Lameness Conditions

Arthritis is inflammation of a joint causing pain and stiffness. The word arthritis is often used to explain a range of conditions including degenerative joint disease, osteoarthritis and synovitis.

With the days getting longer and the grass growing fast, many of us are breathing a sigh of relief. Winter is nearly over. However, as much as we all love spring, the new flush of sugar rich grass can have serious implications for some of our equine friends. 

Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a relatively common developmental disease that affects the cartilage and bone in the joints of horses. OCD can occur in all breeds, especially in big size horses, and can show clinical signs in up to 30% of them.

Navicular disease is a slowly progressive degenrative condition of the navicular bone, causing chronic degeneration of the navicular bone in which there is damage to its flexor surface and the overlying flexor tendon in the front feet.

A keratoma is a benign growth between the hoof wall and the pedal bone inside the foot. The growth starts from the horn producing cells, usually originating from the coronary band growing downwards to the toe.

Canker is a disease affecting the soles characterised by a foul smelling creamy exudate.

Quittor is a chronic, septic condition of one of the collateral cartilages of the pedal bone 5.

A keratoma is a type of benign tumour that grows inside the foot.

A hoof abscess is a bacterial infection within the sensitive structures of the equine foot. Pus is produced due to the horse’s inflammatory response and, as expansion is not possible within the hoof capsule, the pressure can be extremely painful. The condition is more common in the winter months due to the muddy conditions.

Hoof imbalance is one of the most common problems associated with lameness in a horse’s foot. It can be attributed to a variety of causes including conformation, the type of shoes fitted and how regularly the horse is shod.