Which is the most common clinical sign found in horses with OCD of the tarsocrural joint?

Which is the most common clinical sign found in horses with OCD of the tarsocrural joint?

• A. Lameness at rest
• B. Heat
• C. Swollen tendons
• D. Bog spavin

Answer: (D)

OCD in the tarsocrural joint most often presents with joint effusion that distends the hock, producing bog spavin. When the OCD lesion irritates the joint, the synovial lining responds with excess fluid, so a soft, bog-like swelling appears over the hock. Lameness can occur but is not as consistently observed as the swelling. Heat and swollen tendons can occur with other issues, but the characteristic finding in this situation is the distended, fluid-filled joint—bog spavin.

OCD in the tarsocrural joint most often presents with joint effusion that distends the hock, producing bog spavin. When the OCD lesion irritates the joint, the synovial lining responds with excess fluid, so a soft, bog-like swelling appears over the hock. Lameness can occur but is not as consistently observed as the swelling. Heat and swollen tendons can occur with other issues, but the characteristic finding in this situation is the distended, fluid-filled joint—bog spavin.