hi, I was told to retire my boy, partly due to a stifle injury which i decided against an operation as the vet said he had start of hock spavins which would make him lame and unable to ride anyway, so i retired him on their advice. In the meantime he became more stiff and uncomfortable, so started light inhand exercise a couple of mile round trip to the beach. He is now back into full work (happy hack) and on Cortavet and Omega oil and sofar, all is well......

 

[cellie]

Just remembered something the vet said that I should have asked you.The vet noticed bone spurs growing around damaged hock could this be the start of hock fusion if this is so could be a good thing.I will ask him about it next week but wondered if you had same with your horse.Thanks

 

[cellie]

http://s252.photobucket.com/albums/hh12/celebre1/?action=view&current=aug07030.jpg
Hi Butterbean Your horses looked lovely here is a couple of pics of mine so you can see who we are talking about check out his markings on his face weird!

 

[cellie]

Its good to hear something positive thanks.Ill have a look out for cortavet to see what is in it might help.

 

[samuelhorse]

Hi, cortavet has same ingredients as cortaflex, but is 5 times stronger. About £35 a tub but lasts a couple of months. I get mine off the internet. xx

 

[Butterbean]

Cellie - spooky markings on your horse's face! A bit like a "Scream" mask

Marco (the horse with spavin) is the middle pic in my signature, big chestnut with a white blaze. Brooklyn (horse with ?stifle? problem) is the dark bay at the end. The other horse is my old faithful, Merlin, 21 and sound as a pound.

I'm not sure about the bone spurs, vet did say she could feel bony growth around the right hock, his left didn't have these so not sure whether its good or bad.
Will keep in touch as it is good to know someone else having same sort of problems & feeling the same way!

 

[cellie]

He looks in good condition for 21 only looks about 8 handsome horse love his colours

 

[JaneSteventon]

Hello My horse has just gone through this. Vet who is very honest and dosen't beat about the bush if he has to give bad news was completely unconcerned throught diagnosis and treatment, said all along he would be fine once joints had fused and many a show jumper and dressage horse had spavined hocks. My horse is moving just as well as he did before. I did not ride on bute just a bit of long reining and lungeing and he lives out so always on the move. I didn't ride because he was very crooked due to moving oddly and I wanted to 'even' him up a bit before i rode, just personal choice, vet said he would come sound quicker if ridden. Please don't worry, I did and wish I hadn't.

 

[cellie]

Thats good news how long was his recovery.I have just posted a new post re supplements I would be interested in your opinion on what you are using or have used.Ollie has bone spurs I wonder if this is the start of the fusion.There are so many questions I want to ask but will have to wait until his xrays are done.Thanks

 

[JaneSteventon]

He had an injection then six weeks off, this apparantly usually does the trick but didn't work for mine so he had another and this improved him significantly so he could be ridden. So this was twelve weeks to get him to a stage where he could be worked on bute. From there it took about two months to to the stage were he was completly sound without bute, and this was a spavin they thought was going to be a slow one to fuse as the first injection didn't work. The total cost including diagnosis, x rays, injections and 2 bute a day was about £600 which I thought was quite good. Like you I was worried my lovely 7 y o could never work again so £600 and about 4mths off work was no real big deal and I could have worked him for two of those months if I had wanted to. I asked about what would happen when he was older, would there be any long term effects and was told no, none. Hope this helps

 

[JaneSteventon]

Sorry forgot to say about supplements, vet did not recommend any although I didn't ask as they are so expensive, if money was no object I would probably feed one, but I feed simple systems feeds and I asked about thier linseed and they recommended 300g a day to fully benefit the joints, although as my horse is a good doer 150g would be the minimum I could feed for this. Much cheaper than the usual joint supplements and does have other benfits.

 

[cellie]

Thanks will look into linseed.Have had a bad couple of years with tendon and ligament so he is always having time off.Cant believe I have hit another problem when things had started to improve .My vet cant believe my bad luck either.Lets hope things get better for us both.

 

[Pidge]

Pidge was diagnosed with this on the 8.5.07. Had a week or so off work, depo medone injections in his hock, bute for a month or so and had to work him on a surface in walk and trot for a month, then canter for a month and then the beginning of August we had the all clear to jump again. touch wood Pidge has made a full recovery and is 100% sound, vets very pleased

Plus he can now do lateral movements which he couldn't before. It's in his off hind can you tell? Ooh also got him on Newmarket Joint Supplement for his hock.

 

[JaneSteventon]

Yes some horses just seem to be problematic don't they, I have had real problems with this horses feet as well (see Tb feet in stable yard were i have posted). He is coming right now though so good luck with yours.

 

[cellie]

Thanks everyone looks like newmarket is the supplement .Hope we dont have to have too much time off being a tb he is hard to bring back to work goes a bit loco without lots of excercise.I need it too after all the xmas chocs. I thought your pics were lovely similiar looking to my boy on first glance big chestnut with white blaze.His pic is on the photobucket link higher up the thread.

 

[Pidge]

no probs glad to help

can't look at photobucket as am at work and it is blocked

will have a look tonight at home though. Good luck with your boy just remember there is lots of support from people on here who have gone through this.

 

[cellie]

Hi Frankie We also spoke re overreach problems , Ollie had sores from his boots which I thought had caused lameness originally.Love him to bits but should never have bought tb hes been a nightmare too delicate.Ill keep persevering like we do.ha

 

[JaneSteventon]

oh god we do seem to have the same problems with our horses don't we. I am thinking positive, he has fantastic temprament, practicaly lives out 24/7 and thrives, has four white socks and dosen't get mud fever. My other horse, when I first got her had fractured teeth, slight thoroughpin, and had to go to Edinbrough for operation as vets thought she had a gutteral pouch infection (false alarm there was nothing wrong with her) and this was in the first year. Now other than very mild keratitis which is easily managable she hasn't ailed a thing in the three years. So lets hope we are getting everything out of the way for years of trouble free horse ownership.

 

[cellie]

Off to vets on wed for x rays will keep you posted fingers crossed.Like you said get everything out of the way then have trouble free years.My vet has told me to write a self help advice book as he has covered most of the horsey ailments in 18 mths.