# My yearling was just diagnosed with OCD



## pattyschuler (Nov 25, 2011)

My yearling was just diagnosed with OCD and we were told the prognosis is not very good. I cant believe that. Does anyone have experience with this? I have attached his x-ray. What are my options? I hope somebody has good news for me.


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

I'm sorry for your diagnosis. Is your yearling a Paint?


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## pattyschuler (Nov 25, 2011)

no he is a Appaloosa/Quarter Horse


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## Sharpie (May 24, 2009)

I am sorry that your horse has OCD. I think your vet is correct though- there is a typical OCD lesion in the picture of the radiograph you posted. Have you and your vet discussed options? I presume your yearling is lame, and that's why you took him in to get it worked up? 
ACVS - Osteochondritis Dissecans


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

pattyschuler said:


> no he is a Appaloosa/Quarter Horse


Oh Ok, thanks. I only asked because I've seen it in Paints.
I'm terrible at reading x-rays. Is there some bone on bone going on there? What has your vet said?


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## pattyschuler (Nov 25, 2011)

My vet didn't really give me any option she just said he needs surgery. He is severely lame. He doesn't even want to put weight on it. She told me to keep him in his stall and only hand walk him, but we find that he is worse standing in his stall than when he is outside moving around a bit. Does anyone know the approximate cost of the surgery?


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## Sharpie (May 24, 2009)

He wont get better without surgery, but I am surprised she didn't give you an estimate for it. Has he been gelded? OCD can be a genetic issue, at least in part. After they go in and clean out the chunks of bone and cartilage grinding around in there he should be more comfortable, and then they'll be able to give you an idea about his athletic prospects.
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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

Awe, poor little guy!

I don't know what I am looking at on the x-ray either, but I just wanted to say that I feel for you. I have a foal that was born with a leg deformity. It's always something, isn't it? 

Interestingly enough, my friend has a Queensland Heeler puppy that has been limping on and off for months. Finally got a diagnosis and surgery and he had some little bone chips floating in his elbow. He got those removed and should be healing up nicely as we speak. 

I got the impression that OCD is similar, with little bits of cartilage or tissue floating around or rubbing around where it doesn't belong, correct? 

I wish him the best of luck and I hope you can get him heeled one way or another.


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## mandiemoox3 (Nov 26, 2011)

My mom started this thread, and I thank you all for the kind words. If anyone knows of horses who have had OCD, I would really appreciate their feedback on the surgery and how the horse is doing now. I wanted to barrel race him in the future, and I can't tell how severe his case is. As my mom said the vet didn't sound very optimistic at all. Please let us know anything that you possibly can. We found out on wednesday and because of the holiday we haven't heard back from anyone or been able to get in touch with any vets.


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## Oxer (Jul 9, 2010)

tealamutt said:


> OCD is only treatable with surgery and even then results and prognosis are highly variable. Many believe that OCD is a nutritional disease associated with rapid growth.
> OCD by definition means that the cartilage has been damaged, forming a "flap" which is breaking away from the end of the bone and causing inflammation, often resulting in necrotic bone beneath this cartilage. While bone can heal, this cartilage doesn't have a lot of regeneration potential. The best that can be hoped for is a repair with fibrocartilage which means the joint will not be normal and the animal is highly likely to develop arthritis.


This was posted on an old thread regarding the OCD Pellets for horses and their efficacy. Just thought it might help.


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## munschk (Mar 11, 2008)

Is your vet 100% certain its an OCD lesion? Its not in the most common sites for OCD of the stifle (assuming I'm reading the radiograph correctly?) If it is OCD, the best prognosis is for lesions that are less that 2cm long and less than 5mm deep.

But to me, that looks more like a subchrondral bone cyst (SCB cyst). Either way, it will need surgical debridement (cleaning up the bone and removing any pieces) as well as injection of the cyst with corticosteroids and a controlled exercise program. The prognosis can be as good as 75-85%. 

However, you major problem with either of these two conditions is osteoarthritis/degenerative bone disease, especially as you want to barrel race which is hard on a horses joints. There are lots of joint supplements and treatments to try prevent/reduce the amount os osteoarthritis. Have you heard of IRAP? I'm not sure its in your country and it is quite expensive, but its shown great results with DJD.
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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

Go and get a second opinion before making any rash decisions regarding surgery. Just to be sure. People on a forum are not going to be able to give detailed enough information regarding the exact diagnosis and surgery costs.


