bone chips
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-
brooke
- Allowance Winner
- Posts: 480
- Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2004 5:53 pm
- Location: Tennessee/Alabama boarder
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bone chips
i have a mare that was just diagnosed with a bone chip in her knee and arthritis around it. vet is telling me there's no hope for her running . though this is not a race horse vet. if i opt to have the ortho surgery perfermed, how do horses usually recover and are there ways to take care of arthritis?
There will be discouraging times. But a life without horses;
Now that's discouraging.
Now that's discouraging.
Hi Brooke,
I have had 3 horses that had chips in their knee.The one that had its chipped removed only ran 3 races after that winning one and then the other knee started getting pressure in it so i decided to stop on her.I had a gelding that fractured his knee as a two year old and i gave him a year off and he returned late in his three year old year and i only got one race into him.When i brought him back as a 4 year old he won 3 races and ended up winning 5 lifetime and made around 50K but he starting going off on the knee again so we gave him away to a girl as a riding horse.The other one had a chip on the outside of the knee and the vet recommended we leave it alone.We injected him a few times throughout the year and he won 2 races before he was claimed and he still is running 3 years later.IMO i have found most times they are better to leave them in if you can work on them.A good MSM/glucosimine suplement is a start as well as putting them on a Adaquin/Legend program.I used to use a medication called Arthro but it has been off the market here in Canada for a long time but it worked well.One vet i once talked to said you have a better chance of getting them there without operating as sometimes when an operation is performed the location of the chip fragments further.I have also had succes keeping these horses relatively sound by keeping them in shoes with no toe grabs.
Ryeno
I have had 3 horses that had chips in their knee.The one that had its chipped removed only ran 3 races after that winning one and then the other knee started getting pressure in it so i decided to stop on her.I had a gelding that fractured his knee as a two year old and i gave him a year off and he returned late in his three year old year and i only got one race into him.When i brought him back as a 4 year old he won 3 races and ended up winning 5 lifetime and made around 50K but he starting going off on the knee again so we gave him away to a girl as a riding horse.The other one had a chip on the outside of the knee and the vet recommended we leave it alone.We injected him a few times throughout the year and he won 2 races before he was claimed and he still is running 3 years later.IMO i have found most times they are better to leave them in if you can work on them.A good MSM/glucosimine suplement is a start as well as putting them on a Adaquin/Legend program.I used to use a medication called Arthro but it has been off the market here in Canada for a long time but it worked well.One vet i once talked to said you have a better chance of getting them there without operating as sometimes when an operation is performed the location of the chip fragments further.I have also had succes keeping these horses relatively sound by keeping them in shoes with no toe grabs.
Ryeno
"The easiest way to end up with a million dollars in the horseracing business is to start with 3 million!"
I have a broodmare that ran until she was 7 with chips removed as a 2yo. She won 4 and placed several times. She had a light racing campaign and loads of heart. She has been on a Gluco/MSM supp since coming to us as she was really sore when she got here. She is doing wonderfully and it really does work.
Have an 11 year old gelding that had the worst chips in a hock he'd ever seen. This was a horse I rescued. His advise was to put him down as his future didn't look to bright for ever coming sound again. I left him out for a year for the injury to heal and not only did it come sound again, I ride him every day and he will be doing some riding club stuff this year. I, however, do not have any shoes on him behind and will not put shoes on him behind so ground will always be an issue where we go. He doesn't need them as I have seen him doing the most amazing things whilst out in the field and he has incredible balance in all ground conditions. He is also on a gluco/msm supp and at 11 he is working on his second childhood. He was a hurdler/chaser until age 9.
Have an 11 year old gelding that had the worst chips in a hock he'd ever seen. This was a horse I rescued. His advise was to put him down as his future didn't look to bright for ever coming sound again. I left him out for a year for the injury to heal and not only did it come sound again, I ride him every day and he will be doing some riding club stuff this year. I, however, do not have any shoes on him behind and will not put shoes on him behind so ground will always be an issue where we go. He doesn't need them as I have seen him doing the most amazing things whilst out in the field and he has incredible balance in all ground conditions. He is also on a gluco/msm supp and at 11 he is working on his second childhood. He was a hurdler/chaser until age 9.
I believe it totally depends on where the chip is, size, etc. There is no uniform, standard chip. I had a gelding who had a big chip in his hock that extended downward toward the moving part of the joint... it was non displaced. It kept coming up with fluid because of the aggravation, but the prognosis if we took it out was pretty bad. Sold him as a trail horse. He could move on it fine at normal paces.
So Run for the Roses, as fast as you can.....
-
thorohorse
- Weanling
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- Joined: Sat Jun 11, 2005 5:51 pm
The microscopic surgery can be very effective and succesful. If it is still attached and not in a spot that hinders movement of the joint, this is a better thing and perhaps can be left in. Time off with a blister to promote faster healing is called for. If it's in an area of movement, you want to take it out. No matter what course of action you take, you'll want to follow it up with Hyloronic acid enjections. This will promote over all healing of the joint, or at the very least aid in further distruction of the joint.
Sometimes the simplest thing can make all the difference.