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New insights into SI joint pain
horses
The research suggests scintigraphy alone is not a reliable method of diagnosing SI joint pain.
Findings may help vets recognise clinical signs

Pioneering research by the Animal Health Trust (AHT) offers insights into the prevalence and characteristics of sacroiliac (SI) joint region pain and how it relates to lameness in horses.

This is the first large-scale study of its kind and it is hoped the findings will help vets and horse owners to recognise the clinical signs.

According to the research, the clinical signs of SI joint region pain are worse when horses are ridden. This highlights the importance of examining horses under saddle where possible to observe the severity and breadth of the clinical signs.

Another key finding was that diagnostic analgesia using a safe, non-specific nerve block could significantly reduce clinical signs.

Signs indicative of SI joint region pain were: bucking and kicking, particularly in canter; a bunny-hopping type canter; stiff, stilted canter; spontaneously breaking from canter to trot; and being reluctant to canter.

Blocking the SI joint in diagnostic investigations could offer crucial information in horses showing these signs, according to AHT.

The research also suggests scintigraphy alone is not a reliable method of diagnosing SI joint pain - just 42 per cent of the horses with a positive response to SI joint pain had abnormal radiopharmaceutical uptake.

However, researchers said the use of scintigraphy and ultrasonography in conjunction with an SI block can provide additional information in some cases.

The majority of the horses involved in the study had SI joint region pain and lameness of the hind limbs. In some horses, removing the source of pain in the lame limb resulted in a clear improvement.

However, ridden exercise highlighted the persistence of another source of pain, which in some cases was worse after eradicating the lameness.

AHT said this highlights the importance of observing ridden exercise in trot and canter when assessing lameness.

Lead author Sue Dyson added: "Assessing the effect of treatment of the SI joints is not an effective method of diagnosis; the use of nerve blocks is much more reliable."

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
RCVS pays tribute to well-loved equine vet

The RCVS and the Riding Establishments Subcommittee has paid tribute to well-loved veterinary surgeon and riding establishment inspector, Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS.

Linda Belton MRCVS, RCVS President, said: "I, along with my colleagues on the RESC, RCVS Council, RCVS Standards Committee, as well as RCVS staff, was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Rebecca, or Becca as we knew her, last week.

"She was a true advocate for equine welfare and in her many years on the RESC worked to continually improve the quality and consistency of riding establishment inspections, all in the interests of enhanced horse welfare and rider safety."