Abstract
Background: Orthopedic diseases involving forelimb fetlock joint of horses other than those used in professional racing have not been widely reported in literature. One of these problems is the exostosis on forelimb proximal phalanx (P1), which has not been reported previously in Western Libya. Aim: The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of P1 exostosis in traditional equestrian horses (known locally as Sarj horses) of different breeds in Libya that participating in a special social event as well as describing its clinical findings and radiographic appearance. Methods: The current study involved 60 horses that were admitted to private veterinary clinics for having varied fetlock orthopedic problems. Studied horses were aged between 6 and 11 years old and galloped on hard grounds. Clinical and radiographic examinations were performed to all horses. Latero-medial radiographs for one or both forelimb fetlock joints were acquired for each horse. Results: Clinical examination revealed that 21 horses (35%) had hard non-painful swelling on the dorsal aspect of fetlock with joint stiffness during flexion. In 19 of them, the swelling was bilateral. No forelimb lameness was noticed. Radiographically, the hard swelling was diagnosed as bone exostosis, with various sizes, on the proximo-dorsal aspect of P1. In two cases, there was also a new bone formation on the disto-dorsal part of third metacarpal bone. Conclusion: This study documented the first report on the bone exostosis on the proximo-dorsal aspect of the forelimb proximal phalanx as a common problem in Sarj horses that galloped on hard grounds in Western Libya. Although, this bone lesion did not cause lameness in all reported cases, further investigations are warranted to identify its histopathological nature, potential etiology and proper treatment.
Key words: exostosis, fetlock, forelimb proximal phalanx, horse, radiography
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