Spavins your experiences please

tabithakat64

tabithakat64

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My horse has just been diagnosed with a bone spavin, the spavin hasn't yet fused and he's having the hock medicated on Monday.

I would like to hear from any of you who have horses with spavins especially those who compete.

Chocolate chip cookies for all replies :D
 
my lad was diagnosed last summer, he had just come virtually sound after a massive SIJ/ fractured pelvis injury and then went clock lame, hes got significant in left hock, start of it in right. he was awful to ride and we had steroid injected sept and hes been great. he will never be completely sound due to pelvis but after a week of injection he was a diff horse. hes still very stiff if he has time off but i try ride him most days, just hacking as he cant school anyway but the more i do with him the better he is. annax
 
First of all has your vet explained which part of the hock has changes? If it's the Tarsul Crurol (sp) which is the top part of the hock, then there is very little that can be done.
I am assuming that as the vet mentioned fusion, then the spavin is lower in the hock.
Medicating with Adequan (or similar) and steroids not only has a limited effect but more often than not, wont work at all. If it does work, then it could give up to 85% mobility enabling you to hack only until fusion takes place.

Drilling into the hock under GA is another option, but it hasn't worked with my girl and after 18 months she is more lame than she was before the op.

Do your homework first!

Hope all goes well.
 
My boy has spavins in both hocks. Joints have been medicated twice (first time May 2009, second time April 2010) and has had 3 courses of Adequan. He is sound, happy and fit. Vet says he is more sound than most horses he sees of his age and size (even those without diagnosed arthritis), as does the farrier. Jumping 1m05 at home in lessons, though I'm not brave enough to attempt that away from home because of my nerves, and doing some reasonable attempts at lateral work, which would be far better if it wasn't for the crappy rider on top ;)

If you search my username, you can read other posts I've made about his treatment. Suffice to say for him, both the steroids and Adequan helped him enormously.
 
Unfortunately my experience of 'spavin' isn't great. I have had two horses in the past showing arthritic changes in both hocks. My regime at the time was exercise on bute and lateral extension shoes to encourage hocks to fuse and keep them out 24/7. Hocks did fuse in both cases, took roughly 18 months/2 years. However, one developed an arthritic stifle the other horse a bone splintered in one hock, both were pts. There was a lot of stress, worry and heartache involved. I'm sure things have moved on since then! Good luck!
 
Sorry to hear that honey. Pidge has had this twice now in same hock and we did BE90 last year. Hocks meditated with cortisteroids, and then reintroduce work. Let me know if you want more info, lots on here from me about it if you search for hock spavin x
 
Mine had steroid injections once for this last summer. They were going to be repeated, but vet said not needed, and as she's no competition horse and in light work anyway, we didn't want to take the risk of any joint infection either. She's not perfect, but is now going ok with expensive wedged heels and a good farrier.:)
A good gentle schooling regime with a professional to help you is vital to get them going balanced again as they do tend to compensate through their back, which can lead to other probs.
 
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My boy has markd changes in the lower hocks of both legs but is sound and willing. I only found out due to a kick he received in the field which had to be operated on. The spavins are quite marked and easily seen on the xrays, but as he seems fine to school I am not having them treated, nor is he on bute. However a livery client of mine has a mare who is unridable due to hock spavin. The xrays show very little, almost undetectable changes. She has been treated twice with steroids but they only worked a couple of months and she is now unridable again (but not lame).
 
My mum's mare had hers operated on to fuse at the AHT in newmarket. Came sound after about 3/4 months and stayed sound since (some 15 years). mare is 22 and not sound now but this is a front tendon issue not the spavin.
 
HH did a brilliant piece on injecting joints recently. Luckily my vet and I don't like injecting joints being in newmarket we can see the actual stats of injections in the joints.

My lad was diagnosed spavins both hocks. He is currently fusing the last part PIT (top part of his hock joint) which for him is the LAST part of fusing his hock (he did it the other way round) The right hock had just started with a bone cyst.

Do your research!!!! Although it can be depressing when reading - some horses are 10/10 lame and are retired to paddocks. The key to spavins is getting the bones to FUSE quickly, once they are fused your horse will return to being sound.

We chose the corrective farriery route, magnetic pulsed therapy by centurion, massage pad, physio/mctimoney, danilon, herbal products easy mover, 99% gloucosamine, HA Cortavet powder. We spent 3 months just hacking straight lines, He was sound in walk although you could see he wasn't moving right. As a test I would check him in trot, he would start off 2-3/10th's lame but by the end of the hack he would be 1/10th lame. We would be hacking 6-12 miles daily - no road work. Right diagonal trot sound and canter.

Then he just got better.

He now regularly jumps 1.20m - he events, he dressages (advanced), he jumps (grade A). We haven't looked back since! Choose your surfaces carefully though! I won't jump on any hard ground so during spring/summer on to surfaces only. My lad is 24 years young and big 17hh.

The xrays show the fusing is nearly complete on the Left hock and the right hock well, the magnetic pulse machine has eradicated the bone cyst and we all remain hopeful that the spavins on his right hock have been prevented!

His 'treatments' still continue with the pulse machine, massage pad, physio out every 4 weeks and we have perfected his corrective farriery. He started off with lateral extentions and a very set toe (spavin horses will drag their toes), his fronts too had rolled toes to prevent any tripping that he tended to do as of course not using the back end correctly. And now we just have an extra width on the hind shoes at the heels, still set toe and rolled toes on the front (we do start tripping around week 3 after being shod - can only go 4 weeks for shoeing)

Your vet, physio and farrier with the xrays should determine the best course of action for your horse. It does depend upon the horse though! Some treatments work for some and others don't. It is also down to you and how much time, work, effort and sadly money too.

