Developmental Orthopedic Disorders in Foals

Developmental orthopedic disease (DOD) is a broad topic in the horse. There are several categories of disease processes that fall under the realm of DOD including osteochondrosis (OC), osteochondrosis dessicans (OCD), subchondral cystic lesions, angular limb deformities, flexural deformities, physitis, cuboidal bone abnormalities, and juvenile osteoarthritis. Historically these issues have had a major financial impact on the equine racing and performance horse industries and veterinarians alike. The etiopathology of these processes is multifactorial.1 There are many physiologic and phenotypic considerations with respect to disease manifestation such as body size, conformation, and growth rate. Exercise and body condition are variables that effect biomechanical stress on developing bone and cartilage. Environmental factors such as confinement versus pasture housing and availability of nutrients from pasture that may be deficient or low in necessary minerals can play a role in development of clinical abnormalities. Genetic and epigenetic relationships also are linked to expression of pathology.1,2 ...