Pls help. What to do?: Epiphysitis in yearling.

[purplnurpl]

My little Stinki pookers has a squishy knee.

She’s not fat. Her ribs lightly show.
pic here:

pics of knee just taken:

feeding:
She’s been on Triple Crown her entire life. Broodmare was fed TC Growth + beet pulp.

Stinki ate some of mom’s food during the baby months. She ended up pretty fat when she was weaned at 6 months and that took about 3 months to settle.

[B]She eats TC 30% now.
I was feeding too much of it to her from age 8 months to 11 months. I was giving her about 1.5lbs. : (

I read the directions again about 2 months ago and she’s been getting 0.75-1.0 lbs a day since I corrected myself.

She has always eaten free choice hay. about 30% alfalfa and 70% coastal. [/B]

She was turned out in the pasture until about 2 months ago. She has a booboo from playing too hard so she has been on a modified stall rest. So, since April she’s been in her stall + small run eating the hay amounts mentioned above and the TC 30%.
She does get turned out into a paddock with our donkey for about 2 hours a day. So she does romp and jump and run and have a grand ol time.
She’s a champion run and bucker.

I have had her on MSM for 2 months.

Epiphysitis:
Her knee has been fat now for about 2 weeks.
The size varies up and down but when averaged it’s always about the same.
Not hot.
No lameness. Never was lame or sore.
Not sore when I squish around on it.
It is VERY squishy.

Stats:
She’s a Trakehner/TB.
Born May 1st 2012
She has always been somewhat tall. Her parents are, Pops: 16.2 Mom: 15.3-16ish
I stuck her at 14.2 May 1st. (with proper horsie stick)

what we have done:
My vet tech came out last week to look at our donkey and I pointed out the squishy knee on Stink Pots.
Vet tech told me to cut her feed down even though she isn’t “fat”.
I knocked her down to 0.5lbs TC 30% with a little bit of beet pulp (to mix in supplements) and decreased her alfalfa to the leftovers from my horse. So she’s eating mostly coastal now.
Next month we’ll have some good timothy orchard but until then I can only give coastal.

I gave Stinki bute yesterday AM (because I gave her spring vaccs. in the afternoon)
I also rubbed the knee down with DMSO last night.
and the knee was smaller this morning.
I rubbed it down with Surpass this morning.
But it’s back to bigger size now.

What are your experiences?
Am I on the right track? Should I take her off TC 30% totally?
Did I ruin her forever?
If the bute helped decrease the squish should I continue keep her on it for a week or so?

oh dear.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

Don’t panic. It happens. I have one with worse looking Knees. Granted mine is HUGE (tall)…I mean seriously…she is the size of most two year olds. She is well over 15.1H and long legs.

Don’t starve her. She still needs to get the right about of nutrition to support her growth. Doing what you are doing with turn out is fine. Some time in the stall is good for her to rest. If she isn’t painful, that is really good. You can cold hose her some–I found that helped.
’
My nutritionist still had us feed alfafa–but is Costal Hay high in protein and nutrition?

I did put mine on a course of bute for a few days…but I had a vet out and did what they told me.

We also gave mine Adaquan. Good luck but I wouldn’t over panic. She is a bit on the older side to be having this so that is the main reason I’d get a vet out…I wouldn’t be so sure it is Epiphysitis. Mine had hers as a weanling…and while her knees still look funky as a yearling, they are looking better. The vet said she will be just fine.

I wouldn’t painc but I would probably talk to your vet and do what they say.

[Ticker]

I would think that if it was a growth plate inflammation it would show in more than one joint…maybe not. It looks more like an injury to me. I would cold hose, continue with the Surpass, give Equioxx orally (not bute- too hard on tummy) and give adequan injections in case it is growth plate related if she were my baby. Good luck!

[Blugal]

Check with your vet. Not to alarm you, but I had a young horse have one stifle joint swell up - very squishy - it took about a month to actually be painful - end result was OCD in both stifles. We x-rayed other joints and found it was not in knees, ankles etc., just stifles.

[purplnurpl]

hmmm
agree. Maybe not a growth related issue.
I think I’ll have my doc come take some pics.

[Molly_Malone]

Agree that I’d expect physitis to present in both knees. One product you might consider is Equine Leg Magic. Users fall into two camps a) it is indeed magical or b) snake oil. This as well as xrays, not instead of.

[peskee]

I would get an xray and start her on Rejuvenaide right away…it will work up to 18 months old

[Kerole]

I think it’s time little miss Stinki pookers saw the vet. It sounds like you’re doing quite a bit for her already but lengthy joint issues in youngsters can mean trouble ahead. I’d get it looked at and go from there.

[purplnurpl]

Yup. apt scheduled for radiographs.

And, no kidding. I went back out to the barn to feed and clean stalls a hour ago and her knee was totally flat.
for real!
after being fat since at LEAST last Wed (8 days). It started a few days prior but my vet tech was out last Wed. so I know for sure it has been 8 days.

Is Surpass THAT good?
I have no clue.
still, I’m going to have pictures taken whether it blows back up or not.

at least I know that I’m not poisoning her with too many calories. sheesh!

[JB]

Sure looks more like an injury or “injury” to me. Xrays would be fantastic, even ultrasound (in addition).

1.5lb of TC30 at the age she got that was not too much. At all. 2lb wouldn’t have been too much. 1lb at her age now is, IMHO, not enough.

Now, if your hay and grass are just superb nutrition-wise, then those lower amounts could be fine.

Progressives balancer is recommended at 2.5lb from 12-18 months, then 2lb from 18-24, then 1.5 from 24 to… 3? I think? I had to switch off it due to cost and now feed Tribute Essential K which is, due to a bit lower nutrition overall, still at 2lb from 24 months to not quite sure haven’t gotten that far yet LOL It may drop to 1.5lb at 30 months.

Most RBs are so similar that the same relatively feeding amounts would not be inappropriate, TC included

[back_in_the_saddle]

Is the trike crown a ration balancer? Of not, have you looked into ration balancers? Buckeye makes a good one called buckeye Gro’n win. IMO, it’s essentially a vitamin and protein supplement to hay which you feed free choice.

[JB]

TC is a brand, TC 30 is their ration balancer, and the OP said the filly has been eating that since about 8 months

[purplnurpl]

[QUOTE=JB;6995248]
TC is a brand, TC 30 is their ration balancer, and the OP said the filly has been eating that since about 8 months :)[/QUOTE]

Yup, TC 30% is their balancer.
I used to use Progressive but I have my other horse on TC Complete and it’s easier to just go to one feed store. As mentioned, the diet balancers are all comparable in ingredients and price.

Babydoll has never been on a bulk feed. She’s an easy keeper.

The knee has gone down in the past two days with Surpass. I’ll keep the vet apt either way. : )

Thanks all!

[alto]

@purplnurpl;6995146

Is Surpass THAT good?

It can be.