Bog spavin is a condition where a soft swelling occurs on the medial surface of the hock joint resulting from excessive fluid within the joint capsule. It is usually seen as two distinct swellings, one on the back and the other on the front of the hock joint.

Disorders of the tarsus (hock) include the conditions known as bog spavin, bone spavin, and curb. The tarsus can also be affected by displacement of the tendon from the hock, fracture of the tarsus, hindlimb tendon and muscle ruptures, stringhalt, and thoroughpin.

Bog spavin is characterized by the swelling and distension of the horse’s tibiotarsal joint, or hock. It can occur due to various factors, including conformational abnormalities, genetics, trauma or injury, overexertion, poor nutrition, and excessive weight.

Bog spavin is a physical finding, and does not directly create lameness. Causes include synovitis (inflammation of the lining of the joint capsule), degenerative joint disease, or excessive strain of the joint capsule.

Mar 1, 2016 · Greg Staller, DVM, explains potential causes, treatment options and prognosis for a dressage horse with bog spavin.

Jun 11, 2024 · Bog spavin is a common term for effusion in the horse’s tarsocrural joint. This painful condition describes inflammation and fluid accumulation in the joint capsule between the tibia and the tarsal bones in the hock. Bog spavin is characterized by a ring of swollen lumps around the hock.

Bog spavin is more of a clinical sign that something is wrong, rather than an diagnosed condition. It is a soft, fluid-filled swelling on the horse's tibiotarsal or tarsocrural joint in the hock.

Jul 7, 2023 · Bog Spavin is a descriptive term for synovial effusion of the tarsocrural joint. The effusion is due to an acute or chronic low-grade synovitis which can come from any of several causes.

Bog Spavins tend to appear in horses and ponies with weak hock conformation and may come and go with exercise. However a bog spavin can be a sign that a horse has a joint disease.

Sep 1, 2015 · What It Is: Bog spavin is a swelling of the upper joint – called the tarsocrural joint and also known as the tibiotarsal joint – of the hock, caused by some of the synovial fluid that normally fills the joint space leaking out into the surrounding tissue.