Anyone ever heard of screw bone disease in a horse?

Question

A friend of mine is looking @ buying a horse, and the seller says that he has screw bone disease. He is sound now and performing well, but she is wanting to know how long that will last. In my 30+ yrs experience with horses- I have no clue. I'm hoping someone knows what it is or the proper name for it, so she knows what she is getting into. Thanks in advance!

Yes- I am aware this is a question for a vet, but being as this is not my horse or my purchase, I asking out of my own curiosity because a friend asked me. I would not purchase a horse knowing that it had any kind of disease. Thank you for you r responces.

Answer 1

The seller could always be confused. I've met many sellers that make up their own names for problems their horses have.

None of my horse owner veterinary books or horse disease books discuss "Screw Bone Disease" but I wouldn't be surprised if it was something to do with the coffin bone in the hoof. Navicular causes the coffin bone to rotate (in a screw like fashion maybe?) and arthritis can also cause some movement of joints and bones.

Tell your friend to play it safe and pass on this horse. If he does have a legitimate problem he may not stay sound too much longer. Another thing is that since he has a problem that would show up on a veterinary exam (we think) then he probably wouldn't be able to be insured for loss of use, major medical, and/or surgery.

Answer 2

Thirty years in horses tells us that you know the Vet is the one to put this question to. An Orthopedic specialist in horses profered. Xrays of all 4 feet a "common sale exam" always done for jumpers because so many ex race horses are left with injuries at 3yrs old that will make them crippled if used for anything but the flat. This is Screw bone-] Proximal Interphalangeal Joint Arthrodesis

Answer 3

Hmm, I've never heard of that. I'd say it's a neat idea, but then I'm thinking of a fish tank and what it takes for those fish to survive. I had algae eating sucker fish and my tank still had a lot of algae that needed to be cleaned. In addition, you need to get air into that tank for the fish to survive, though I'm not sure how this would translate if the water is outdoors. And I wouldn't want my horses to eat the fish either, and they try to eat anything they can, including a jacket of mine and the cushion of a tractor seat :/ Some horses also love to play with the water and that could be quite hazardous to those fish. I've found that using a cloth cleans up the algae pretty well, and a lot of water pressure. I usually have to clean the water once a week to keep the algae down. One thing to try is putting the water in a shady area, it's proven to reduce algae for me by quite a bit.

Answer 4

Girl, don't get me to lying. LOL!
I wonder if he referring to "Bone Spavin" or "Jack Spavin"?
It a type of Arthritis of the Hock Joint. Mostly Horses that have been rode hard get it; like Jumpers and Racehorses.
This all I can think of off hand.
Fishbarn may have your best bet. A good Vet may be familiar with some of the off-wall terms people use.

Answer 5

I've never heard of screw bone disease! The seller must be confusing it with something else. Hopefully it is nothing serious.

Answer 6

Personaly, I'd avoid buying any horse with any sign of illness. My friend's mom grew up with horses, but she bought a lame horse. They can give horses shots to make them appear perfect, but that doesn't mean they are. Poor horse....but there are other. Tenn. has too many horses right now, buy one cheaper there!

Answer 7

I have never heard of that before. So I would call your vet and ask them about it. Most vets are glad to answer questions like that.

Answer 8

There is no such thing. my vet says that there is no such disease in horses. i'd have it checked by a vet u trust before you buy it.