Neck arthritis

[Hormonal Filly]

Just posting interested if anyone on the forum has/had a horse with neck arthritis with spinal compression, if the steriod injections worke, did they return to full work etc?

My little cob had his neck injected 6 weeks ago, hes just turned 10. He has bad arthritis lower neck. I've seen a big improvement in his canter and willingness to work although sometimes we have really crap days. The vet said improvements will be mostly seen a couple of months after steriods so still some time to go. I keep thinking what the road ahead will be and when the injections wear off. Will he be just a happy hacker? or a lawn mower?

Anyone with any previous experience, opinions etc would be really appreciated.

 

[foxy]

When my older horse was diagnosed with this I retired him from competing but was advised to keep him in light work to keep his top line as this helps. He spent a couple of years hacking out and then due to other issues he was retired completely and spent his last couple of years as a lawn mower

 

[Norbit]

My horse has recently been diagnosed with arthritis at the base of his neck and both hocks. Only got diagnosed as became very aggressive around shoulder/neck area, and when vet came out she noticed in his work up that he wasn’t moving quite right behind. We were referred to an equine hospital where he ended up having a bone scan and both were diagnosed. We are 5 weeks on from the neck being medicated and the hocks were done this week too. Have been keeping him long and low in this time which has helped and been advised that I will be able to do very little contact work with him yet she thinks we’ll be ok to jump. Had one blip where weather was awful and he just wouldn’t work long and low and afterwards he was showing signs of soreness but following day was ok. He’s currently on box rest following hock medication but the travelling to the vets seems to have flared up the neck. He was not a happy boy getting on the box to come home and we ended up having quite an argument so hoping once he’s back out In field next week it will all settle down again (everything crossed). At the moment I’m worrying that the steroids have had very little effect.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

My horse has recently been diagnosed with arthritis at the base of his neck and both hocks. Only got diagnosed as became very aggressive around shoulder/neck area, and when vet came out she noticed in his work up that he wasn’t moving quite right behind. We were referred to an equine hospital where he ended up having a bone scan and both were diagnosed. We are 5 weeks on from the neck being medicated and the hocks were done this week too. Have been keeping him long and low in this time which has helped and been advised that I will be able to do very little contact work with him yet she thinks we’ll be ok to jump. Had one blip where weather was awful and he just wouldn’t work long and low and afterwards he was showing signs of soreness but following day was ok. He’s currently on box rest following hock medication but the travelling to the vets seems to have flared up the neck. He was not a happy boy getting on the box to come home and we ended up having quite an argument so hoping once he’s back out In field next week it will all settle down again (everything crossed). At the moment I’m worrying that the steroids have had very little effect.

Sorry to hear this. Don’t give up, keep pushing but very slowly. The surgeon told me it will take 3-6 months for the neurological issues to ease but the pain should be reduced within a few weeks. I felt the same as you and 6 weeks post was about to retire him and give up altogether, I cried a few times while schooling him as I swear he felt no difference, which was when I posted this post. A friend said to keep going, once he develops muscle he’ll find it easier and he needs to learn a new way of going, I did and I am glad I didn’t give up. Some horses react better than others but a good rehab will help.

My gelding is now going exceedingly well, we are 4 months post medicating the neck. We also had some drawbacks where I thought he was going downhill but it seems it was related to his flu jab. We have camp tomorrow, excited and nervous as its 3 days of hard work. We had a funride last week, he was impeccably behaved, so happy in himself and even jumped over a few of the jumps. I am happy to share some parts of his rehab I think really helped! The vet gave us the go ahead for camp so will go steady, jump small and pull out if he has enough. The physio visited him 2 weeks ago, he was tight on one side of his neck (his worst side) but she was very happy overall with him and said he had great muscle tone. She gave me some more stretches to try (currently do everyday side to side carrot stretches and underneath) as the new ones could help so we now do tail pull everyday which encourages him to stretch against me into his neck.

I have suddenly had a break through when travelling mine, he use to rear vertical and sit on the breast bar even after medication, he was dangerous to travel. I suddenly had a moment where I realised the breast bar led right where the arthritis is in his neck when we arrived at our local nice hack area and thought it could of contributed to the issues, he came out tense and his neck clearly sore. My boyfriend got some 4” thick rubber tubing from work and stuck it to the breast bar then covered it. Ever since doing this he is MUCH happier travelling, I could almost say we can’t tell if he’s even in the box! His loading has drastically improved too!

To add, he has no partition just full width front and back breast bars cross tied but not ‘too’ tight so he can move his neck and isn’t pinned into one area.

If you travel in a lorry this would not relate at all so apologize.

Mine had 7 days off completely after neck medication and then very very slowly I was told to hack him up hills and gradually increase it at walk. I always made sure he had a rest day in between work.

Supplements.. well, I tried Tumeric, I didn’t really notice any difference and when I stopped it made no odds so I put him on MSM (1kg powers bought on eBay) and Glucosamine HCL (1kg power bought on eBay) which he’ll stay on, it may make no difference but it keeps my mind at rest and its cheap to buy as its from a online chemist. I recently added Boswellia powder to his feed after reading lots of studies, I really do think its made a difference as he is so happy in himself and feels comfortable to ride. I also feed him micronized linseed full fat powder as the vet said this is great at giving them all of the omega’s they need.

Alfie will never be perfect, he isn’t a world beater or the next top eventer but he loves work and is SO much fun to ride. His right canter he still struggles with on a surface in circles but he is 100x better than what he was before the medication. I am trying to have fun without over doing it, after camp I will give him 5 days off and then see where we go.

Do DM me if you want to chat. xx

 

[milliepops]

So pleased that yours has improved OP I retired my girl as soon as we got a diagnosis so she's unmedicated as yet but sounds like a good thing to have up our sleeves for the future

 

[BunnyDog]

So I work with one of the (3 in USA, 2 that are boarded) Equine Neurologists.

MANY things have improved in treatments and diagnosis of cervical arthritis. I, and many of my friends, have started adding C Spine xrays to our pre-purchase exam routines. If for no other reason than to give us a baseline on a healthy horse at the time of purchase.

The reason I bought Cudo is because my brilliant Grey was diagnosed with cervical arthritis at the age of 9 in the fall of 2017. He is now with a dear friend who coincidentally owns his half brother (Out of the same dam) and that horse is fighting with EPM (and not winning sadly). "Gin" my old guy is able to do all the lower level things that she wants to do so he's in the perfection situation. I didn't pursue neck injections because me personally, I couldn't make it feel ok in my brain to push an animal who trusts me to do my best for and with him, to go up to his body's know limits in the pursuit of my own glory. I just couldn't do it. So we semi retired him and sent him to live with his brother and enjoy a life of low level fun.

Not saying that others shouldn't try, there are some good treatments, but I would watch how much you spend in the pursuit of the return to form that may never come.

Em

 

[Fanatical]

Please can I ask how the spinal compression was diagnosed? I have a 5 year old who has recently been diagnosed with arthritis in multiple major joints throughout his body and we potentially also have some neurological signs. I think realistically we're only heading to one outcome, but it is very hard as apart from being the sweetest, willing horse, he is the most talented horse I have ever owner, and very well bred.

 

[milliepops]

Can't speak for the OP but my physio did some tests on a routine visit when horse didn't trot up quite right. Then the vets did a lameness work up followed by x rays of the neck when the work up confirmed that she seemed to have a neurological deficit. I was lucky that my horse's x rays were super clear and we didn't need ct myelogram to confirm it.

I sympathise, I knew before that mine had a super temperament but now I know just how hard she was trying for me 💔