Is this your horse?
yes
Was there a problem with your horse’s near fore that made you want an x-ray?
Yes, but it’s irrelevant to the question being asked
Ring bone is arthritis that happens in the pastern joint. Side bone is the mineralization of the wings of the coffin bone. I see some calcification on the left wing of the coffin bone, and also what I think is a little bead of exostosis (the same thing, a bony growth that is the radiographic signature of arthritis) on the left side of the pastern joint.
I’m not an expert at reading x-rays. I hope sorting out the names of the different locations of the arthritis is at least some help. I don’t know why the folks had to ask you a bunch of preliminary, irrelevant questions.
Thanks mvp, I already knew about the sidebone. Those xrays were taken a year ago and the sidebone has ossified now, it’s palpable from above the coronet.
I’m looking back over old xrays and this looks like ringbone but to me but can’t remember if it was mentioned at the time the xrays were taken.
i’ve added pictures with arrows pointing to the bits i’m referring to.
the blue arrow i’m not sure what that one is, haven’t seen that one before.
I would be the only folk that asked “irrelevant questions”.
I asked questions that are not irrelevant on an internet forum. Perhaps If this was a PPE I might understand a person forgetting the diagnosis from a neutral veterinarian?
If this is the OP’s own horse that they had a vet attend and x-ray for a reason, it seems odd to me that the diagnosis would be forgotten. Perhaps I am being thick, but if I had the vet out to x-ray a horse, I wouldn’t forget the diagnosis.
We are , many of us, under a lot of stress at this point in time, so no judging, just curiosity and no offense intended.
It seems to be an odd question. If a second opinion is wanted then ask. There are many people here that can give an opinion. Forgetting what the vet said when you have bothered to x-ray just seems strange.
I don’t really understand why you can’t stick to the question that was asked. You’re making this more complicated than it needs to be.
To satisfy what seems to be your curiousity… the xrays were taken to get a look at the bone alignment to assist the farrier in making sure the foot was stacked properly. We weren’t looking for ringbone, it was a year ago, I can’t remember whether what looks (to me) like ringbone was ever discussed or not, given it’s not what we were looking for at the time.
Happy?
Please don’t try and solve a problem that you think I’m having. My question revolves around ringbone and whether that’s it in this xray. that is all, if you’re not familiar with ringbone then please move along, this isn’t the thread for you.
Allrightythen. Sorry to waste your time with the discussion of side bone. It is the most obvious pathology in those images. And it was ossified at the time the radiograph was taken. The white lacey stuff you are seeing high up, where it shouldn’t be is bone.
I posted in this thread because I was one of those people who initially didn’t know what those vernacular terms, side bone and ring bone referred to…until I had a horse with ring bone, LOL, then boy-howdy did I learn the difference and wished for the other problem, Not-LOL.
Yes, I’d call all those little beads of excess bone pointed out by the yellow arrows, ring bone. The blue arrow points to what I think is normal anatomy. There are lots of “muscle scars,” or raised, bumpy points of ligamentous attachment on the back (palmar) side of the long pastern bone. I think the superficial digital flexor tendon might have a point of attachment at that nub. If you google this bit of anatomy, you might find it. I did find the nub in the images I googled, but I couldn’t quickly find one that showed the nub and labeled the soft structure that joined to it.
It’s such a shame isn’t it. Such a small set of bones and a bit of arthritis in them can be catastrophic.
Thanks for the explanation of the bit on the back where the blue arrow is, I wasn’t aware of that one!
I have no idea what problem you are having. I asked a few simple questions because people do post questions about radiographs that are from PPE or just plain not-their-horse, looking for opinions. Many people , myself included, would prefer not to comment about them if it is not your horse. Why the hostility?
As a vet said to me, “It’s a very unforgiving joint.” Sigh.
I think your first question was curt and unhelpful/irrelevant to her query. That kind of non sequitur happens on a forum as a matter or course, but not usually right out of the gate. I have experienced the “left field” or “and another thing” addition as a bummer, too.
But you did have a part: You offered the OP no informative background to your question. I can see why “as a matter of policy” one would do well to avoid being an amateur radiologist on the interwebz for a horse who is on the market or for an OP who (somehow) some good x-rays of an enemy’s horse. But, ffs, there are no notations on these images that let anyone know who the horse is. Why not, then, just be helpful or scroll on by, or do the OP the courtesy of explaining why you want to question her first?
My vet gives a running mumbling monologue (bless his heart) when he’s looking at x-rays of all kind of things that he sees, and the only thing I remember is the take away, such as abscess here, or some degeneration here but not bad so I recommend x. Meanwhile, though, I can’t remember everything he says about every x-ray on every horse, so I don’t think It’s odd at all to recall hearing the vet say something about an x-ray but not remembering, especially if it’s not the main thing you were looking at. We revisit old x-rays all the time.
You’re right. I could have been more tactful. I didn’t consider how abrupt my questions were.
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