Thoroughbred's question about Degenerative Joint Disease

Question

My 7 year old Tb was diagnosed with DJD in front right foot. He's intermittently lame (very footy on hard surface and lame on circles)and vet has recommended he retire since he also has hock arthritis (injected in January) in both and kissing spine. He is shod all round. I would love to send the xrays to you for a second opinion if possible but my actual question is how quickly will this progress once retired and not taking in any more supplements and anti inflammatories and how likely is it to be in the other foot too? Shoes have been pulled and he will be living 100% natural and outdoors so that he's free to move 24/7. He seems fine when running around in the field but bunny hops quite a bit which tells me I made the right decision. Would love your honest opinion in this regard.

Accepted Answer

Without seeing Fire N Ice, I can't really comment on what  you can expect, but if he has DJD in one foot, unless it is from a previous injury, it seems that it may occur in other feet as well.  He seems to have a fair number of joint and bone conditions, and retiring him is probably best for him to be comfortable.  Joint disease will progress, in both people and animals, and if you are able to keep him on joint supplements, it may slow down the progression for him.

Degenerative Joint Disease in Horses