Update for horse with Hock DJD / Vets 2nd opinion

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jenz87

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D day has been, my boy is at the vets for two full days of lameness work ups. For those who didnt see previous posts, 10year old dressage cob lame since December, vet diagnosed hock DJD and treated but no improvement. I had suspicion more issues were there, so i asked for 2nd opinion to find treatment / assessment was all done wrong etc.
I suspected PSD and SI problems, as did new vet.

Well today hes had more nerve blocks and tests and the vet rang with...
DJD in the hocks, PSD in both hinds, SI problems AND a bonus of mild kissing spines....
He is having suspensories scanned tomorrow, and back xrays sent to specialists for extra opinions.

Vet is optimistic we can do something about this, but the question that is bugging me....WHAT CAME FIRST, the chicken or the egg problem. Are they all due to suspensory issues, or have they come from KS, or the hocks?

Hock x rays are mild DJD (yet clearly responded to blocking).
KS is not full Kissing spines, vertebrae arent touching, more ligament friction when moving.
Suspensories to be determined


Thoughts? I dont want to treat things if the problem hasnt gone away!
 
Hello. I have been following this forum for a while before I joined so am aware of several posts about hocks including a good one about a horses journey following its diagnosis of spavin through to fusion of its hocks - think its quite recent. it is a good solution when other optionshave run out. Ihad a horse once that was euthanized due to spavin, she had had hocks medicated but the duration between treatement got less and less and in the end she was crippld. This was many years aao.
 
ive had one with the exact combination you describe. my vets jumped in and assumed it was spavins without doing a bone scan or investigating why the nerve blocks only 'partially' worked. after medicating didnt work they went straight to fusion with ethanol.i so wish they hadnt. it turned out the lamness was from psd not the spavins and now the psd is sorted the horse is completely sound. however since fusion it has always moved 'stiff' behind not flexing the hock like it could prior. my advice would be now they know there are several issues make sure they know which ones are causing the lameness and to what extent and then come up with a plan. its a long road, wishing you luck
 
Thank you to everyone for taking the time :)
Yes im so thankful i didnt go for fusing as 1st vet recommended, just hoping so much that the psd is fixable even to a small extent!
Updating a new post re foot balance for those interested
 
PSD is often fixable with time and correct rehab. Fusion is not reversible. I hate to think how many horses have had their hocks fused by ethanol, when the real root cause of their lameness has been PSD. Very wise decision jenz87.
 
Scatterbrain said:
PSD is often fixable with time and correct rehab. Fusion is not reversible. I hate to think how many horses have had their hocks fused by ethanol, when the real root cause of their lameness has been PSD. Very wise decision jenz87.
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OP I'm glad you have a treatment and diagnosis for your boy and really wish him well and hope he has a good recovery. I have to say that this thread has really upset me as I had my horses hocks fused with ethanol in October on vets advise. He had a full lameness work up including X-rays and that's what they came back with and I have followed their advise and rehab to the letter. I trusted them and now feel really scared that I have done the wrong thing.He is currently sound although now I have no idea whether that means he was correctly diagnosed! Any advice, please don't be nasty...I was really trying to help my boy and thought my vets diagnosis would be correct! Are there any cases where it is just spavins?
 
PSD is often not a primary condition but is symptomatic of one or more other problems that alter the gait/posture and result in inflammation of the proximal suspensory ligaments from what I've read. I guess the primary condition might be the hocks which should be treated as they responded to the nerve blocking ..... and the ks and Si a different problem all together?
Hock DJD is very painful.
 
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