Bone Spavin is an arthritis of the horse's hock
joint. It is caused by general wear and tear no doubt exacerbated by mineral
imbalance in the diet. Poor conformation can also make the problem inevitable.
The hock joint of the horse is one of the most
complicated joints of the body because of the many different bones and smaller
joints that it contains. Mild bone spavin may be difficult to detect at first as
both legs may be affected causing a general stiffness. Flexion of the hocks (the
spavin test) may cause discomfort, there may be irregular rhythm and a horse may
start dragging its toes. Jumping horses may start to refuse to jump or jump
badly.
When bone spavin in your horse gets very bad many of the
small bones in the joint start to get very damaged and extra bone formation
occurs around their edges. This eventually leads to fusion of all these small
bones and the quicker this fusion occurs the quicker the spavin will settle
down. In severe cases vets may operate to speed up the fusion process.
Because Bone Spavin cases settle down by
fusion of all the little bones it can be successfully treated. Antiinflamatories
and joint lubricants help with mobility while dietary measures to help with quick
fusion can speed up the healing process.
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