It looks to of sustained ligament & periosteum tearing & slight outer ulceration of the bone at some point . Ossification taking place now. What's the vet & your course of action going to be Jaye ?
Joint injection and I applied a small rim wedge with a distinct rocker to the toe... Rollers used with pad to reduce some of the GFR. 22 year old horse, TWH. These extreme cases are better if stabilized without much moverment to the joint. If the joint fuses the horse, IME, will be more comfortable. usually see it in fetlocks after they fuse. Probally the worst I have ever seen in the pastern joint.
There are areas of Osteonecrosis .Yes I think that's all you can do & be expected to do with an aged horse. Mild vibration therapy around the areas of Ossification may help to delay fusing. However fusing of the joint will mean loss of mobility, but afford pain relief from a joint persistently being inflamed. You can only hope to do your best with what you have to work with at the present time & nothing more.
What made you think osteonecrosis specifically? I'd not read anything that informed us that there'd been a loss of blood supply to the bone? Is there information posted elsewhere about this horse's case history?
Osteonecrosis is a disease caused by reduced blood flow to bones in the joints. With too little blood, the bone starts to die and break down.
Obviously I know what it is, otherwise I'd not have asked why you'd thought that what you could see was specifically BECAUSE there'd been a loss of blood supply to the bone. Why do you think the root cause of what you see is necrosis caused loss of blood supply?
At 22 and a yard piece, I vote for fusing. Many horses have a good life after a joint is fused; exception the coffin joint, IMEs.
Don't know, no rads for the RF. For those who have to be walked through; "attend to the clinical and go from there...." . Sub-clinical is just an opine of experiences. Some call that empirical..... "empirical' is used for "I told ya so on an occassion".....
DO YOU!!!. Cellular death (necrosis ) of bone components due to interruption of the blood supply. Osteonecrosis .Are you suggesting necrosis took place at those areas of bone encircled with no interruption of blood supply to its cellular matrix. My first post on the Topic It looks to of sustained ligament & "periosteum tearing" & slight outer ulceration of the bone at some point . If it involved the articular surfaces I would of referred to it as Avascular necrosis.
