Rear Hock arthritis (fusing)

[John Boy]

I decided to start this thread because of the activity on this forum. Currently I hav an older TB that has both rear hocks being shot once a year , and my vet is hoping that the discomfort will eventually disappear once they fuse.
I do not want to go into detail about what joints of the hocks.
I am currently interested in a 12 year old warmblood with similar issues and the current owner is hoping fusion will occur quicker without injections.

I am wondering what experiences have any of you had with your horses with Hock arthritis and what breed the horse was and the length of time (years) before the hocks were considered fused.

I am also wondering after the hocks fused , how efficient the horse was and how comfortable the horse felt while being ridden in all three gaits.

** Thank you for replying with informative responses.

[SedonaThunder]

Hey JB - I had never heard of this so wanted to know more and did a google search. I found this great article that actually says if you use steroid injections in the hocks it can ease the pain AND HELP SPEED UP the fusing! http://www.todayshorse.com/Experts/DrJahiel/AskDrJahiel-Fusing%20Hocks.htm

[magayle]

both my haflingers have the hock problems....tried the injections on Honey about 2 years ago and they didn't help.....since my ponies are only required to eat, drink, poop and love ma ma i just keep them movin' with a daily dose of bute

[Mercury]

You can have it chemically fused too. My vet said they should be just as sound after fusing (depending on the joint) as they were before arthritis.

[John Boy]

Never heard of a chemical initiating a fusing .... (I'll discuss with vet)

The thing that gets me , I currently am doing injections and was told eventually fusing will occur. But injections are to lubercate the joint that has issues.

I am hoping someone on this board has gone through a fusing and reply with the type of horse , activity as well as resolution.

[Mercury]

http://www.equisearch.com/horses_care/health/illnesses_injuries/jointfusing_122006/
This one was written several years ago. One of my horses cut open the joint capsule in one of the lower hock joints. My vet suggested that if he became lame on it he could do an ethyl alchohol injection into the joint to fuse it together. Its not a good article but it explains it a little. Make sure you talk to a joint specialist (that's what my vet does). From what I understand he could do it in the clinic that he has here in town and it would just be a small amount of recover. From what I understand they are just sedated too.

PS- if your vet hasn't heard of it let me know and I'll give you my vets phone number. He can at least send you in a direction to see if your horse would be a good candidate for it.

[John Boy]

Thanks Murcury , obviously your horse recovered , and he never became lame after his accident.
I'll cross my fingers and hope others have had success and came continue to educate me.

thank you ,john

[Mercury]

It's still actually a possibility. He's only 6 right now and it happened 2 years ago. He'll most likely have early arthritis. Right now he's doing fine, just starts out a little stiff but I'll likely have to have it done to him in the future.

[Palogal]

Why is a 12 year old arthritic? I would be interested to know at what age and work load this warmblood was trained.

[John Boy]

Just like race horses raced early and break down at ages less than 7 years old , sport horses can be pushed as well.
This particular horse was jumped , and the assumed norm that all warm bloods are Dressage horses is not the case. Some warm bloods are the best jumpers , but saying that also means that jumping is tough on joints as well.

[vickywatts]

The horse's hock is basically the same joint as the human ankle and contains the same seven bones. The hock, however, has to be strong enough to carry eight times the weight of a human while being subjected to twisting, turning, and excessive stress when racing. Poor hind-leg conformation puts more strain on various parts of the joint.
The hock forms a hinge between the upper leg bone and the cannon bone. The five smallest bones in the hock stack atop the cannon bone and act as shock absorbers. The hock also serves as anchor point for the big Achilles tendon that runs up the back of the leg. The moving parts of the hock are connected by joint capsules and ligaments.

[WashingtonBay]

Hi thanks and welcome vickywatts... Sorry your post ended up moderated and didn't show up right away... it shouldn't have, and since this is an old thread, I didn't notice it till now. :)