Osteochondrosis is a common but often temporary disease of young horses' joints. | Photo: iStock

Leading researchers from around the world share their findings on this common joint disease of young horses

“Growth itself contains the germ of happiness,” writes Pulitzer Prize novelist Pearl Buck.

Perhaps it does.

But in young horses, it might also include something a bit less appealing—chips of bone. Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a common disease of domesticated horses characterized by loose cartilage and/or bone fragments in the joints. Fortunately, there’s a “germ of happiness” in the prognosis: Many OCD lesions heal spontaneously within a few months. Those that don’t, however, can cause permanent problems when not treated