Bone chips in front ankles - any advice welcome!

Well, to cut a long story short, I have acquired a thoroughbred that was going to otherwise have an untimely end. I planned to wait to get another riding horse after my study was over for financial reasons, but he just came a few months early! :)
Either way, he is a lovely horse other than having a a bone chip in his offside front ankle. I have seen the horse on and off over the past 12 months, his ankle was always a normal size but gradually got bigger and uglier as time progressed. He never once went lame on it, however whenever it was injected, the fluid was always quite bloody when it came out.

To get the chip removed would cost around $2,500 - $3,000. I have done a bit of searching on the internet and I am in two minds - was just looking on some feedback.

To start off with, he never went lame. I know the old saying, if it ain't broke don't fix it, but when injected the fluid was terrible. Could he perhaps have a high pain threshold. With such bad fluid, I was surprised that he DIDN'T go lame. Thoroughbreds are not reknowned for their high pain threshold, but maybe he is an exception.

I have heard horror stories of horses going permanently lame after removing a chip, that that is a risk.

Why I am asking is that in the future I would love to do eventing with this horse. But I am worried that landing after jumps would cause him pain on that ankle. He's had a couple of months off now, the ankle has come down a bit, there is no swelling, but it is rock hard. It's like a tennis ball has been cut in half and stuck onto the front of his fetlock. I assume with how hard it is it has calcified. Some of my showing friends alternate DMSO / comfrey ointment day and night to removed hard splints from ex-racehorses, I am trying this on his hard ankle, maybe (not likely, IMHO) it will come down. But that doesn't solve my problem, I am worried the chip will hurt him when landing from jumps, even if he doesn't go lame. I am also worried if I get the chip removed, my currently sound horse has the chance of going lame.

Any ideas/advice/stories. Anything would be much appreciated. I may try and remember to take some photos tomorrow morning :)

Hi Flashing Red

Get a scan done and see what the vet thinks there might be alot more damage there than you think and that throws up the possibility he might not be able to ever be used for jumping.

A scan, like an XRay? I have an XRay that was done only a few months ago on it and he hasn't raced since the XRay. That it how it was determined he had a chip. Vet said he could keep racing if he wasn't lame, or just get the chip out.

Flashing,

I have had this operation completed on 2 thoroughbreds I owned. Neither won race after the op and both were retired with limited starts after the op. Prior to having the op one of the horses won a reasonably strong race by 3.3 lengths and looked to be above average.

Every horse and situation is different but I would recommend trying to manage the injury as is, the horse will tell you if it can't handle what you want to do with it. As for how to manage it that is beyond my experience/knowledge but I am sure you will be able to get plenty of advice and suggestions from others in the game that you know or associate with.

Bone chips are only a problem when they cause pain, if your horse isn't in lame then its not in pain. It sounds simple but its true.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, I appreciate it. :) Like I said, I wouldn't worry except just as time went on the ankle got bigger, fluid was bad when injected etc. The common consensus (away from the forums) is that if he's not lame leave it. I love the horse to bits, I just don't want him in unnecessary pain (re landing after jumps). Perhaps I'll just play it by ear! :)

Just a little update - I got copies of all XRays off the vet. He has mineralisation (calcification) in one of his ankles, not chips (and have had a second opinion from another vet confirming this). Horse is currently spelling but will be in work in November. I will take it slow with him and see how he takes to jumping. I;ve been told Iconoclast boots are great support and I think I will jump him in those...

G'day Flashing.
Nathan found out about Tildren from a mate of ours who's children do Show Jumping & Dressage. He used it to completely rehabilitate an older jumper that others had totally given up on because of ongoing front fetock problems (I imagine they'd put a fair bit of pressure on them when they land?)
At the time Eleven Eleven had broken his pedal bone again (he did it twice), the first time around under Vet advice we allowed to heal on its own with the usual stall rest, shoeing & associated support but it was never really right. The 2nd time around it was surgery from Dr. Nic and he had screws inserted etc, the whole box & dice.
Problem was he healed great as X-rays showed but he got an arthritic/mineralisation sort of condition in that foot and was periodically lame because of it.
We didn't know what to do, we tried quite a few things, no result.
Our mate suggested we try Tildren and it came to the rescue. I was a bit sceptical at first but at the time pretty much anything was worth at shot. Let me tell you...it is BRILLIANT.
Two things...it is somewhat expensive...I think $800-$900 a time, maybe more now plus you should add in Vet costs because the best way to give it is via a drip over 2hrs or so and to be safe you need the Vet there because one of the side effects of administration is that it can cause a bit of colic (not sure if that's the drug itself or just the volume of fluid involved). Look it up and see if it suits. Certainly worked for us. Eleven Eleven never took another lame step.

