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  Discussion on Adequan versus Legend for Bone Spavin in Hock
Author Message
New Member:
Tbluvr

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 2, 2006 - 10:36 am:

My vet recently diagnosed my 16 yr old TBX with bone spavin in the hock after watching him walk on pavement in both directions. I have noticed his right hock does not flex as well as the left when cantering. The hock does not seem to bother him at the walk or trot, he can collect, bend and extend quite well at these gaits. He has trouble bending and collecting at the canter, particularly on the right lead. I have also noticed that he has started tossing his head and pulling while cantering. He has always been "hot" at the canter but he seems to be running away from pain on the right lead. In addition, he is very sluggish going down steep hills. I think all of these factors point to arthritis of the hock. My dilemma is what should I do for treatment? My vet recommended Legend with a small amount of cortisone. Does that make sense?? Wouldn't that be comparable to regular hock injections?? I would like to stay away from hock injections at all costs. I am looking for a treatment that will help rebuild and lubricate the hock such as adequan or legend. In your experiences which has been most helpful for hock issues???
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Aug 3, 2006 - 8:27 am:

Hello Sarah,
We review these and many other products at, Treatments and Medications for Horses » Anti-inflammatories (NSAID's, Steroids, Arthritis Rx) » The Joint Protective Treatments. You should note on reading the article, nothing works as well as intra-articular steroid.
DrO
New Member:
Tbluvr

Posted on Thursday, Aug 3, 2006 - 3:08 pm:

Dr.O - I looked under Treatments and Medications for Horses » Anti-inflammatories (NSAID's, Steroids, Arthritis Rx) » The Joint Protective Treatments. I did not see a post COMPARING adequan, legend and steroidal hock injections. I saw a post comparing Adequan to the generic but that did not give me the info I am loooking for.

Can you explain WHY you believe the intra-articular steroid works best for bone spavin of the hock versus the adequan or legend?? Can you give me an estimation of about how long it would generally lasts for a pleasure horse that does light jumping once a week and trail every other day??? Thanks
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Aug 3, 2006 - 7:44 pm:

Sarah read the first sentence under the subtopic heading The Injectable Arthritis Treatment Products it compares what we know about the relative efficacy of the two.

Concerning steroid efficacy it is based primarily on clinical studies, personal experience, and the reported experiences of many others. It is all but universally accepted in both human and equine medicine intraarticular corticosteroids are the gold standard for reducing pain from acute exacerbations of chronic arthritis (DJD). Often treatment brings remarkable improvement within several days in these cases neither of which Adequan or hyaluronate can do. However it is the nature of arthritis that prognosis is difficult and will be determined by severity of the disease which is not always knowable from a radiograph, the daily work load, and accidents. A simple trip can make the arthritis flare. I cannot predict how long your horse would stay sound.
DrO
Member:
Vickiann

Posted on Friday, Aug 4, 2006 - 12:04 am:

Sarah -- My 15-year old horse was diagnosed with DJD after flexion tests and X-rays -- the bottom two joints of the hocks. His hocks were injected with steroids back in February because he had become lame. The Vet said the synovial fluid was quite thin, and that the steroids would reduce the inflammation enough to allow the fluid to improve. He was also put on weekly Adequan injections for a month followed by once a month injections. He is also on Corta-Flx daily and has been for some time due to difficulties with cartilage in his front feet, which the Corta-Flx completely stabilized. He is still doing great. As part of my program I also engaged the services of a farrier with 25 years of experience who has employed equine podiatry theory for the past 7 years. Balanced feet with ample structure that are not deforming have certainly helped.
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