To Tildren or not to Tildren, that is the question.

Ani

Ani

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I have a 16.2hh gelding who was four in july, he is backed and hacking happily, he is totally sound but has a boney lump on the inside front of his left hock. The vet has fexion tested him and he was fine but on the xrays you can just see a bone spur starting to apear from the lump which will in time fuse to the bottom of the joint (yes bone spavin). The lump was caused by a kick we think. The vet has injected the hock and he is back in work but he has suggested Tildren. In my past experience when i've dealt with horses with spavins the vets have always said to try and get the bones to fuse but my understanding is that Tildren trys to prevent this, is it not just preventing the inevitable?. as my boy is so young and sound at present i am undecided what to do for the best. do i throw everything at it or carry on until it becomes a problem, as hes only hacking ATM?
 
Im rubbish at advice
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but i know its very expensive so thats one more thing to add to the disadvantages list.

Out of interest which vet do you use? (pm if ya like ) i live near you and the vet i use seems to be pushing this drug quite abit
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X
p.s. fingers crossed for your neddy
 
Personally, I chose not to with mine - because once it's in there it's in there and if it has an adverse reaction....well its in there and hard to get out! So I went for brilliant diet, no small circles, shoes off to reduce concussion and let the hoof grow as it needed to tin order to support what was above it, and how that leg moved. Got a good result. Took committment though.
 
I use Scott-Dunns, and it was Ian who came out last week. i have used them for more than 10 years and am picky about who comes out. i would have Simon all the time if i could get hold of him but he is soo busy. Ian is one of the few others who i usually trust and he was honest about the success he has had with Tildren (50/50) but i am not sure if it is just the current fad? i,ve always had success with just cortizone and hyloric acid injections or just bute and straight line work in the past and want to justify it before using something different?
 
Ben_and_jerrys, Thanks. Yes he's not that tall and fair haired. what would be your first port of call be then?

SMID, Thanks for that. That's ok if the horse can do without shoes, mine can't. i had him with fronts only for a while but where I am is really flinty and i had to put hinds on.
 


This is the best link I have found to Tildren. My horse has had two lots of Tildren and is due to go into the vets at the end of this month to have a third. He has mild bone spavin of the lower hock. He has also had intraarticular injections, box rest, controlled exercise, a course of adequan and as I say soon to be three tildren. Initially I was concerned about Tildren but that was due to the side effects of heart failure and colic. The heart failure is extremely rare - in fact I googled it and only found one link and I was only concerned about that due to the fact my horse has 2nd degree heart block which is a form of cardia arythmia, and because I had previously lost a horse of a heart attack (not due to Tildren I might add). My horse is also colicky but I kept a close eye on him the first time the vet came to do him at the yard, and the second time he stopped the day at the vets (due to the fact I was working all day after I dropped him off and also because I wanted them to check for colic symptoms afterwards). The colic is only very mild anyway if they get it at all - I think it was something like 15% but I may be wrong about that. The tildren inhibits the bone from fusing which now seems to be the best course of action. My horse was back in the game after about 2 months, and was jumping/xc etc by 2.5 - 3 months from being initially diagnosed with bone spavin and having his first Tildren done when he was 2 to 3/10's lame. My advice would be to go for it. I jump my horse, have done seven pleasure rides this years, two one day events and loads of grid work/schooling in our menage. He is fit as a fiddle, and this last Tildren before my claim is due up is as a precaution only. I couldn't thank my vet enough for suggesting it for me. The only draw back is that it is expensive but I think well worth it.
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http://www.georgevetgroup.co.uk/equine/TILDRENfactsheet09.pdf
 
Thanks for that applecart, i am not at all bothered about the cost. I just want to do the best thing for my boy as we have so many years ahead of us with him only being four years old.
 
i know i horse that was treated sucessfully with tildren for bone spavin , had two rounds 6 months part i think with no adverse reaction & back in work quickly
 
Would also advocate it. My husband's horse is only 8 and had both hocks injected and Tildren, back in the summer, and is back in normal work but with a lovely muscled bum because he can now work correctly! I had no idea about side effects but trust my vet's opinion and will continue to do so.
 
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