Young horse with arthritis

[lizxx63]

I have a 3 year old (just) with arthritus in the knee joints.

I cannot understand it as he has been stabled most nights with turnout, had his feet trimmed on a regular basis by remedial farriers, got good breeding, and been fed correctly.

He is home bred and basically had 5* care including several examinations by previous vets in general (he was meant to be my advanced dressage horse and so I have done everything I can along the way).

He hasn't even been lame.

However, the xrays show damage to the cartilage (and to the bone I think).

My vet is proposing an arthroscopy to see the extend of the damage but is saying the prognosis is very bad.

Is this really the end of my world?

 

[figgy]

Im so sorry about your news , i had the same with my young horse at 3 years old he was for dressage and eventing , he did a little dressage but had to pick the ground he worked on and he loved it, never teached him to jump as i wanted to try and save him as much as poss, sadly lost him last April aged 7 years old . good luck.

 

[lizxx63]

Thanks for the reply and sorry to hear your news although I'm not sure you've cheared me up much!

 

[figgy]

Im sorry , I didnt know if to post or not, hopefully your out come will be better fingers crossed for you.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Sometimes the leg bones just don't grow properly or uniformly causing unnatural stress and damage on growing joints. So sorry for you and your lad x

 

[minmax]

Hi there, my youngster at aged 3 showed lameness, he has OCD, in both hocks and stifle. He had arthroscapy and they cleaned up the hocks but the damage to the stifle is untreatable.
He is now rising 5, in gentle work, ie schooling 3 ish times a week and has started hacking again. He has been taken VERY slowly, as had to back him and start him. I love riding him, he has a stiffness in the stifle leg but works through it at the moment. I don't know how long he will last, its so gutting for me as he is so eager to learn, is learning a lot faster than my older horse....
If I was you, take each day as it comes, have what the vets reccomend and give him a joint supp, cider vinegar or anything else you believe in.
I thought I would never sit on my boy..... you just never know.
We have others on the yard with same sort of thing... the more you talk to people the more you will find how common it is. Mine was homebred.... it happens. Sorry for your boy, hopefully you will be back in 6 - 12 mths telling us a better story

 

[lizzi2]

Sorry to hear about your horse.
If you've not already considered it, would suggest getting a second opinion with a homeopathic vet. Homeopathy can be very effective, and is definitely worth trying. I've used homeopathy with my equines (not for arthritis, but for other things like excitability and laminitis) and have found it does work.
There are dozens of vets in the UK who are specialist homeopathic vets - and can be found at the British Association of Homeopathic Vets at www.bahvs.com .

 

[CBAnglo]

Had this with my yound dressage horse. He was never lame, just slightly off. 18 months of testing absolutely everything and then he went very very lame in one hock. MRI diagnosed OCD (no damage to bone yet so nothing showed in xrays).

I would look into IRAP and try and treat as early as possible. Arthroscopy would have done nothing for my boy as there is nothing on the bone to smooth down - the damage is all to the cartilage.

I know how heart breaking it is. Sadly after 2 yrs of treatment my boy has been retired to a field for as long as he is happy to get up and down.