How do you treat bog spavin in horses?
If your horse is young, bog spavin will often resolve itself with rest and compression bandaging. However, surgical drainage of the joint may be necessary followed by anti-inflammatory injections directly into the joint.
Can you ride a horse with a bog spavin?
Simply having a bog spavin does not preclude a horse from upper-level dressage or other elite competition. But it might signal a weakness, previous problem or injury, and therefore a horse that has a bog spavin should be carefully examined to determine the cause.
Is bog spavin painful?
Many horses with bog spavin show no lameness and do not require treatment. Some conditions result in joint inflammation with pain and lameness and these necessitate further investigation in order to allow treatment targetted to the underlying cause.
What causes bone spavin in horses?
Bone spavin is a bony growth within the lower hock joint of horse or cattle. It is caused by osteoarthritis, and the degree of lameness that results can be serious enough to end a horse’s competitive career.
What is Jack spavin?
“Jack Spavin” refers to a common finding in hock arthritis. It refers to a large hard swelling on the inner (medial) surface where the hock joint meets the cannon and splint bones of the lower limb.
What is a spavin in a horse?
Bone spavin is osteoarthritis, or the final phase of degenerative joint disease (DJD), in the lower three hock joints. The condition is most commonly seen in teenage to elderly horses, although it can also occur in younger horses less commonly.
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 is bone spavin diagnosed?
In cases where both hocks are equally affected the horse may present with a loss of performance or suspected back problems. 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.
Is 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 is arthritis in the small bones of the hock, caused by too much stress or concussion.
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.
What is bog spavin horse?
What is bog spavin? Bog spavin is excessive fluid in the largest of the hock joints. This can result in slight or severe enlargement of the hock. One or both hocks may be affected. It is more commonly seen in younger horses, although it can occur at any age.
What is the difference between bog spavin and bone spavin?
Bone spavin involves the joints and the bone, and it’s usually osteoarthritis. Bog spavin is extra fluid in the upper joints of the hock. And that can be also associated with osteoarthritis or inflammation for another cause in that joint.
What is bog spavin?
Bog spavin is a condition where a soft swelling occurs on the medial surface of the hock joint resulting from excessive fluid within the joint capsule. It is usually seen as two distinct swellings, one on the back and the other on the front of the hock joint.
What is the difference between Bog spavin and hock enlargement?
The enlargement or swelling has no bone involvement, it only involves the synovial membrane which is a membrane that lies within and surrounds the hock joint that permits smooth and flexible movement of the joint. Bog spavin, as defined above, is a long term, low-grade inflammation of this membrane over time.
How to fix a bog spavin in a horse?
If the horse is young, the bog spavin will frequently resolve itself with appropriate rest and compression bandaging of the joint. Surgical drainage may be necessary which will likely be supported by injections of anti-inflammatory medication into the joint.
What causes bog spavin in tibiotarsal bone?
Alternatively, OCD lesions that occur on the lateral trochlear ridge of the tibiotarsal bone can result in large areas of cartilage and bone loss and an irregular joint surface. These lesions may cause both a bog spavin and more commonly result in dysfunction of the joint, pain and lameness.