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.

A Brief Overview of Western Pleasure Competition

An Illinois-based veterinarian focused on diagnosing and treating lameness in horses, Dr. Phillip Kapraun oversees an equine veterinary practice in Harvard. He specializes in treating Standardbred racehorses and racing quarter horses. Over the course of his nearly 40-year career, Dr. Phillip Kapraun also has treated a variety of other performance horses, including those used for Western Pleasure competitions. 

Unlike racing competitions that emphasize a horse’s speed, Western Pleasure events evaluate a horse’s ability to move in an easy and collected manner. For horses that compete in the Western Pleasure class, a calm and relaxed gait and demeanor that support an overall pleasurable ride are of the utmost importance. 

With proper movement and a horse’s manners at the top of a Western Pleasure judge’s evaluation list, any breed can do well in a pleasure competition. That being said, there are some horses that perform better than others do. Quarter horses are perhaps the most common, but other stock horse breeds such as Appaloosas and American paint horses also do well in the Western Pleasure class.

AAEP Starts Disaster Fund for Wildfire-Affected Horses

An equine veterinarian in private practice since 1984, Dr. Phillip Kapraun primarily treats lameness in performance horses. In addition to his everyday work with horses, Dr. Phillip Kapraun is a member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP). 

Between hundreds of acres of scorched land and the loss of homes, the cost of the 2017 California wildfires has been extremely high. What can sometimes get lost in the shuffle, however, are the urgent equine community needs that can arise in the wake of such a disaster. That is why the AAEP’s charitable arm has an Equine Disaster Relief Fund. 

The fund is seeking to help horses that the wildfires in California have adversely impacted. The money from the fund will go to organizations and programs involved in recovery efforts as well as rebuilding efforts and to those working on dealing with future disaster situations. To learn more about the fund, visit aaep.org.

University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine - DVM Program

Before becoming a practicing veterinarian as the owner of Phillip R. Kapraun DVM, PC Harvard Equine Practice in Harvard, Illinois, Phillip Kapraun attended Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa where he earned a bachelor of science in biology. He also attended the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in Champaign-Urbana, where he obtained a doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM).

Organized in 1944, the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine began after veterinarians and farmers in the local area called for a training program for the education of current and future veterinary professionals. Today, DVM students attend core courses such as clinical practice, pathobiology, and professional development. In addition, they choose electives that range from veterinary forensic medicine and advanced therapeutics to equine animal husbandry and equine critical care.

Enrolled students may also take advantage of other opportunities related to their studies. The college offers summer research programs as well as a two-week rotation in shelter medicine that allows students to participate in up to 50 surgeries. Additionally, interested individuals can pursue a DVM-Master’s in Public Health joint degree, administered in partnership with the University of Illinois-Chicago.

Causes and Treatment of Equine Osteochondritis Dissecans

As a privately practicing equine veterinarian, Dr. Phillip Kapraun focuses largely on the treatment of lameness in performance horses. Dr. Phillip Kapraun is a driving force behind the standardization of osteochondrosis dessicans (OCD) detection and removal in yearling Standardbred horses.

Osteochondrosis dessicans, or OCD, is a common orthopedic condition that affects up to 10 percent of Quarter horses, 35 percent of Morgans and 60 percent of Standardbreds. It is a developmental disorder (DOD or developmental orthopedic disorder) that causes the irregular development of bone and cartilage in the joints. OCD seems to have 3 possible causes: genetic, nutrition of the mare during pregnancy, and trauma. It appears that horses are born with OCDs. OCDs can be responsible for lameness in the horse. Standardbred trainers of horses with unremoved OCDs often complain that their horse "makes breaks." OCDs prevent a horse from achieving its full potential.

In the majority of cases, effective and lasting treatment involves surgery to remove the abnormal bone and cartilage tissues. Contemporary best practices suggest the use of arthroscopy, which allows for the OCD removal using only 2 small incisions, minimizing trauma to the joint and minimizing recovery time. Standardbreds typically receive one month of stall rest after OCD arthroscopic surgery followed by one month of slow jogging on the track before returning to work.

Study Examines Bony Lesions in Yearlings and Impact of Gender and Sire

A well-established presence in the Harvard, Illinois, community, Phillip Kapraun, DVM, engages as the leader of a successful equine veterinary practice. His emphasis is on diagnosing and treating lameness in racing standardbred and quarter horses. Respected in his field, Dr. Phillip Kapraun did the research, provided the data, and co-authored the paper “Influence of Sire and Gender on Fluoroscopic Incidence of Bony Lesions in Illinois Standardbred Yearlings” (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008).

Explored were juvenile horse developmental joint abnormalities, which are commonly tested for using radiographic examinations. A central question is whether external bony abnormality symptoms such as joint effusion and swelling are accurate indicators of such afflictions. The study presented the hypothesis that gender would not be a significant source of joint abnormality variation, while sire would be a positive predictor of such.

With fluoroscopic scans undertaken on 315 yearlings, some 58 percent had lesions, among which 37 percent required surgery. The ultimate finding was that gender had no impact on lesion occurrence and sire was also not a significant predictor. However, sire did play a significant role in predicting whether the horses would require surgery to address bony lesions.