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  Discussion on A couple of questions on radiographs at prepurchase exam...
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Member:
Heidih

Posted on Wednesday, May 7, 2003 - 10:27 pm:

A friend and I went to look at an 8 YO QH mare that is several hours south. When we got there she was limping on her left hind leg. The owners said she had just started limping after she was out in a hail storm the night before and they believed she stepped in a hole and injured herself. There was some heat and a little swelling in the hock, so it seemed plausible. These are very reputable breeders and trainers who we have dealt with in the past, so I tended to believe them. (video from several days before we visited shows the mare moving squarely).

We went ahead and had a prepurchase exam done on the mare. The exam was performed 7 days after we saw the mare. Here is what the vet who performed the exam stated.

When he did the spavin test, she was a grade 2 lameness in both hocks, (as mentioned here, there is some debate over the usefulness of that test because of the differences in veterinarians pulling at different strengths, I also thought it was a really good sign that she wasn't nearly as lame as she had been when we visited only a week before). The vet did credit the owner's with being very honest and said if they said she'd never been lame before, it was likely she hadn't been.
The X-rays showed much more marked osteophytes in the right hock on the tarsal-metatarsal and inner tarsal joint and thinning of the joint space, which would either fuse quietly or rot away the bone. He still classified the osteophytes as low grade arthritic djd. There were some very minor osteophytes in the inner tarsal of the left hock. He said hock problems are more common in western pleasure horses, since they have to use them.

This mare is intended to be shown in WP on the AQHA class A circuit, hopefully for several years.

I guess my question is, do you see anything in the report that could be called serious and career threatening? I have a call into my vet, but he's on vacation and won't be able to get back to me until next week some time. I'm debating on getting copies of the X-rays for my vet to look at, do you think that might be a wise course?

I know that without looking at the horse, it's impossible to say what she will do, but I guess I'm just trying to find out if the risk of her not being sound is serious enough to not purchase her.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, May 8, 2003 - 5:43 am:

If you do decide this horse suitable I would wait to buy this horse until she comes, and remains, sound. Even if the injury is acute there is still a chance the damage permanant. I really cannot judge the exam and the radiographs from here: details are important in evaluation. If you have more faith in your vets opinion I see no reason not to have the radiographs reassessed.
DrO
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