This message is from: Steven A White <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Meredith,
Is spongy hocks a permanent condition? Yes, if left untreated it will be
a permanent condition. It does not flair up with use. In fact, the
swelling tends to decrease when the horse is used and then puffs back up
when the horse is rested for a time. This is probably due to the
increased circulation and flexing of the joint removing some of the
fluid.
In most cases it is not painful unless there is an underlying problem
with the joint. It is usually just a blemish and not a source of
lameness with the horse.
It can be treated medically. Sometimes anti-inflamatory drugs like
phenylbutazone ("Bute") or some of the "joint protective" drugs like
Adequan or Legend will control the swelling. The quickest and most
reliable treatment though is an intra-articular injection of cortisone
and/or hyaluronic acid. Depending on the severity, a single treatment is
all that is needed, or repeated injections may have to be done. I must
point out though that treatment of this condition has some ethical
problems attached to it. If treated, the horse may then be shown or sold
with apparently normal hocks. Which unfortunately is done quite a bit in
the horse world. So if it ain't broke, don't fix it!
In most cases spongy or boggy hocks are caused by excess joint fluid in
the joint. The lining of the joint produces the joint fluid and when
this lining is irritated it produces more fluid. This is probably why
horses with poor conformation (straight hocks, sickle hocks, etc.) tend
to be more prone to boggy hocks. These types of conformations produce
added stress to the joint and therefore the joint capsule becomes
inflamed and more fluid produced.
The biggest reason that horses are faulted for this condition goes back
to the work horse days. This same condition occurs at the fetlock joint
and is known as "wind puffs". A person purchasing a work horse would
check closely for these conditions. A horse with wind puffs or boggy
hocks was a horse that had seen a lot of work and there was probably a
reason for him being sold.
As I said, in most cases this is just a blemish, but sometimes can
indicate an underlying problem with the joint. One of these is OCD.
This is a disease in which a piece of malformed bone and the overlying
cartilage flakes off into the joint causing swelling. I think of it like
painting a fence. If you don't scrape off the old paint and dirt and
just paint over it, the new paint will flake off with the old. That is
what happens in the joint. Cartilage forms over the end of the bone. If
the bone beneath is damaged or malformed, they will chip off and float
about the joint. It therefore is wise if purchasing a horse to have the
joints X-rayed if there are bogs or wind puffs to check for a possible
proble like OCD.
This is probably more than you wanted to know, but I was feeling chatty.
Steve White
Waterloo, NE, USA
