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  Discussion on OCD treatment other than Surgery
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Posted on Friday, Apr 7, 2000 - 4:39 pm:

Hello Dr. O,
I posted earlier about our 2 year old filly that has a slightly crooked knee in the hunter/jumper section. The vet came out today and has diagnosed her as having OCD. I am shocked and very disappointed. Apparently her stifles are pretty bad, and now I do think back this winter to when she would limp on and off on either of those hind legs. Because we primarily bought her as a broodmare and this is strongly discouraged by our vet, I need to find her a good home. She is so sweet and lovable. It breaks my heart. I would like to know what I can tell the new owners about her care/treatment and possibilities as a casual riding horse. What kind of regimend can these horse take? Pleasure trail riding with a lightweight rider? Or will she be high maintance for them? Bottom line is, what kind of future does she has as a riding horse? Will she need constant medication? I want to give whoever buys her all the info. I can. Thanks for your suggestions.
Denise

Posted on Saturday, Apr 8, 2000 - 8:15 am:

Hello Denise,
How lame is the horse?
What did the vet do to localize the lameness to the affected joints?
What type diagnositic work was done to establish the OCD?
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Apr 8, 2000 - 8:49 am:

Dr. O-
This filly has never been lame persay. I only noticed her knee turning out and thought I better get it looked at. The vet did xrays and examined her stifles and immediately noticed something was not correct. She runs and plays in the paddock just like the other horses at this point, but the vet feels warmth in her knee already and feels it is only a matter of time before she has pain there. I have a family that will buy her for their children, and I think she will be happy there.
The xrays showed and confirmed his suspicions of OCD....deterioration of the knee and he said bone fragments, cartildge etc. All this medical terminalogy I can't repeat. :-)
Does that answer your questions? He told me there really is no treatment and even surgery on her knee is impossible...it is just really bad.
Denise

Posted on Saturday, Apr 8, 2000 - 12:33 pm:

Denise,
Have you considered sending the x-rays to another vet and getting a second opinion? I'm not saying your vet doesn't know what he's talking about, just that it wouldn't hurt. I've posted here about my yearling filly with OCD in her shoulder. The vet that took the radiographs gave her a very poor prognosis. But a second vet took a look and told me to give her time with rest in a small pen, a low energy diet and a special feed supplement. She has improved quite a bit over the past month with this treatment. I sure don't know what the future holds for my yearling, but I've been researching and asking any vet I can find for information, and you just never know what you will find out. Good luck to you and I'll say a little prayer for your filly along with mine ;-)

Karen

Posted on Saturday, Apr 8, 2000 - 4:25 pm:

Hello Karen,
Yes I noticed your posts. I would love to talk to you more about the supplements you are trying with your filly. I have someone interested in providing a good home for her, but wanted to know about experimental suppliments etc. Any help I can offer them would be great. I have 11 horses and most are breeding stock. I don't have the time to give this filly the proper time and attention she would need...but I am sure I can find someone who would love to. She is a sweet filly with a good brain. :-)
Thanks for your prayers.

Posted on Saturday, Apr 8, 2000 - 4:55 pm:

Hi Denise,
It was recommended by a veterinarian to put my filly on TDI 10, the feed supplement. As far as the MSM and Glucosamine HCL, whether those have helped at all I don't know (I doubt it) but I thought I'd try them (they were not recommended by the vet, I just did it on my own). I'm going to use up what I have, then not buy any more and see if there is any difference. What I'm really looking forward to trying is the Adequan injection. I believe what's helped my filly the most is the confinement.
I've done alot of web searches for OCD, unfortunately alot of them result in hits for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ;-)

Karen

Posted on Saturday, Apr 8, 2000 - 7:40 pm:

Hello Karen,
Where would I buy TDI 10. I have not heard of it.
Thanks so much for your help!

Posted on Sunday, Apr 9, 2000 - 8:58 am:

Hello Denise,
No one can predict what the future holds for your horse. Without being able to see the conformation and radiographs I cannot judge them. However many horses with OCD lesions never become lame from it. On the other hand it is frequent that the lameness will begin once regular work starts. I second the idea of getting a second opinion on this horse.
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Apr 9, 2000 - 10:59 pm:

Denise,
The number to call TDI Horse Feeds is 1-800-457-7577. They are located in Lewis Center, Ohio. The gal I talked to when I called was very friendly and helpful and I'm sure they can tell you where to find TDI in your area. I hadn't heard of it either until it was recommended to me.
Good luck!

Karen

Posted on Monday, Apr 10, 2000 - 1:02 pm:

Hello All,
I just rescued a yearling (14 months) from the livestock exchange on 4/8. She's a beauty. She's an Anglo-Arab but looks like a full TB. Anyway, I tracked down her owners and the woman told me the filly has DOD. She said she does not have OCD. Does this make sense ? She said absolutely do not give her any alfalfa because of the protein. That's fine with me but I thought I read an article that said to feed alfalfa. She also said to give her Purina Pure Pride 100 which is a 10% pellet. Does this all sound right ? I have a vet coming to look at her tomorrow, but I thought I'd check here. I also would be interested in any supplements that might work.
Thanks,
Terri

Posted on Monday, Apr 10, 2000 - 3:27 pm:

Hi Terri,
The supplement I'm feeding lists it's crude protein content as a minimum 10%. I do feed my filly some alfalfa, roughly 3 pounds but mostly oat hay (4 to 5 lbs). She gets 2 lbs of the supplement. I also have a very small pasture she gets to graze on for 1/2 to an hour 4 or 5 days a week. I was never told no alfalfa at all but to certainly limit it. I can feel this filly's ribs easily and at times can see some of them. I was told to make sure she is not too heavy but not emaciated either.


Karen

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 11, 2000 - 7:07 am:

Terri,
Instead of posting your question at the bottom of someone elses discussion you should create your own. You will get more responses and it helps others find related information better.

Before you post a new forum discussion be sure to review the already existing articles and forum discussions on your subject. This is the appropriate topic for your subject, so just back up to your topic using the navigation bar at the top of this page and select the approriate article.

If after reviewing the already existing resources your question remains unanswered go to the closest topic and post to that forum by clicking on, "New Discussions" and choose a title that is descriptive.
Thank You,
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