Tildren as a preventative measure for hock issue?

[kgj66]

Hi. My horse went lame last Christmas with a hock issue- start of a bone spavin. She had 1 course of Tildren and after 4 months field rest was sound and brought back into work.

She has been sound ever since, however my insurance runs out in January and she is going to vet on Thursday for more x-rays and possibly another Tildren treatment. Last x-rays 2 months ago showed no change in her hock since the original Tildren treatment, but also wasn't any better.

Has anyone got Tildren as a preventative measure to stop the hock getting worse in future with success, or has any one got any other treatments they found worked?

As I said she is currently sound but I feel I should do something if I can while I have insurance as I know the likelihood of a joint problem arising again is very high.

She is a 6yo TB, who has only done light work so far in her ridden life (hacking, schooling, a couple of months of jumping).

Thanks

 

[Birker2020]

Hi. My horse went lame last Christmas with a hock issue- start of a bone spavin. She had 1 course of Tildren and after 4 months field rest was sound and brought back into work.

She has been sound ever since, however my insurance runs out in January and she is going to vet on Thursday for more x-rays and possibly another Tildren treatment. Last x-rays 2 months ago showed no change in her hock since the original Tildren treatment, but also wasn't any better.

Has anyone got Tildren as a preventative measure to stop the hock getting worse in future with success, or has any one got any other treatments they found worked?

As I said she is currently sound but I feel I should do something if I can while I have insurance as I know the likelihood of a joint problem arising again is very high.

She is a 6yo TB, who has only done light work so far in her ridden life (hacking, schooling, a couple of months of jumping).

Thanks

If I were you I'd be considering fusion with ethanol.

Its a relatively cheap option (around £300 for both hocks) and the horse is first xrayed and then contrast dye is injected into the hock space. If the dye goes forwards or down the horse is an ideal candidate for the ethanol. Then the ethanol is injected and the procedure takes seconds to do.

The horse is box rested for a day then turn out as normal can be resumed. I think it took a month to get back into full work and the horse went on to jump and dressage compete as before. Its really effective and recent xrays some 18 months later have shown good fusion has taken place in the hock joint.

The injection doesn't hurt the horse and it kills the nerves in the hock so the horse can't feel pain. Eventually the arthritis will take over the lower hock joints causing fusion which stabilises the joint.

It seems to be a win win.

Here are a couple of links about it.
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/archive/index.php/t-590602.html
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?613297-Ethanol-Fusion

Here is the procedure in more depth http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2011.00512.x/full

And an article on H&H online http://www.horseandrideruk.com/article.php?id=2414

 

[Goldenstar]

I think a second Tildren treatment is pretty much what the vets advise as standard .
It's also pretty common for competition horses to get Tildren as precaution.