Near the end of his long and storied life, one of the greatest Thoroughbred racehorses of all times, 1978 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, was diagnosed with cervical vertebral malformation (CVM, commonly known as wobbler syndrome). He underwent two surgeries to correct the problem and continued his job as a breeding stallion until he died in 2002.

Today, many young Thoroughbreds are diagnosed with CVM. Some undergo surgery before their racing careers, some are euthanized before the problem becomes too severe, and others are treated with a more conservative approach. Crystal Hoffman, DVM, with Peterson & Smith Equine Hospital in Ocala, Fla., reviewed a study on conservative CVM treatment at the 2011 American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Forum, held June 15-18 in Denver, Colo., that indicated in some cases, Thoroughbreds diagnosed and treated using this method early in the course of the disease can recover to have a successful racing career.

Horses affected by CVM essentially have a damaged spinal cord. The major causes of spinal cord damage include malformation of the cervical (neck) vertebrae, trauma to the vertebrae, or excessive growth of surrounding soft tissue. Affected horses typically have a history of ataxia (incoordination) or weakness with no other visible abnormalities. Veterinarians usually diagnose a horse with CVM after a thorough clinical examination along with myelograms (a procedure in which dye is injected into the spinal canal and a set of radiographs is taken) that confirm bony abnormalities and narrow cervical spinal spaces in the horse’s neck. Hoffman cited several previous studies that showed poor return to racing for CVM-affected horses.

The conservative approach to treating the disease (which was the focus of the current study) involved medical treatment with NSAIDs, vitamin E, exercise restriction, and a diet change to slow young horse’s growth rate. Conservative treatment is most commonly used in young horses that have not yet finished maturing; the theory behind this approach is that a decrease in growth rate can allow for remodeling of the vertebrae to increase the size of the canal. Following that up with corticosteroids, rest, and turnout in a small paddock has been observed to help the young horse proceed normally with his life