A Revolutionary Treatment for OCD in Horses

Beyoncé a bay Thoroughbred filly owned by Patricia and Will Lalor whose barn is based in Clonmel Ireland was destined for a show jumping career. But at 16 months of age she was diagnosed with a condition known as osteochondritis dissecans OCD which had developed in her left and right knees. It is a common orthopaedic developmental disease in many species including humans and results in separation of the articular cartilage from the underlying bone in the joints. Depending on the breed it can affect 10 to 30 percent of the equine population. 

But then Beyoncé became the recipient of an exciting new procedure which could prove to be a gamechanger not only for equines but for humans with similar orthopaedic issues.
Signs of OCD can be seen as early as five months of age but it can be detected at any age says Dr. Tanya Levingstone honorary research lecturer at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland RCSI. It commonly affects both knee joints in horses. The horse in this case study was affected particularly badly and had very large OCD lesions in both knee joints. Thus in this case the prognosis from conventional treatment methods was poor.
OCD usually starts before a foal is a yearling and without intervention can lead to several bone and joint problems later in life. Normally the soft cartilage cells of a young horse convert naturally to solid bone and the process is known as endochondral ossification. But with OCD horses this normal progression doesnt happen as it should and small areas of damaged cartilage occur within the joint causing the cartilage and the bone beneath it to become irregular in thickness and weaker than in normal healthy joints.
The interesting thing about OCD is that in many cases it can be a selfhealing disease. For foals some defects may heal naturally and the bone continues with normal growth. But once they reach yearling age that progression from cartilage to bone slows and stops and there is less likelihood of natural healing and a greater possibility of OCD developing. It can lead to the development of bone flaps and fragments of cartilage that might remain partially attached or break away and float around the joint causing irritation and inflammation leading to swelling. Over time these abnormal growths may lead to arthritis. The syndrome is called osteochondritis and the loose flaps and fragments are referred to as