Radiographic changes in Thoroughbred yearlings in South Africa

Abstract

A radiographic examination forms part of the pre-purchase examination of Thoroughbred yearlings at national sales in many countries. This data enables the recording of the prevalence of radiographic changes in selected Thoroughbred populations around the world and assists veterinarians in advising clients on the purchase of yearlings. This has financial implications for the client as well as the racing industry as a whole. Radiographic examinations of the 269 Thoroughbred yearlings lodged at the 2008 National Yearling Sale in Germiston, South Africa were collected and individually evaluated. The prevalence of radiographic changes was recorded and percentages calculated. These changes were compared to studies of other yearling populations. Radiographic changes present in the studied Thoroughbred population are: pedal osteitis 1.26%, metatarsophalangeal joint dorsal osteochondral fragmentation 1.60%, sagittal ridge changes 5.7%, ulnar carpal bone lucencies 8.33%, carpal osteophytes 1.19%, distal intertarsal and tarsometatarsal joint radiographic changes 9.92%, tarsal osteochondrosis lesions 4.4% and stifle joint osteochondrosis lesions 0.4%. These changes were found to be of lower prevalence when compared to similar studies. The prevalence of dorsal osteochondral fragments in the metacarpophalangeal joint was 1.60% which was similar to other studies. A higher prevalence of vascular channels was visible in the proximal sesamoid bones as well as irregular borders and lucencies. Palmar metacarpophalangeal and plantar metatarsophalangeal osteochondral fragments had a recorded prevalence of 2% and 7.10%, respectively, this prevalence being generally higher when compared to similar studies. There was an absence of palmar metacarpal disease, supracondylar lysis, proximal sesamoid bone fractures and carpal osteochondral fragmentation in the current study. Additional findings recorded in the current study were: proximal interphalangeal joint hyperextension (left front 15.13%, right front 18.91%), the solar angle (right front 2.38°, left front 2.79°), the prevalence of carpal bone one (30.95%) and carpal bone five (1.59%). The study population was limited to the radiographs lodged at the sale repository. As radiographic changes may influence sale price of the yearling, radiographs of yearlings with severe radiographic changes may not have been lodged at the repository. For these reasons the prevalence of radiographic changes recorded in the current study may not be a true reflection of the entire 2006 Thoroughbred foal crop. Further work to correlate radiographic changes to differences in management, pre-sale exercise programmes and genetics needs to be done. The effect of radiographic changes on the future performance of the Thoroughbred yearling also warrants further investigation. Copyright