Hock steroid injections- experiences pls!

High Hope

High Hope

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Hi there- as above please :)

After a work up at the vets we *think* we know what's wrong with her, so the vets coming out to inject her in both hocks this afternoon as the next step.

I am really hoping they work!!!

Please share your experiences- good and bad!- so I know what to expect.

I've been told if they work they can take 1-5 days to have a full effect?

Any info very much appreciated :)
 
We have had a fair few of the racehorses done and they have all worked to varying degrees. The horse who had the worst hocks/joints all round on the planet felt like a brand new horse after his various bouts.

We box rest them with 15mins walking twice a day for 3 days before turnout/light work for a week and then back into full work to give the steroids a chance to work to their best effect.

Good Luck with your horse!
 
My 4 yr old was done in Sept. Was put on 6 weeks box rest and walks in handed twice a day. Or on the walker. 4 months later he finally started going out as he managed to get a massive hoof abscess whilst being in. Which took a month to heal. Then he was a muppet to lunge in front of the vet so couldn't tell if he was sound or not.

Vet didn't want him out acting like he did on the lunge. But in the end I had to put him out in a small bit coz the poor boy was so desperate to roll

Anyway he's now back in work and he seems good. But will probably have his hocks fused this summer to hopefully cure him, he has bone spurs
 
I have had 3 experiences with Steroid injections into joints. 1 Good, 1 possible and 1 bad.

The good one was into a knee and was for a soft tissue injury.

The possible one was my mare with Navicular it seemed to work by she is still not 100% sound, not sure if it is the Navicular or something else but as she is sound in walk and she is now 21 I give her just a joint supplement.

The bad one is a mare owned by a friend. The mare ended up with Steroid induced Laminitis and after two and a half years, thousands of pounds spent and total dedication from the owner the mare is off Bute and very progressing slowly.
 
My gelding had them for a few years with great effect, last year though they did not seem to help him. He is a 15yo ex racer who has probably had a lot of other jobs too. Over the summer he was quite stiff despite the injections and we wondered if we would put him through the winter. However, he's responded well to regular Danilon and Turmeric and may even be allowed to come out of retirement for light hacking later this year if he is sound without the Danilon.
 
My last horse had two lots of steroid injections to his hocks after diagnosed with spavin. He did ok on them, a bit stiff at times but not lame. We then went with Tildren treatment as could claim on insurance. Again he was never lame but could stiffen up after a bit harder work or being ridden on hard ground. It was more about knowing what he could and couldnt do anymore. I then made the difficult decision to sell him to a home for life where he would do lower level dressage and local showing. He just wasnt going to be able to continue at Elementary and jumping which I wanted to do.
 
My 4* eventer has them in both hocks and part of his back twice a year - before he woud always pull out stiff and then (very stocially) do his job. After he clearly was released from the pain he felt and was a new horse - without them he would have struggled beyond internmediate, although he was never lame. The difference to his health and happiness is amazing. We give him a couple of days on walker only after and then back into work.
 
Ok guys thank you for that, some very positive stories there :) im happy to give them a go :)

After nerve blocking just one hock she was a different horse, so I'm hoping she'll be back to being a snorty, pingy dragon in no time!

I'm not looking for serious competition with her, though up to fox hunter and the odd working hunter/ low BE would be amazing, I'm just going to take it as it comes.

If the steroids don't work, we have a rough idea of what else the problem would be so that's something I suppose :)
 
Has your vet x-rayed to find any changes? Will follow this thread with interest, my rising 4 yo was done two weeks ago. However he went straight back out again (vet's advice) as he lives out all the time and he felt box rest would have been very detrimental. He can start training again this weekend - it would have been last weekend only we were away. I have to say, he has been so much more relaxed since having them. Presumably some level of pain was making him sharp...he is verging on dope on a rope now although that may disappear once we start long reining out again!
 
Well, 24 hours later I am impressed!

She's not sound by a long shot, but she's a lot lighter, she's not crossing so much behind, and for the first time ever I saw her canter and throw herself down into a roll- so far, I would say it's been a success!

Long may it continue- if she's this different in 24 hours, I'm really looking forwards to reassessing her in a weeks time! nudibranch- we did nerve blocks, then when we had a positive one he Xrayed both hocks. She has very minor changes in the lower joint- if she hadn't shown such a positive nerve block, he admitted he'd have usually looked at the X-rays and discounted them as being too minor to cause an issue!
 
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My 15 yo gelding was diagnosed with fairly bad spavin last January, and he's had 2 sets of injections. Takes up to 6 weeks to have maximum effect. Kept him in light work road hacking all year and had good days and stiff day. Around October time he started getting more lively and forward-going. Had the vet out to check him in December as insurance claim was about to expire and vet is pretty sure one hock has fused and the other almost there. He didn't think the mild stiffness in that hock warranted further injections anyway. So far so good, he's doing fairly hard hacking now on beach and forest trails and jumping logs in the forest. Vet said he may need further injections later if the stiff hock needs help. I am going to start schooling and jumping again at the end of this month and see how he goes.
My vet recommended 5 days box rest and laminitis rations as the steroids can cause it. Farrier said he had a little bit in his hind feet when he shod him after the injections. Built up work gradually after first injections.
Also your farrier needs to see the x rays to ensure horse is shod accordingly. My farrier worked closely with the vet and I am sure it was his hand-made shoes that speeding up fusion.
 
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