Seeking further advice on Bone Spavin

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Starbuck11

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My 6 year old was diagnosed with bone spavin in one hock a year ago, we were advised to place him on cosequin and see how we went, we have just had to return for further xrays and nerve blocks (11 months after original diagnosis) as he has become increasingly uncomfortable - this was the diagnosis from vets:


he has osteo arthritis of the tarso-metatarsal joints of both hocks. These are the lowest down joint in the hock referred to as the spavin joints. He also has mild arthritis of the next joint up on the right hock, the centro distal joint. He has mild remodeling of the bone surrounding the deep flexor tendon at the base of the tibia and in the front of the calcaneus (point of the hock). I have medicated these three areas with steroid and injected antibiotic at the same time to reduce the infection risk of injecting into a joint.

This has shocked and scared me terribly, he was lightly backed as a 3 year old then turned away that winter then has been in very light work since the following summer. We have done no jumping and very minimal short schooling sessions. I do wonder if this condition has been brewing since he was a foal, he has always been extremely itchy in his hocks and very sluggish and has a few other quirks that make me wonder if they may be connected.

I asked the vet if injecting medication to fuse the spavin bones was an option but he was unwilling to do that due to the other changes within the right hock, we were given a 4 week exercise regime and he has just finished a 4 week course of cartophen injections. I am greatly worried now because I am seeing no improvements and he is still very uncomfortable being ridden to the point I was going to turn him away as I felt it was cruel to push him through it. However over the past few days ive been doing more research on the internet and it seems that with bone spavin you want to work them through the pain to encourage fusion. I am unclear if this is what I want to happen to my boy with the other changes in his hock? If not what am I hoping to achieve and will he ever be comfortable in work again?
My vet is away on holiday so thought id seek help here till he returns although tbh he seems to be quite unwilling to really speak in depth about my horses condition :(

Any experiences or advice would be very much appreciated.......................
 
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I don't have any experience of it myself, but from reading your post I would be tempted to get a different vet's opinion while your vet is on holiday (perfect excuse..!).
 
My horse doesn't have spavins, but she has high ringbone, DJD and sidebone. She was treated in September (8 months after diagnosis and steroid injections) with Tildren which my vet described as commonly and sometimes quite successfully being used to treat horses with bone spavins.
My horse was on bute daily after the steroid injections and in light work and still not right in my mind. Since the tildren she is in full work, fit, happy and hasn't had a sachet since Christmas (touch wood :)) so I would speak to your vet about this. I know it doesn't have any effect in some horses, and because it is expensive the vets dont often mention it for that reason but for my horse it really did work! So much so that she is having it topped up in August :)

Also you could mention IRAP to your vet, I dont know if this recommended for spavins but I have heard it being used for horses with Navicular and DJD so could be worth mentioning.

Good luck, I had a report much like yours so I know how you feel. I hope your horse has the best outcome like mine has
 
Our mare had a referral last week and we were talking to the vet who said in the lower joints in the hock it has been found injecting alcohol into the joints destroys the cartilage allowing the joint to fuse?? Not sure if this is suitable but may be worth asking about. Unfortunately our mare has damaged the top joint and has had to be retired.
 
Honey08 said:
I don't have any experience of it myself, but from reading your post I would be tempted to get a different vet's opinion while your vet is on holiday (perfect excuse..!).
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Unfortunately getting a different equine vet out is impossible as im in a very rural area, the vets i use is far more specialised than any other i can choose from. However i may phone around and just ask for some more advice on the findings to a different equine practise
 
jrp204 said:
Our mare had a referral last week and we were talking to the vet who said in the lower joints in the hock it has been found injecting alcohol into the joints destroys the cartilage allowing the joint to fuse?? Not sure if this is suitable but may be worth asking about. Unfortunately our mare has damaged the top joint and has had to be retired.
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Yes i asked about injecting alcohol or a similar substance to fuse the joint but he wasnt willing to do this due to the other changes in the right hock :( what was the name of the other joint your mare is having problems with?
 
The lady who owned the farm I kept Fly at originally had a coloured gelding with the very same diagnosis in both hocks. But without the additional issue in the higher joint.

She did injections for 6 months, no improvement. Vet ended up saying to work him every single day for 6 months. It wasn't hard work, just hacking and very basic light schooling for 10-15 minutes a day to give him a bit of variety. After 6 months there was a little improvement and he was definitely happier, so another 6 months...I rode him through some of it when owner was on holiday or had other engagements and at the beginning it could be hard to ride an uncomfortable horse, but after a year, he was 100% sound and began his jumping again.

That was 3 years ago now and he is still going strong, although will never do well in the dressage ring as he has a terrible four beat canter.
 
Sorry you ve had such a diagnosis - especially with a yong horse. I know of various that have had bone spavin this young - 1 was injected with cortizone and remains ok, 1 is retired and therefore many yrs of being a field ornament, 1 was put down aged 7. Much will depend on your horse s conformation as to whether an injection might be useful eg too straight a hind leg, or too sickled , or heavy boned all are more prone. For some horses it works well, others not.
My own horse was dianosed at 12, on and off bute for a few yrs ,at times he was ok , others not. Now aged 21 retired- artritis in all 4 legs now! Circling/lungeing ,jumping,working the hindquarters [as in dressage] is hard work on hocks and if he gets sound , be mindful of the work he can do. Once my horse was diagnosed,he went hunting lightly and hacking - straight line work,gave up the lateral movemnts. Wishing you all success in getting him right.
 
Mine was diagnosed age nine, damage to two joints in both hocks, one so bad the RVC thought it was a fracture at first.

I tried every type of injection, supplement and bute as well as a strict rehab and turnout programme, sadly he was put to sleep age 12 as nothing was working long term and he was 4/10ths lame even on two bute a day.
 
Starbuck11 said:
Yes i asked about injecting alcohol or a similar substance to fuse the joint but he wasnt willing to do this due to the other changes in the right hock :( what was the name of the other joint your mare is having problems with?
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It's the Proximial Intertarsal Joint, the vet reckoned she must have virtually dislocated it, absolutely gutted as we had only had her 2 weeks when she did it.Daughter had been competing her for a while before we bought her. Obviously they will not PTS as she is not considered a welfare case.
 
Hi, my boy had this in the meta tarsal joint about 6 years ago. injected and brought back into work over a couple of months. He was on a low dose of bute to help the pain whilst the joint was still fusing. Was a bit off about 3-4 years ago and he was injected in the inter tarsal joints (same hock) this time as that was where the problem was. Feel free to contact me for more info on rehab and work regime x
forgot to say he was injected with cortisteroids
 
My previous tb had spavin and I was offered operation to fuse joint which was 100% successful ,this could be another option although I didn't have added complications of arthritis.
 
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