Sundance Bobby aka Fort Apache Bobby belongs to Kathleen and Tony Posteraro. He is a 20 year old quarter. Bobby's career objective is to be a reliable trail horse for Tony. However Kathleen noticed that Bobby was picking up and putting down his left hind leg after he got up from lying down or after he stood around for a long time. She felt that he might be showing pain in that leg. So she asked Dr. Burks from Fox Run Equine Center to examine him. Dr Burks examined Bobby and shot a series radio graphs which showed that his hocks were very arthritic.
As a part of his treatment for Bobby Dr. Burks did shock wave therapy. Shock wave therapy uses sound waves to promote healing in both soft and hard tissues. It is unknown exactly why it works. However what it tends to do is to promote the growth of healthy tissue. In Bobby's case the goal was to get his hocks to fuse so that he no longer experienced the pain in them. The therapy is not expected to make his gaits and different than they are know, but his pain should decrease substantially.
Shockwave Therapy is slightly uncomfortable while it is being administered, so tranquilizers are administered even to calm horses.
You can see in this picture that Bobby has been tranquized in preparation for the Shockwave Therapy.
Then rubbing alcohol was rubbed on the area of treatment because the sound waves travel better through the wet surface. The wet surface prevents airpockets in the hair that can interfere with the shocks being administered.
Then Dr. Burks used the probe to apply the shockwave to Bobby's hocks. Bobby was already showing improvement from the first time this was done about two weeks prior. He may need up to one or two additional treatment depending on how he responds to this one. Here are two videos of Dr. Burks doing the procedure.
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