Can a horse recover from a bone spavin?
Can a horse recover from a bone spavin?
Although bone spavins are not curable, most horses that are afflicted are able to live productive lives, although the intensity of the workload may need to be restricted, depending on the type of activity and the overall condition of the horse.
How do you treat bone spavin in horses?
Treatment for bone spavin, being a form of arthritis, aims to reduce pain either by reducing inflammation or reducing movement in the joint(s). In some cases there is a good response with anti-inflammatory medication such as phenylbutazone, while continuing exercise.
Is bone spavin arthritis?
Bone spavin is degenerative, non-septic arthritis of the smaller hock joints. It is more often seen in older horses and ponies and is a common cause of hindlimb lameness. The lameness can range from mild stiffness with toe dragging to quite severe. It may affect one or both hind limbs.
Is bone spavin hereditary?
It is thought to be caused by repeated compression and rotation of the small bones within the hock; although in some breeds e.g. Icelandic there may also be a hereditary component. Horses with poor hock conformation e.g. sickle or cow hocks are more prone to develop the condition.
How do you treat hock arthritis?
For OA in the horse’s hock joint, the usual course of action from your vet is the injection of anti-inflammatory drugs, such as corticosteroids, directly into the hock joint (intra-articular injections). Your horse will need to have a couple of days rest afterwards and then slowly ease back into work.
What causes bog Spavins in horses?
What causes bog spavin? There are a number of causes, but most commonly bog spavin is caused by osteochondrosis in young horses. Other causes include biomechanical stresses, for example conformational faults such as straight hocks, sickle hocked or cow hocked; lameness in another limb; intense training.
