In order to participate in the forums and post comments, you need to be registered on Horse Hero. Please make sure you are Registered and Login to get involved!
|
|
|
bellini
13 Jul 2009 14:17
|
Does anyone have experience with a horse with ringbone? A friend of mine's horse has this condition and I have no idea what it is or what the prognosis is. It is an advanced event horse who is 10yrs old, does it have a future? Any feedback appreciated. Thanks.
|
Horse Hero Guru
13 Jul 2009 19:23
|
I am so sorry to hear about your friend’s horse. Ringbone is a disease where excess bone builds up around a horse’s pastern joint (high ringbone) or coffin joint (low ringbone). The growth can go right around the joint, which is how the disease got its name.
There are two types of ringbone – true ringbone (articular ringbone) where new bone grows inside the joint and false ringbone (peri-articular ringbone) where it is only outside. True ringbone is therefore a degenerative joint disease leading to osteoarthritis. However, many horses with false ringbone will not go lame and the only indication will be hard growth around the joint.
Obviously the new bone growth is painful, and it affects how the joint works mechanically. Unfortunately the condition is incurable so all one can do is to alleviate the symptoms and try to prevent any further growth.
Horses can continue to work in the early stages of the condition but of course this depends on where the new bone growth is developing and how fast. Some horses can continue working for a long time whilst in others the condition will develop rapidly.
The first step is to work with a good farrier to see if surgical shoeing will help keep weight and strain off the affected joint. Short term relief can be obtained steroid and possibly hylauron injections into the joint, supplemented with bute. However, if your friend’s horse is already showing stiffness in the joint and the bone growth is becoming obvious it is probably the end of its competitive career.
|
bellini
16 Jul 2009 14:09
|
Thank you. I've passed on this advice to her. Her vet and farrier have been so helpful. She has decided to retire her mare and put her in foal so at least something good as come from this.
I'd never heard of this condition and even after googling it was only coming up with advice for low level hacking horses and how to keep them sound for hacking. So gutting that her career is no longer but let's hope she has a good life being a mummy!!!
|
mcnaughty
21 Jan 2010 09:56
|
I wonder if I can ask a question about this one too? My mare has developed a hard growth around her pastern which the farrier has told me is ringbone but not to worry as she is not lame on it.
Should I be getting this checked out by the vet? I don't really want to waste any unnecessary money. He also said that he thought she had a small side bone but again not to worry as she was not lame.
|
Horse Hero Guru
21 Jan 2010 23:31
|
You are not having much luck are you Mcnaughty – an abscess and ringbone!
What you do now depends very much on what you want to do in the future. As I said above some horses can remain sound for years with a slowly developing ringbone and in others the degeneration is rapid. Treatment described above is mainly about preventing pain and associated lameness. As far as I know there is no effective way of stopping the new bone growth or of removing existing growth. Once this growth interferes with the joint’s movement you horse will became mechanically lame.
I suggest that you continue using your horse as you are, but that you rest her whenever there is pain from new growth. Eventually, when the condition deteriorates, you can decide how aggressively you want to treat the condition.
Good luck. My fingers are crossed that this is a slow developing ringbone and that your horse has years of soundness in front of her.
|
mcnaughty
22 Jan 2010 10:09
|
No and these things come in threes usually!
The "ringbone" I refer to has shown itself as a hard lump mid pastern. It does not actually go all the way round. I have actually assumed (and so has the farrier) that it is ringbone and I was thinking of getting her leg looked at by a vet and xrayed at some point to determine the extent of the problem. However, she is not lame (on that leg!!) at the moment and she is expecting so am in no rush to bombard her body with radiation.
I will probably get somone out when I wean the foal next Christmas and by then I'll be able to see if there has been any detioration.
I little bit of me is hoping that the lump is due to her not having her feet trimmed regularly in the past. When I went to see her originally her feet were in a terrible state and if that was an example of her past foot care then it is little wonder she has some lumps and bumps here and there. That particular leg has a more upright and boxy hoof and is very very very slightly pigeoned toed. The farrier is trying to sort them out so fingers crossed.
Any comments are always very gratefully received from you all and especially Horse Guru.
Thanks again for all your kind advice! I'm now going off to read what you said about the other foot!
|
|
|
|