Pastern Joint Fusion

[Maya_Lakota]

Hello,

Wondering if there are horse parents/owners out there who is dealing with high ringbone. I elected non-surgical arthrodesis of the joint which I feel best suits my horse’s well-being in the long run.
I discussed ethyl alcohol facilitated ankylosis with my vet. I have no doubt he could have done it well. I have a lot of trust in his expertise and I admire his compassion. However, he is a bit guarded because of the harmful risks of ethyl alcohol on surrounding soft tissues should it leak out of the pastern joint. He opted for Depo-Medrol instead. Also, we did 3 rounds of shockwave therapy prior to IA injection with approximately 30 days rest.
Injection went well. He could’ve palpated the joint, but I didn’t want him to go in blindly so I asked for an image-guided injection. We didn’t use dye like you would in ethyl alcohol injection. He was surprised how easily he got into the narrowing joint.
So that’s done… what can I expect next? Our goal is to help the degradation process of the remaining cartilage for complete fusion. Has anybody had a similar experience or heard of an outcome with Depo as opposed to ethyl alcohol?
Any input is greatly appreciated. Sorry, it’s a bit long. It’s my first post.

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“You don’t throw a whole life away just because it’s banged up a bit.”
~ Tom Smith

[NancyM]

Since you have already taken your veterinarian’s advice to inject this joint, your veterinarian is the one you need to ask about what to expect as a result. I’ve just had ringbone left to set up and cool out on it’s own, in time, naturally, as a fusion or partial fusion, which has worked well, the few times I have had a case.

[BayBondGirl]

@NancyM How long did you leave it alone generally?

[NancyM]

@BayBondGirl

@NancyM How long did you leave it alone generally?

As long as it takes. Different cases take different lengths of time depending on the extent and location in the joint of the inflammation, and there is never any guarantee about how sound they will become, or what level of activity is going to be possible in the future. But there never is, even with veterinary intervention.

[BayBondGirl]

@NancyM Of course every situation is going to be unique, but I’m curious as to how long you left it to “cool out” in the couple of cases you dealt with?

[NancyM]

The “bad” one took several years. That was an overnight injury of unknown source, perhaps even a break into the pastern joint, in a weanling. Did not xray at the time. She became a broodmare for a friend of mine, it was a freak accident. The joint was fully fused, and she was OK in the long run. The first one, a few months to come sound from what I can remember (it was a long time ago- there were no veterinary intervention treatments available at that time). Injecting to cause fusion has not been around that long as an option. Waiting used to be the only option, and you can still do it, and avoid the cost, and the risk of injecting into a joint (things can go wrong with joint injections). This one was a QH who was my junior hunter mount, don’t know what caused it, his conformation was not faulty or upright, and he was not in heavy work or show schedule. I was riding to a lesson when I noticed he was not sound part way there (I was 15). Had not noticed any issue earlier in the ride. Stopped and went into a house, used the phone, called the parents to bring the horse trailer to ship him home. High ringbone was the cause on xray. That horse came sound, and remained sound for the next 10 years, in recreational work.