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  Discussion on Bone Cysts
Author Message
Member:
Canyon28

Posted on Thursday, Apr 29, 2004 - 3:00 pm:

Hi, doc, I just returned from Littleton Large and my reining show horse was diagnosed through xrays with a bone cyst on her left hind leg, in the upper part of her hind pastern joint. the cyst was found just above the pastern joint in the lower part of the cannon bone, where it widens out to go into the knuckle area. the vet said she probably also had one in the same place in the right leg. due to time and cost, i didnt have the other pastern done.
anyhow, do you know of any alternative treatments for this. I took the xrays to my local vet and he started telling me about some sort of sonic thermal infared treatment or something? Have you ever heard of this? The LLAC vet said that his solution to get her to be pain free was to fuse the joint, which would be pretty expensive. The sonic treatment was also expensive. I am not trying to put her back into training or showing, I just want her to be pain free. I plan on breeding her one time to see if it is inherited, and if so, will not breed her again. the LLAC vet thought that I could have her foals pastern xrayed at just a few months old and the cysts would show even then if it was inherited. She has really fancy reining and cutting breeding or I would not even try to breed her at all.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Apr 30, 2004 - 7:46 am:

Essentially we are talking about arthritis here Christine, secondary to the bone cyst. I don't really see how a episode or two of thermal or shockwave therapy is going to help long term. Start with the OCD section of the article, Equine Diseases » Lameness » Diseases of the Lower Limb » Overview of Diseases of the Pastern. It sums up what we know and provides the links to related information on treatment of pastern arthrits.
DrO
Member:
Canyon28

Posted on Friday, Apr 30, 2004 - 10:23 am:

Thanks Doc, I just finished reading all of the info you had pertaining to bone cysts after I wrote the post. I believe that this was caused by a lack of copper. She was one of the first foals born in my breeding program and I was not giving enough minerals at the time. We have a copper and iron deficiency here where I live, and I found that out after this filly was born. Her legs were somewhat contracted in the front when she was born, but exercise soon straightened them. She never had any problems with her hind legs until this past year.
there is also a small spur forming on the lower cup of the pastern joint, and the vet said some other slight remodeling had taken place, so you are definitely right about it being a form of arthritis. I will read up on the treatment and thanks for the info on the shockwave therapy, it seemed like junk science to me, even though my vet is a good one. He claimed that the bone cyst would "melt" be cooked or go away with this shock and heat therapy, and it would fill in with natural bone. But I know that is not going to take away the bone spur. I will go read up on the pastern arthritis now. thanks very much for having this website. It is invaluable to a breeder like me.
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