Bog Spavins???

[mu0ljk]

A friends horse has been lame for a week with a puffy hock and she had the vet out on Friday who said it was probably bog spavins in the hock. Apparently, The horse has to have a weeks box rest to see if he comes right and if not he will have to have an x-ray etc to investigate further. The vet was using the terms arthritus and bog spavins interchangeably apparently and as my friend is feeling very low at the mo I said I would ask around about it and see what I could find out about it.

So....has anyone had any experiances with this and if so how was it treated and what did it cost (approximately if you don't mind!) as my friend doubts she will be able to claim it on the insurance due to earlier tendon problems.

Thanks

 

[Iron Maiden]

My old horse had bog spavins, they were never a problem - purely a cosmetic blemish. I thought the arthriticy thing that caused lameness was bone spavin, not bog spavin I don't see why a previous tendon claim would affect the insurance though - it's very much a joint issue.

 

[mu0ljk]

What actually are bog spavins and bone spavins then? Perhaps it was bone rather than bog spavins - I may have misheard.

Again, I'm not too sure about the previous injury on the same leg but I know it involved tendons.

ETA nope it was definately bog spavins!

 

[Iron Maiden]

Well here is JS with a big red arrow pointing at what I think is a bog spavin!

It was just a great big squishy swelling, it never got better or worse or caused any lameness He had another one on the other hock.

ETA - I had my vet poke his hocks once. He was sure it was bog spavin, he seemed to think that JS was probably too old for a bone spavin. According to him a classic bone spavin would show up at a younger age than that (JS was 10ish) and would cause significant lameness (JS was sound). If an x ray has been recommended it sounds like bone spavin.

 

[mu0ljk]

Iron Maiden - it looks a bit like a wind gall - is it the same sort of thing do you know?

The horse in question is 13 and when I asked the owner today she said the vet definately said bog spavin although from what I have been reading and from what people have said - you are right it does sound more like a bone spavin, but it is a soft swelling - if it were a bone spavin would the swellling not be hard?

Hmm I am intrigued now and I shall have to keep on digging...

Thanks for the replies - and the picture too

 

[Ansiosa]

http://www.liphookequinehosp.co.uk/llspavin.htm explains the difference nicely. It's bone spavin that's allied to arthritis, hope that helps

 

[Iron Maiden]

Yeh I guess bog spavins may be similar to windgalls in that they are squishy swellings but cosmetic blemishes that generally don't cause problems. They may be wear & tear related too - JS was not exactly dainty, had a relatively high mileage and did a lot of gallopy jumpy stuff, so these factors may have contributed to him developing them. They do look rather alarming, hence getting the vet to take a look!

 

[mu0ljk]

http://www.liphookequinehosp.co.uk/llspavin.htm explains the difference nicely. It's bone spavin that's allied to arthritis, hope that helps

Thank you - thats a useful link! From the treatment/diagnosis description it sounds as though the vet is taking the bog spavin route. ie box rest and then x-rays. Hope it doesn't come to surgery - especially if the owners insurance decides to not pay out!

I shall print that out for her thanks!

Iron Maiden - the horse in question is an ex polo pony - so plenty of wear and tear too!