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 I Don't Brag
Posts: 6960
    
| My orphaned colt is now a big 3 year old. He has been short stepping in the left hind since last fall. Had him at the vet in January (I was waiting to see if he would grow out of it), and he told me that he had some joint issues from growing so fast. He did not recommend injecting at the time, instead put him on a series of Pentosan shots and I also put him on Actiflex 4000 which helped for awhile. He is back to short stepping again. Anyone ever have to inject a 3 year old? And what might the long term affects be?
For background, I have not really started him yet, He has been saddled and and I have ridden him maybe a half dozen times bareback, geehawing around at no more than a walk, so it is not due to over training. I also did not push him in to growing either. As a yearling he developed epiphisytis. In researching a treatment I was told that I was not feeding him ENOUGH! At the time he was getting about 1/3 the recommended amount of a Jr feed, 1st cutting alfalfa and grass when available (the grass was the culprit in the epiphisytis) and I ended up putting him on a mineral/vitamin supplement which took care of the issue.
Any opinions on how best to deal with this? He is supposed to go into "training or getting broke" in June and I don't want the work load to aggravate the issue and lead to a lifetime of issues. He just actually turned 3 on April 26th. He is butt high (about 15.3 at the butt), and fairly stout, especially compared to his dear momma when I got her in the fall or her 4 year old year. She had a growth spurt in her 8th year and so did his sister. If he grows again then, he will be a monster! Momma was barely 15 hands at 4 thru 8 and his daddy was maybe 14.1 as a 3 year old.
I just want to do what is best for him in the long run. Any opinions or experience?
Edited to add: It was Polyglcan IM shots NOT Pentosan.
Edited by rodeoveteran 2014-05-13 3:52 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 302
Location: TX | First, I would take him back to the vet to have him flexed up again and have x-rays or an ultra sound done on him... I personally have no issues with injecting a 3 year old if it is NEEDED. I might even find another vet and get a second opinion. I know it can get expensive but to me it would be worth it since he's so young and if I was hoping to use him in the future:)
Good luck with your baby!! |
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| Personally I don't like injecting young horses. I feel it does more harm than good and makes them end up being high maintenance. But if they absolutely with out a doubt need that kind of support then I wouldn't hesitate to inject them. I Would get a second opinion as well before I made my decision. |
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I Don't Brag
Posts: 6960
| I certainly don't want to set him up for lifelong injections but I don't want to cause irreparable harm by NOT addressing the issue, thus my hesitancy.
This is the vet to whom I would go for a second opinion, he's a good lameness vet and the colt's improvement with the Polyglycan (not pentosan as I mentioned above) shot leads me to believe that he is correct about inflammation in the hock joint.
I will probably have my local vet out to check out his sister and get a second opinion from him. All my good vets are retiring or passing away. I am at a loss as where else to go.
Thanks for your input. Anyone else? |
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 Jeter is my second husband!
| could it be more of a habit now, since he's been doing it for so long? |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| If he suffered from malnurishment. You may be in for a long road of soundness problems and vet bills.
I bought a 3 yr old he is now 7 and I have spent over 10k closer to 15 now vet is telling me it is all due to malnutrition before age of 2. Mine hasn't even made it to the barrel pen yet. |
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 Did I miss the party?
Posts: 3864
| Depends on what the issues are. If we are talking something like OCD lesions in a stifle, no I wouldn't put the money in to it. If it was just lower hock joint arthritis and such, yes I would. |
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 Pork Fat is my Favorite
Posts: 3791
Location: The Oklahoma plains. | I almost wouldnt even try to ride a horse that has issues prior to training- JMO. As far as injecting a young horse- I am not against it- many of the top level performance horses are injected as needed in order to train or keep competing. But again, short stepping for that long and now again- it doesnt look good. |
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Member
Posts: 30
Location: Southeast Ga | I agree with the OCD suggestion. Get a second opinion to see if it is. I have a 5 year old that had OCD lesions in her left hock and took her to the University of Fl. and had surgery 2 years ago. I still keep her on Pentosan, but she is quick! Will spin out from under you. They have made great advances in OCD surgery, so you might want to check into it. They told me they can get it from malnutrition or from growing too fast. |
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 Goat Giver
Posts: 23166
| When Knotthead's mother died, he got left in the pen one day and went over the fence to try to get with the herd. He injured both hocks and travels funny on one hind. I will inject as needed rather than let him hurt. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| I would get new X-rays, and see if hock fusion is possible, it is expensive, but if you have to keep injecting for the rest of the horses life, it will end up being cheaper.
Lubrisyn might be an oral supplement to try, my cousin had a mare that was noticeably sore in the hind end, she put it on lubrisyn and all the symptoms went away. |
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I Don't Brag
Posts: 6960
| Thanks He never suffered from malnutrition. He was already drinking milk replacer from a bucket in the last week of his momma's life, trying to take stress off of her after colic surgery (she had a 360 twist of the large intestine for which we did surgery followed a few days later by a displaced cecum which we fixed only to lose her to a leaking aneurysm of the mesenteric artery a week or so after surgery). And believe you me, he sucked that stuff out of a bucket in no time flat (he especially liked it cold :o).
I have been a little concerned about OCD lesions but at the time the vet seemed unconcerned and did not xray. The Polyglycan DID show significant improvement, so I tend to think it is a joint fluid problem. I have no problems continuing the IM polyglycan but am wondering if an injection would be more effective long term in preventing damage and promoting the body's production of quality synovial fluid. Hence my query on here, hoping that someone has a similar experience.
I do want to point out that he is not lame....just short stepping on the left hind. His trot s fine as far as I can tell. Am waiting on my local vet for other horses ad will ask his opinion, but he does not have an xray to diagnose OCD lesions.
Again, thanks for all y'all's input.  |
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I Don't Brag
Posts: 6960
| Here's the update.....
So my local vet just left. His opinion, through his very sensitive and experienced fingers thinks that The Boy's issues are in the growth plate of that hock. Says that the openings are a long way from closing and I could see when he palpated them below the hock, the colt would react.
We gave him an IV shot of Hycoat and will see if that helps with the inflammation (like the polyglycan seemed to do). He did not want to see him in any kind of heavy training but if watched closely could at least go through the rest of the breaking process.
I will keep an eye on him and decide whether or not to send him off when the time comes. If the issue does not resolve itself, then I guess the nest step is xrays.
Crap he is going to be a monster if he is not close to stopping growing!!
Thanks again!
Edited by rodeoveteran 2014-05-13 4:00 PM
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| The half life of any intravenous HA is less then a day.
Personally if I was sinking money into training, I would want a sound horse, a horse short striding to me is not sound. I would be bypassing the local vet and going to a vet with the capabilities of diagnosis and treatment. |
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  Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | Id not put in training at this time either.. possibly next season start him but not now.reevaluate then. |
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | I would really want to see a set of radiographs to truly know what exactly is going on with the hock. Injecting may help some issues but not others if that makes sense.
as for injecting a young one… I'm not too scared of it. I buy lots who came from the race track and I know the majority of them were getting injected as 2 and 3 YOs and do not have permanent issues from it. However, none of the 2 or 3YOs I have at home would be working as hard as a 2 or 3 YO in race training, so I would be skeptical about injecting one of mine knowing they shouldn't be sore yet. Which is why I would really want to see X-rays of the joint to understand if I am dealing with an OCD, arthritis, etc... |
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