That is my greatest fear VVV - on landing from those cross country jumps the mineralised area will dig in or prick him and cause him pain or worse he shifts his weight and stuffs up the other ankle.

I will definitely look it up. To get the joint cleaned up (arthroscope sp?) will cost about $3,000. The thing is, I have done a fair bit of research and you run the risk when you enter a joint that the horse can suffer permanent or periodic lameness afterwards. This horse never took a lame step in his racing career, however the front of his joint just kept protruding more and more out (looks like a very large osselot). Whenever the joint was injected it was quite bloody.

He hasn't raced since Feb of this year I think and I've ridden him maybe only a dozen times due to being way to busy with uni work (but that is all going to change when I graduate in 6 weeks, the horse is in for a big shock lol). The joint has reduced by about 50% and is as hard as a rock, ie the swelling at the front has disappeared. Still looks like he has a osselot but it is only really noticeable side on rather than front on. He does have a reduced range of motion in that joint but that is to be expected I suppose. He does not flex sore on it so I don't think it bothers him.

He had a windgall there from racing on that joint and I got the joint drained and injected 2 months ago (just cortisone this time but I'll be doing acid from now on) and the fluid was PERFECT. I was very disappointed after 2 weeks a small one began to appear again and I hadn't ridden him. I was giving him 2 cups of corn oil a day for weight gain but on further research is is extremely high in omega 6 which causes inflammation especially in joints. I was amazed when I took him off the corn oil and replaced it with linseed oil (3:1 omega 3 to omega 6) which is high in omega 3, which is an anti-inflammatory, can you believe that windgall disappeared and the joint is tight and cold.

He is my little project and I love him dearly! I will look up that Tildren. I have an excellent vet with very reasonable prices so if its something I get off the bet hopefully I can get it for a better price than that.

Thank you for your suggestion, it is much appreciated :)

You're welcome.
Here's a link. http://www.naturevet.com.au/prodetails.php?pid=105
Couldn't speak more highly of it. The results that we got were verging on magical.
The best things about this is that to best of my knowledge it is completely free of any nasties...there's nothing in it that would set off a swab or even cause concern...and so I think you can actually put a free of injury racehorse on it as a preventitive measure and apparently it will, for want of a better description, just sit there in their system until such time as it is needed. If we got a really good one with a solid campaign ahead I would seriously think about having it on a maintenance program of Tildren. Not cheap but certainly some peace of mind.

Mechanism of Action


Here's some interesting, on the money information.

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Studies indicate that tiludronate disodium acts primarily on bone through a mechanism that involves inhibition of osteoclastic activity with a probable reduction in the enzymatic and transport processes that lead to resorption of the mineralized matrix. Bone resorption occurs following recruitment, activation, and polarization of osteoclasts. Tiludronate disodium appears to inhibit osteoclasts through at least two mechanisms: disruption of the cytoskeletal ring structure, possibly by inhibition of protein-tyrosine-phosphatase, thus leading to the detachment of osteoclasts from the bone surface and the inhibition of the osteoclastic proton pump.
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Basically, my understanding is that it stops the inflamatory bone remodelling/scavenging cycle in its tracks and so allows the bone/joint/cartilage time & space to settle down and regenerate. I think I have that right. Check with your Vet. ;)

Hey did you give the 10 days in a row like the webpage said, or just one off?

By the sounds of it it may REVERSE his mineralisatin. $800 for that is cheaper than a $3,000 with subsequent lameness risks! :)

G'day Flashing,

The 10 days in a row is the oral administration (I think?) We did ours all in one go, drip line in the jug, over 2-3hrs. The slower you do it the better. I'll get more info and get back to you. Follow up treatment about 6-8 weeks later as well as I recall. Worth every damned cent.

Nup on the website it says 10mL (1vial) I.V. 10 days in a row. Maybe you gave the 100mL in one hit over the 3 hours?

G'day Flashing,

Sorry for the slow reply.
I believe they gave the whole lot in one go via a drip & I think it was 6 weeks or so later it was done again.
Not sure if he had another treatment any time after that.
As a substance I understand there is virtually zero risk of overdoing it with Tildren as in such doses you can't for want of a better term 'poison' them with it or anything like that because it is target specific, being one that it only comes into play when, if and where it is needed.
If you want to discuss it in more detail and infinitely more accurately that I ever could, it would be a good idea to jump on the phone to Judith Mullholland in Lancaster, VIC.
She is an absolutely extraordinary Vet, a Master Farrier and a terrific person to work with. She also makes up all of her own supplements. Here's her website. http://www.farriervet.com/. She saved Clyde, no risk whatsoever. I'm sure Judith & yourself would get on famously.