Good luck and let us know how you get on
 
The lameness came on during a period of box rest for a deep seated abscess, Merlin is 3/4 tenths lame in trot on a straight line but sound in walk. It's his right hind that is affected and it's the lower hock joint.

I will be collecting him from the RVC on Monday following the injection into his hock joint. I've been told there is a 70% chance of him returning to compete in all discaplines at riding club level providing the joint fuses.

My own vet is recommending a course of Adequan and Cortaflex supplement.

I haven't discussed rehab in depth with the vet who is dealing with my referral yet but he mentioned that I will be riding Merlin on bute until the joint fuses and may have to have repeat injections into the joint at some point.


I was hoping to get some ideas of what ridden work you guys did in your rehab period, how long the hock took to fuse, what supplements and further treatments you have had and also what turnout your horses were allowed until the joint fused.

I know it's good for them to be lightly ridden and turned out but I'm concerned as our turnout is really muddy at the moment.

Thanks to all of those that have replied so far :)

Sue, your experiences with Pidge are the only reason I haven't been all doom and gloom as it seems like every time I'm ready to get out there and compete my horses go lame, I'd be gutted if Merlin was permenantly broken like Fudge, especially as his abusive past means he would be unable to be a companion.

I've done a search on all of your threads related to Pidges hock spavins and feel quite positive about Merlins future as there are so many people whose spavin horses are out there competing :)
 
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glad Pidge has given you hope you need some after your run of bad luck :(
Ok so Pidge has had spavin in his meta tarsal and in his inta tarsal joint now in his right hind. His last one in March 10 was Cortisteroid jabs, box rest of 48hrs bandaged (to help prevent infection) then about a week off work and reintroduced on a surface - one week walk, then one week trot, then canter the week after. Put it this way he had it the middle/end March and we did Rod BE90 beginning of May :rolleyes:
Turnout as normal, just be careful of hard ground, though to be honest my vet says to be guided by how Pidge tells me, he's quite happy motoring over a XC course if the ground is hard (though usually arated sp?) but for example he doesn't like the dressage ground at Eland as finds it too hard when doing BE.
The first time he had it he was on a week off, month of walk, month of walk and trot, then canter and was on bute for this period as its the fusing of the joint that causes the pain.
Work wise, on a surface fine, lots of warm up, big circles, not sharp turns and circles, no lateral work, but...... it is important to have them working properly, not necessarily working on the bit but certainly moving forwards and tracking up well. The more they can carry themselves and not drag themselves on the forehand the better.
How muddy is your turnout?
 
Forgot to say first time took 5 months before back in work, last year just over a month.
He's been on new market joint supplement ever since first episode.
Had his back done a couple of times after first time as it was out due to him compensating for soreness. Last time just the once was needed (has it done every 6 months anyway)
No different shoeing though farrier pays close attention to his feet for any sign of uneven wearing on his shoes. xxx
 
It's pretty waterlogged and fetlock deep in the gateways and very slippery else where.

The yard Fudge and Lady are at is much less muddy, but Merlin's such a stresshead and the idea of trying to introduce him into a new herd when he's easily bullied and already injured fills me with dread, that's if I could persuade someone to give up their space for him. :(

I'm hoping he'll be able to go out in the school overnight with a friend and lots of hayledge.
 
My horse was diagnosed with spavins in both hocks in conjunction with suspensory ligament damage.

As far as the hocks are concerned, she has been treated with Tildren and is turned away. Contrary to my vet's advice, I am not considering steroid injections because of the risk with a laminitic. I shall re-assess when she is brought back into work and then possibly take the supplement (Cortaflex or other) route and keep re-assessing until I find something that works. :)
 
Turnout is a must! I moved yards so that my big lad could be turned out every day.

Time to fuse - well he came to me with both lower parts of the hock fused, so anyones guess there-but we have just 1cm more to fuse and that's all (xrays nov 10) was 3 cm in Jun 10.

Daily hacking-walking no circles. I allowed him to trot if he felt like it and canter again if he felt like it.

Hope all goes well
 
foraday said:
Do your research!!!! Although it can be depressing when reading - some horses are 10/10 lame and are retired to paddocks. The key to spavins is getting the bones to FUSE quickly, once they are fused your horse will return to being sound.

We chose the corrective farriery route, magnetic pulsed therapy by centurion, massage pad, physio/mctimoney, danilon, herbal products easy mover, 99% gloucosamine, HA Cortavet powder.
Click to expand...

Hi, I have just found this & related threads as I have been researching bone spavins following my 11 yo 14.2 mare also just having been diagnosed with bone spavin of the lower hock in one hock only, possibly the result of an earlier injury.

It is very helpful reading all the comments & histories; I have quoted foraday here re. 2 points: 1) getting the bones fuse quickly & 2) magnetic therapy.

Was the magnetic therapy & massage pad for the bone cyst or the spavin or do you think it worked on both? I think you said it prevented the spavin on the right hock...

Re. Fusion: which parts of treatment are targetting this? I am confused about use of glucosamine because it is said to slow cartilage deterioration, but surely we won't get fusion until the cartilage is gone?

This is so true: "It does depend upon the horse though! Some treatments work for some and others don't. It is also down to you and how much time, work, effort and sadly money too."

I am just setting out on this journey & trying to determine the best course.
 
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