'Interesting' vet advice on bone spavin treatment - thoughts please?

S

sfward

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Hi
My 5 year old has just been diagnosed with bone spavin (osteoarthritis) and had her first steroid injection yesterday morning. The vet says she needs to be kept quiet for 3 days which is fine, but after that he recommends I start lunging her for 15 mins a day starting from Monday, building up to 15 mins twice a day in the second week, then up to 20 mins thereafter when I can start riding. But with no turnout?
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I don't understand why it is ok to lunge her, which obviously puts quite a strain on the joints, particularly as she has been on box rest for over 5 weeks) but not to turn her out? Apart from the fact that she is really fed up with being in her box 24/7 and it would do her the world of good to have a bit of freedom, it is going to be really difficult to manage for the first week as I'm going skiing on Sunday (had the trip booked for months). It puts all the responsibility on the yard owner, who isn't the most experienced and doesn't offer a full livery service anyway so is doing it out of the goodness of her heart. I just feel it would be much better if Missie could just go out for a few hours each day and get all her muscles moving again walking in the field grazing, rather than cracking straight on with lunging straight from the box. But that's just my feeling and obviously I'm not a vet...
I spoke to a friend of mine who is a vet, who said she wouldn't recommend this course of action, normally they advise quiet turnout for 4-5 hours a day for a couple of weeks, after which you can start gentle work, preferably hacking to build them back up.
Just wondered what other people's opinions are, particularly those who have been through this with their own horses? I have a call in to the vet to try and understand his reasoning better, but would love some other views?
S
PS. also posted in veterinary....
 
Pidge went through this last year and after the jabs had to have restricted turnout, about 1/4 acre as opposed to normal size field. I think it was to restrict his ability to 'ping' round a large field and damage his hock whilst the spavin was fusing.
ETS: He was off for a couple of days, then a month of walk and trot on a surface, then introduced canter the next month and then reintroduced jumping the month after that. It is important that the horse uses it's back end properly in order to help the spavin fuse. don't worry about working hard as long as its on a surface you will be fine. Pidge is now 100% + better
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That sounds odd to me too. Surely not only is longe a strain but also, they quite often get up to all sorts of high jinks more than with a person on?

Perhaps you can try to get the vet to amend that to a tiny weeny area of paddock and turnout? If you can manage to separate some off. Or even walking in hand or with person on?
 
Oh great, that's good to hear. After the initial few days after the jab, what were you recommended to do re turnout? How long did he have out each day?
 
after having been on ACP and box rest for about a week! he then went out 24/7 as it was the beginning of May. He didn't take to box rest very well
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so was far better turned out, all with vets approval though
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If I were you I would get back in touch with your vet.
 
I'd agree very odd. After my horses hocks were injected it was three days box rest then field rest 4-5hrs a day for a week, after this I was only allowed to do straight lines riding i.e hacking for three weeks. Schooling and tight circles were the last thing I was allowed to introduce as this puts most strain on the hocks.
Admittedly I thought the injections prevented the hock from fusing then when they no longer work you ride on bute with as much concussion as possible to encourage the fusion.
 
Eeek at lunging advise!! Unfortunately alot seem to be a fan of lunging...personally I don't lunge that often with a fit and well horse! The small amount of T/O would be aot better IMO, unless the vet is trying to antagonise the hock to encourage it to fuse quicker....
 
the injection helps the fusion, and the bute is to take away the pain whilst the spavin fuses, once it is fused there is no pain.
 
Can't comment on the vet's advice..although maybe you should phone him and ask why?
But on a more positive note, my TB mare had a fused spavin when I bought her as an unbroken 4yo (it was the result of a field injury)...was never lame on it...and is still sound now, aged 19yrs.
Hope this cheers you up.
S
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Thanks S.. Phoned earlier, waiting for him to call me back
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Good to hear about your mare, fingers crossed mine will be the same...
 
Just spoken to the vet. He has agreed that she can go out for a short period each day next week instead of lunging, then I will start with the exercise when I get back from skiing. Apparently the reasoning for limited turnout and lunging is to control the amount of exercise she is doing so she doesn't overdo it...
 
When my mare had this done...I was told not to lunge as it puts too much strain on hocks (which she had injected) - in fact didnt particularly like the idea of me lunging much at all in the future...I had to keep her in for a day or two cos of infection in to the injection site and to let it settle down a bit before turning out and possibly over-doing it! She had a course of 2lots of injections - 2 weeks between each set.
I was told to do straight line work as much as possible to start with and I did long reining (not on a circle at all tho).
I think we were very cautious with my mare as I have known others done and turned out straight away and back in to normal work pretty much straight away.
 
i have bone spavin experience & this sounds ok to me , but do remember that every case can differ

the idea is usually a few days rest & then start controlled exercise gradually building up over 2-3 weeks , he probably said lunge originally as he didn't want the horse going belting round the field like a loon

as for bute despite previous comments re pain levels during the fusing process , many horses suffer little physical pain & so will manage without , the degree of lameness your horse has should indicate the pain level to a degree
 
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