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  Discussion on Lack of synovial fluid in rear leg joints...
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Member:
Rama

Posted on Friday, Jul 11, 2003 - 12:33 pm:

A friend of mine took a horse she's considering buying to her veterinarian because she felt he was a bit off when she rode him. Flexion tests showed nothing. The only oddness about his way of going was he crossfired when cantering. The vet did radio-graphs of hind legs and said he shows signs of DJD and that one joint had little or no synovial fluid. Wouldn't he be showing signs of pain or extreme lameness? He's 9 years old, foundation Quarter Horse breeding and full of more energy than he knows what to do with! He rips and tears about in the pasture doing sliding stops at will. He was started between his 2nd & 3rd years. Sold to a woman who basically had him as a pasture pet. Really didn't do much for seven years. Could it not be a case of his not being particularly balance with a rider causing him to feel off and to crossfire or counter canter? He seems like a good prospect and I hate to see her scared off by this report.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Jul 11, 2003 - 7:01 pm:

Could be but maybe not Rebecca, how are we to know?
DrO
Member:
Rama

Posted on Saturday, Jul 12, 2003 - 10:28 am:

Her vet suggested a course of bute - then tonight we'll run him through the walk trot and canter.
The test is to see if he can pick up the proper leads in the canter instead of counter cantering. If he can pick up the proper lead, the assumption is that his joint problem is causing him not to be able to push off into the lead with his hind leg. If he continues to counter canter inspite of the bute, we'll work with him to see if we can't get him to pick up the proper lead and then assume (cautiously of course)that his problem was more one of lack of training.

Additional information from the vet, on the radiograph his middle joint of his left hock appears to have fused at some point in his life.
Unfortunately we don't know if it was early on or caused by some trauma later. He does have some significant scarring on his back legs as though he may have been caught up in fencing at some time. There is only slight signs of DJD in his right hock.

We'll let you know how he does tonight.

Thank you for your assistance.

Becky
Member:
Rama

Posted on Sunday, Jul 13, 2003 - 12:45 pm:

Well he was able to properly canter both directions after the bute treatment which indicates pain in his hock. Drats!! It couldn't be something as simple as a training issue.

It appears as though his distal joint is fusing but not fused. From all the reading on this site we did last night we're thinking if the joint fuses properly he may become sound (er) again.

Do you have any research on how the other joints progress if the distal joint fuses? Will he develope other problems in the near future?
(do we need a crystal ball??) It is difficult to make decisions not knowing if he will continue to be able to be ridden. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Becky
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Jul 14, 2003 - 9:57 am:

The solution is simple, we recommend you do not buy a horse that may not be suited for the work you want him to do. I don’t think the test diagnostic for hock problems: it may be problems anywhere and to localize it to the joint use intrarticular anesthesia.

We have seen fused tarso-metatarsal joints in horses without history of lameness and remained sound and seen it associated with arthritis throughout the hock. I would consider this a separate joint and evaluate the more proximal one individually.
DrO
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