Spavins and god knows what else....

alsxx

alsxx

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Took my TB for lameness workup yesterday and he blocked positively to both hocks, vets have concluded spavins (he's 11 and raced for 5 years). Unfortunately once the blocks were in he then showed up an intermittent lameness on his near hind that looked to originate even higher up but it wasn't really possible to do any more with him by that point.

Feeling quite dispondant today as under saddle even with the blocks in he felt utterly horrendous; I couldn't ride one side of him! He was totally uncoordinated and lazy, these have been his symptoms which prompted the workup, but he felt the worst he ever has yesterday despite moving better with the blocks in.

Vets plan is to medicate his hocks and give him a month to see what happens and then try and work out what else is wrong. I'm worried about medicating them as he had a bout of laminitis in the new year; I keep him barefoot (due to pre existing front feet issues and shoeing making him lame); his feet are a lot better than they were but have a long way to go - taking his shoes off turned him into a little superstar, the improvement in his way of going was nothing short of dramatic. But he is very sensitive to grass, if he has access to rich grass he does go footsore, I am therefore concerned about the effects the steroids may have. Has anyone had any negative experiences from them in lean TB types?

Id be interested to hear from anyone who has experience of spavins plus other complications. He may end up having a bone scan to try and locate the other issue - I wonder if it's as a result of the spavins.
 
If he has been working with spavins he will have been compensating in some way during this time so by relieving the pain, having the area blocked, it is most likely that what you felt was tightness in his back, a session with a good physio may be all that is required to get him back on track after the injections.
 
Join the club alsxx, my 16 yo ISH had a work-up a few weeks ago, and x-rays showed spavins in both hinds in the distal metatarsal joints. She's having steroid injections tomorrow with an exercise programme to encourage the rest of the joint to fuse. Like your boy she is barefoot. Interestingly, when my trimmer came yesterday (and the vet had advised gradually raising the heel by taking back the toe), he pointed out some bridging going on between the frog and the bars on the lateral side of both hinds, which he suggested was connected to her hock problems as she has been compensating to protect the frog (or something technical along those lines).

Our other horse who is shod has had several courses of injections into her coffin joints over recent years, with no problems, and an immediate improvement, however the effects don't seem very long lasting. We will probably take her barefoot very soon.
 
I can't really help you at the stage you are at.
But just wanted to say I have had several hunters here with spavins working and doing their job without any trouble .
They all had a good joint supplement and devils claw during the hunting season turnout everyday and I had Danilon for them the night after hunting if I felt they had a hard day all were older and came to us with the spavins all had had their working lives ended by something else( although with one I bet the issue was linked to the spavins).
They had regular physios when in hard work I was careful about their weight and
Did not give them long holidays.
Just thought it might cheer you up tp hear of horses working and having a happy time despite their spavins.
 
I have a 6yr old TB who was diagnosed with spavins in February. He had steroid injections and lateral extensions on his hind shoes. He also had several Bowen treatments on his back and a month off because he was so tight behind the saddle from compensating. He has come right though, moves so much better and last time he was shod my farrier decided he didnt need the lateral extensions anymore. So I hope it all works out for your boy too.
 
My horse was diagnosed with a spavin a year ago, he was hopping lame and couldn't weight bear well at all, he's had 2 lots of Tildren, minimal danilon (2 weeks worth after each tildren
 
Phone sent reply before I'd finished!

Hes also on synequin and he's doing really really well (he's 19 btw) and has a sachet of synequin every day. If anyone had said a year ago I would be riding him everyday and getting ready for a pleasure ride I'd have never believed them. He is barefoot on his hinds and he had some physio which showed he was quite one sided from compensating for the other leg, he can now canter properly instead of going disunited all the time behind! Just wanted to add as other people mentioned there is life beyond spavins and they can do well afterwards
 
Thanks guys, I feel fairly positive re the spavins but nervous about what else is up as its the unknown. I guess it's likely he has been compensating for the spavins for a while. I'm hoping the fact that he is barefoot will help in that he can grow a foot/feet to suit him. Both my boys are now kept on a grass track to limit grass intake and encourage movement (my other boy has cushings) so this can only be a good thing.

Vet hasn't discussed exercise routine as yet, but once he's had them medicated was planning on work in a straight line built up over a period of time toget his fitness and condition back. I hope he will be able to come back eventually to doing some low level dressage..... He'd made such progress this year despite him likely working in discomfort.
 
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