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## munschk (Mar 11, 2008)

Forgot to add about costs, get a quote from your vet and also see if you can get others from other vets. 

Another good option is if you have a veterinary academic hospital near you - sometimes they can offer reduced rates as its a teaching institution.
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## pattyschuler (Nov 25, 2011)

Thank you for everyone's input. we are in the process of getting other opinions. Even my vet has sent the x-ray to a few different places. At the moment we are waiting on Univ. of Penn to get back to us. I also am going to contact a lameness specialist in our area. We live in Connecticut if anyone else knows of someone we might be able to contact for another opinion. Time is of the utmost importance because our little guy is in so much pain. Regarding the barrel racing we understand that dream could be over. That isn't important to us, his health is. I can always get another horse to barrel race but I cant get another Acheron.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

New Bolton is one of the best, if not the best, veterinary surgery clinics in the country. I'd sure want a horse of mine to go there if I were in your area. Good luck with your little guy, poor thing!


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## Left Hand Percherons (Feb 1, 2011)

A friend's horse went through this about 2 years ago as a then 3 year old. He had a poor prognosis from the vets who were consulted except for one. That one surgeon came with an impressive resume and had high expectations for the horse down the road. Surgery went well (I think around $3K) but with about 3 months stall rest, the hock wasn't where it needed to be to start working him. She elected to try IRAP (another $1k) and within a month he had a clean bill of health to start undersaddle. He's been in training ever since with no lingering issues.

So I guess my only advice is when shopping around, who believes that they can help the horse and who has done enough of them to have the skills to get in there and clean the joint up?


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## Rachel1786 (Nov 14, 2010)

pattyschuler said:


> Thank you for everyone's input. we are in the process of getting other opinions. Even my vet has sent the x-ray to a few different places. At the moment we are waiting on Univ. of Penn to get back to us. I also am going to contact a lameness specialist in our area. We live in Connecticut if anyone else knows of someone we might be able to contact for another opinion. Time is of the utmost importance because our little guy is in so much pain. Regarding the barrel racing we understand that dream could be over. That isn't important to us, his health is. I can always get another horse to barrel race but I cant get another Acheron.


U.Penn is great, Mid-atlantic in NJ is also very good Welcome to Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center A friend of mine took her horse there when she cut her leg and actually cut the joint capsule, our local vet was going to euth on the spot but the owners wanted to try to save her, they trailed her down there. She had surgery to repair the joint capsule and had to wear a hard cast for 6 weeks, after which they ultrasounded her leg, she has been in a soft cast for about 2 weeks now and is about to be off stall rest and begin limited turnout. They expect her to regain total soundness in 6 months to a year. 

I wish I knew more about your horses condition and I hope you are able to help him. I will have to go do some reading on OCD.


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## pattyschuler (Nov 25, 2011)

I just wanted to give everyone an update. Acheron is going to New Bolton on Monday and his surgery is on Tuesday. They are going to clean out the joint and remove the bone cyst and inject the cartilage/bone area with stem cells to help the bone heal. Thank you for everyones input. Please pray for Ash to come out of the surgery on a positive note.


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

That's good news. Maybe they can shoot a few more x-rays to see if there are any more lesions around. Not trying to scare you but it is known to be the case in some horses.
Best of luck to you & your baby.


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## Oxer (Jul 9, 2010)

sending good thoughts and prayers to you and your boy. Let us know how it goes!


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## Sharpie (May 24, 2009)

Let us know how it goes and what they find. I hope everything is very straightforward and he heals well!


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## whitetrashwarmblood (Aug 24, 2008)

mandiemoox3 said:


> My mom started this thread, and I thank you all for the kind words. If anyone knows of horses who have had OCD, I would really appreciate their feedback on the surgery and how the horse is doing now. I wanted to barrel race him in the future, and I can't tell how severe his case is. As my mom said the vet didn't sound very optimistic at all. Please let us know anything that you possibly can. We found out on wednesday and because of the holiday we haven't heard back from anyone or been able to get in touch with any vets.


I take care of a warmblood mare who had OCD in her left hock, and had surgery years ago at Purdue in Lafayette, Indiana. She had multiple bone chips that were removed. She was on stall rest for quite a while. It's been about 5 years, but I remember having to re-wrap her hock every day. 

Now she's perfectly fine, and is never lame. The vet did warn us that she would only be able to be ridden lightly for the rest of her life, and she would more than likely get arthritis eventually. There is no scarring. Her left hock is very slightly larger than her right, but unless it was pointed out you wouldn't notice.


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