How long does it take for bone spavin to fuse?
Generally, fusion takes six to nine months to develop and, at most, 65% of treated horses are able to return to some work. An alternative means of fusion is to inject a chemical called sodium moniodoacetate (MIA) into the joints.
How do you treat bone spavin?
Can bone spavin be treated? 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 a bone spavin a blemish?
A bog spavin is considered a blemish, but should be taken as a warning sign. Bog spavins are often seen on horses with straight hocks, or when horses with weak hock conformation do work that is hard for their hocks. Bone spavin appears as a hard swelling low on the inner hock.
How is bone spavin diagnosed?
Bone spavin may be suspected on the basis of clinical signs, but a definite diagnosis can only be made after a nerve block and x-ray of the affected area.
How is bone spavin diagnosed in horses?
Diagnosis of Bone Spavin in Horses A hindlimb flexion test, in which the hock is held in a forced flexion position for 30 to 60 seconds before trotting the horse, is often suggestive of bone spavin, although it is a supportive test rather than a diagnostic one.
Is Bone spavin hereditary?
Like osteoarthritis in people, the cause of spavin is not very well understood. There is a very high incidence of it in Icelandic ponies, suggesting that in this breed there is a genetic predisposition. Other factors, including trauma and conformation, may play a role.
What causes bone spavin?
Causes of Bone Spavin in Horses A developmental disorder that affects the joints of growing animals, particularly animals with a high rate of growth. Certain activities lead to excessive flexing of the hock joints or concussive force to them, which can encourage the formation of bone spavins.
What is a bone spavin in horses?
Bone spavin is the term used for osteoarthritis of the lower joints within the hock, most commonly the distal intertarsal and tarsometatarsal joints. These joints are all low movement joints unlike the upper joint about which the vast majority of flexion and extension of the hock occurs.
Is there a cure for bone spavin in horses?
Treatment of Bone Spavin Bony changes of the lower hock joint are irreversible. It is possible, however, to manage the problem and thereby slow the progression of the bone spavin, ease the pain, and control the lameness. Surgery is an option for horses that do not respond to conventional treatments. •Medications
Where is bone spavin located in the hock joint?
Bone Spavin Bone spavin is osteoarthritis of the small hock joint; the hock comprises six bones in a complex array of articulations, the main ones being the proximal (top), central (middle) and distal (bottom) articulations. It is generally the inside of the distal articulation where bone spavin is found.
Is there an alternative medicine for bone spavin?
There is an alternative medication that can be injected into the lower joints called Adequan. This works differently to corticosteroids and may prevent further degenerative change within the joint. Despite spavin being quite common, there has been no good clinical trial to compare the efficacy of this with corticosteroids.
What are the defects that cause bone spavin?
There are several conformational defects that contribute to bone spavin. Conformations that cause uneven loading of the hocks, such as “sickle hocks”, “in at the hocks” and “cow hocks”, are especially noteworthy (Fig. 2).