Bone spavin is the growth of bone in horse joints or lower livestock. This is due to osteoarthritis, and the level of lameness that results can be serious enough to end a competitive horse career.
Video Bone spavin
Description bone spavin
The spavin bone is osteoarthritis, or the final phase of degenerative joint disease (DJD), in the three joints of the lower mound. This usually affects the two lowest joints of hock (tarsometatarsal and distal intertarsal joints), with the third, proximal intertarsal joint, being the most likely to develop bone spavin. This condition has various types: spavin jacks when lesions on the tarsal bone and carpal are large, and spavin is high when pathology occurs higher in joints than is typical. In contrast, occult spavin did not result in significant exposure to small tarsal, while swamp spavin and blood spavin did not involve bone changes.
Maps Bone spavin
Cause
Cartilage Compression
Excessive compression can cause, over time, the cartilage between the upper and lower surface of the lower tarsal bone to become compressed and eroded. The joint space then becomes smaller, and new bone growth may occur in the area.
Uneven loading
Uneven loading causes excessive compression of cartilage and bone on one side, and strain in joint capsule and supporting ligaments on the other. When the joint is repeatedly overloaded at the edges of its surface, exostoses, or "bone spurs," occur. Tension supporting ligaments can lead to eksostosis around the joints as well.
Contributing factors
There are several conformational defects that contribute to bone spavin. Those that cause uneven loading of hocks, such as crescent hammer and cow hocks, are very important. Pruning or poor pruning can also contribute to bone spavin in any horse, no matter what their conformation is.
Certain types of activities may also contribute to unbalanced or repetitive underlying joints, and thus bone spavin. This includes sports that require a lot of hock flexion (dressage), stress (jumping), stop or alternate abrupt (western events, like curbing), or big concussions (Standardbred racing).
"Juvenile spavin" is the occurrence of bone spavin in horses less than 3 years. It usually happens before the animals do a lot of work. While osteochondrosis lesions are a possible cause in some cases, this condition can also occur secondary to cuboid bone distortion that can occur in premature boys or dysmature.
Typical signs of bone spavin
Initially, signs of bone spavin may include a sporadic and vague hindlimb puncture. Some horses may become uncomfortable in one clue, or may show stiffness walking downhill.
In many cases, inequality gets worse, becoming more clear and consistent. The advanced case may have bone swelling in the shock, usually inside the joint. Lameness, though usually worse on one foot, is usually bilateral.
The affected limbs usually land with the first leg, lowering the legs faster than others. Affected limbs usually have shorter and lower arcs than the other legs, as the horse is trying to reduce joint painful flexion, so the foot appears to be dragged.
Flexible tests on affected extremities often result in a temporary deterioration of inequality. Such responses to the flexion test will support the diagnosis of bone spavin. The flexion test involves holding the hock on forced flexion for a period of time before dragging the horse immediately.
Diagnosis of bone spavin
The temporary diagnosis of bone spavin should normally be supported by further investigations to confirm the diagnosis.
X-ray
Typical radiographic changes include spurs, new bone, bone damage and/or constriction or joint loss.
Intra-articular local anesthesia
Anesthesia of the affected joint is a more certain way to confirm the presence of pain from the joint. The introduction of local anesthesia into the joint should remove or at least significantly reduce inequality. This technique is not really specific, since the distal pouch of the tarsometatarsal joint is adjacent to the suspensory ligament. This means that anesthesia in the tarsometatarsal joint can sometimes decrease the pain arising from the suspensory ligament, giving the wrong impression that the joint pain has been removed.
Scintigraphy
Scintigraphy (bone scan) can help distinguish between desensitic origin of suspensori and bone spavin.
Spavin bone treatment
Bone changes in the lower hock joint can not be changed. However, it is possible to manage the problem and thereby slow the development of spavin bone, relieve pain, and control inequality. Surgery is an option for horses that do not respond to conventional treatments.
Drugs
NSAIDs, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, may help increase limp on the horse. However, it is important to note that high doses of NSAIDs administered over several days can cause kidney damage, as well as ulcers. NSAIDs may also be illegal in competition, so it may be necessary to discontinue treatment with NSAIDs a few days before the horse competes.
injections of corticosteroids to a low rocking joint can break the lameness of a horse for several weeks or months. Unlike other joints, these drugs can be injected repeatedly to the lower tarsal joint as needed. Again, it is important to check the association rules to see if corticosteroids are not allowed in the competition, so they can be stopped before the horse competes.
Tiludronic acid, a bisphosphonate, the trade name Tildren and Equidronate (UK) have proven useful in the treatment of bone spavin. This is given by slow infusion (30 mn) mixed with saline.
Other joint drugs, such as hyaluronic acid
Shoeing
Proper shoe fitting is essential in the management of horses with spavin bone. The most helpful shoes for these horses include shoes that help in breakovers (like square feet or rolled up, or shoes with pads). Shoes with heel support can also help the horse with bone spavin, such as egg bar shoe. A pair of toes can be applied to protect the toes from wear wear, because lack of flexion in the hock will cause the horse to drag the toe. A trailer or lateral extension can be mounted to prevent an axial swing developed by the horse, allowing the horse to make contact with the previous ground and preventing rotation in hocks. Each case of spavin bone should be scaled independently depending on the severity of the case and the needs of the horse, no special shoes to be applied.
Exercise and work
The best is a horse with bone spavin that will be done every day. Preferably, this should be driven or driven to work, because pen laps or long-term exercises place uneven pressure on the joint. Tournaments of grasslands may be unfavorable if the horse does not move much.
It is best to reduce the intensity of the workload of horses with bone spavin. However, even with careful management, the spavin bone will get worse, and the animal may not be able to continue at the level of competition, first used for once consistent inequality. Many horses can still succeed in a career that is not too heavy. Light exercise is better than not exercising at all, and career changes can extend the life of the horse.
Surgery
The combination of joints with bone can end the imbalance, because the joints have become stable. However, this may take several years, or never happens. In this case, the operation could be an option.
Some joint cartilage is destroyed by drill or laser, and the hole is sometimes filled with bone graft.
Vets can also inject caustic agents into joints to destroy cartilage, as opposed to drilling joints. After the procedure, the horse will be paralyzed for weeks or months, until the connection is united.
Exercise can help accelerate bone combinations, so horses can walk by hand after injection. NSAIDs are usually given to relieve pain.
Prognosis for bone spavin
The prognosis for bone spavin varies, depending on several factors including:
- the number of joints involved
- the severity of bone changes in this joint
- how fast the horses condition gets worse
- what the horse is used for
Most horses can not continue high-level competition for long. However, many horses can continue to be gladly used as a trace or horse of pleasure, or for light work.
References
King, Christine; Mansmann, Richard (1997). Equine Weakness . Grand Prairie, TX: Equine Research. pp.Ã, 839-847. ISBN: 0935842128.
External links
- A spavin bone case study
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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