Origins and Symptoms of Osteochondrosis Dessicans (OCD) in Horses

With more than three decades of experience as a veterinary practitioner, Phillip Kapraun, DVM, focuses the majority of his work on treating show and racehorses. Dr. Phillip Kapraun specializes in the detection of osteochondrosis dessicans (OCD) in Standardbred yearlings. 

OCD is a condition that hinders the normal formation of cartilage in the joints of young horses. Affecting between 5 percent and 25 percent of all horses, the disease occurs when thickened bone takes over the joint’s cartilage matter. This dissecting lesion typically either breaks through the surface of the joint or completely disconnects from it. It is most common for horses to experience OCD in only a single joint. 

Researchers have pinpointed several potential causes of OCD. Many horses are genetically predisposed to experience the disease. Other common causes include periods of rapid growth or joint trauma during development. Even nutrition can increase a horse’s risk of developing OCD, particularly if they eat a diet lacking in copper.

When OCD manifests in horses, they commonly experience swelling in their stifle, hock, or fetlock joints. Aside from this visible manifestation, horses sometimes display at least some level of lameness, ranging from stiff movement to severe limping. Veterinarians also can diagnose OCD by feeling the affected area for joint distention, which can exhibit as irregular bone shape or detached lesions.

University of Illinois Has Comprehensive Veterinary Teaching Hospital

For more than three decades Phillip Kapraun, DVM, has specialized in treating lameness in show and racehorses. One of the first veterinarians to treat equine navicular disease with honey bee venom and a pioneer in the treatment of osteochondrosis dessicans in yearlings, Dr. Phillip Kapraun is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.

University of Illinois veterinary students benefit from direct participation in animal care at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital throughout all four years of study. Treating more than 20,000 animals each year, the full-service hospital is staffed by 80 veterinarians, including interns, residents, and specialists in areas such as zoo medicine and anesthesia. 

Animals seen at the teaching hospital include dogs, cats, exotic animals, horses, and farm animals. In addition to primary care, the teaching hospital staff offers round-the-clock emergency care and farrier services, as well as on-farm veterinary services. For more information about the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital, visit https://vetmed.illinois.edu/animal-care/vth.

AVMA Supports Recent Senate Farm Bill

An experienced veterinary physician based in Harvard, Illinois, Dr. Phillip Kapraun focuses on treating standardbred race horses and other performance race horses. Active in his field outside of his daily practice, Dr. Phillip Kapraun maintains membership in the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

In late June 2018, the United State Senate voted in favor of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, a piece of legislation that received heavy support from the AVMA due to the fact that it addressed many of the organization’s priorities. One of the major elements of the bill includes approval for efforts to nationalize detection of animal diseases, though the bill does fall short in actually providing funding for this program. 

All in all, however, the bill does deal with animal health measures and protection for animals in the agricultural sectors. The organization stressed the importance of being prepared for disease outbreaks and pledged to continue working with Congress to fine-tune programs that accomplish that goal.

Fluoroscopy as a Diagnostic Tool in Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Phillip Kapraun stands out as one of the pioneering professionals in the treatment of lameness in performance horses. An independent practitioner in Illinois since 1984, Dr. Phillip Kapraun frequently uses fluoroscopy as a diagnostic tool.

Using low-dose X-ray technology, fluoroscopy allows the visualization of a horse's bones and joints. One of the primary benefits of this technology over other imaging techniques is that fluoroscopy permits veterinarians to see literally thousands of views and angles of the bones and joints. Fluoroscopy also makes it possible to enlarge the view up to 10 times normal.


Fluoroscopy is a highly flexible diagnostic tool. The movable C-arm can shift position according to the needs of the test and the dimensions of the animal's body. This allows veterinarians to effectively image the horse's bones and joints in a way that is difficult to do with conventional X-rays. Fluoroscopy is very effective at diagnosing OCD lesions and stress fractures.

AVMA Hires New Chief Economic Professional

Throughout a decades-long career that encompasses the ownership and operation of Harvard, Illinois-based Harvard Equine Practice since 1984, Dr. Phillip Kapraun has developed a reputation as an authority on treating lameness in racehorses. Actively involved in the evolution of his profession, Dr. Phillip Kapraun maintains active membership with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

In March 2018, the AVMA announced that it has named Dr. Matthew J. Salois to serve as the top official in the organization’s Veterinary Economics Division. The 5-year-old division had been led by the retiring Dr. Michael R. Dicks.

In his new role, Dr. Salois says he plans to prioritize efforts aimed at analyzing the economic landscape of the profession in order to give veterinarians a clear look at the future of the profession. In his comments, AVMA President Dr. Michael J. Topper praised Dr. Salois’ background and experience, saying that he is the right fit to take the economic data the organization has already collected and turn it into actionable content.

The Presentation of Suspensory Ligament Injuries in Horses

Dr. Phillip Kapraun received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. With more than 40 years of experience practicing veterinary medicine, Dr. Phillip Kapraun treats a range of equine lameness conditions, including those affecting the suspensory ligament.

Suspensory ligament injuries commonly occur in horses, yet often get misdiagnosed or remain undiagnosed for a period due to several reasons. These injuries typically present with no physical cues, as there is minimal or no noticeable swelling in the limb, which may only cause mild or intermittent lameness. Most horses with suspensory injuries are affected bilaterally and will shorten their stride rather than limp. They may display symptoms such as pain in the sacroiliac region of the back and poor performance.

Radiographs generally show little evidence of a suspensory ligament injury, and lameness exams can also fail to diagnose the problem. Some horses with suspensory injuries show a brief response to systemic medications or joint injections, which can falsely lead to a misdiagnosis of a joint-related problem.

The Horse Lameness Scale

Dr. Phillip Kapraun is an equine veterinarian in Harvard, Illinois, with more than three decades of experience. Moreover, Dr. Phillip Kapraun is highly experienced in the treatment of equine lameness.

Equine lameness does not affect all horses uniformly. With this in mind, the American Association of Equine Practitioners has developed a numerical scale for the description of the condition. The scale ranges from zero to five, with a Grade 0 horse being sound.

At Grade 1, the condition is still very difficult to detect, and the symptoms are not always visible. At Grade 2, the horse starts to consistently demonstrate signs of lameness in specific situations. However, it may be difficult to notice its lameness when it is trotting in a single direction or walking. Regarding Grade 3, some degree of lameness is apparent in the animal when it is trotting under any conditions. At Grade 4, lameness is apparent in the walking animal.

Grade 5 equine lameness is the most severe version of lameness. At this stage, animals struggle to bear their weight on their limbs while in motion and at rest. Alternatively, they may be completely immobile.