Arthritic Coffin Joint 4yr welsh sect D - Any Advice ?

[Rhos]

Hi, i have a 4 yr old Welsh Sect D Gelding - recently diagnosed with Arthritic changes in his rf coffin joint - had steroid injection and to have remedial shoeing. Can anyone advise me of their experiences / treatment of similar problems they have dealt with in a young horse - many thanks !

 

[sherwood']

Supplements for joint health are very useful at keeping the horse sound.

Try pure MSM as well as a pure glucoasimine (best one is newmarket joint supplement) and the pure msm can be bought from www.horsesupplementsdirect.co.uk very cheaply. mainiting the joints in young horses to prevent any further changes is key to soundness.

cortaflex is not a good supplement and is very expensive to best to use the above!

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

Thats so young, i am very sorry to hear of it, the one thing that i can suggest dietary wise is to add apple cider vinegar, its supposed to be good for arthritis, there is lots more you can add too i's sure, but this is supposed to be very good, sorry i could not help further, all the best

 

[judymoon]

the combination of glucosamine, chondroitin and HA is pretty hard to beat.
try www.kinesishealth.com ,if nothing else their information books are very helpful with interesting studies.
hope it helps, loads of options out there with regard to joints its just finding the one that suits you and your horse.

 

[blaze]

Also wanted to add not to panic - my mare was diagnosed with arthritic changes in her fetlock at five, had an op as was pretty bad, plus injections (all OK) and has changes in both stifles too (had injections in those, which were successful), plus has had sus des in both hind suspensory ligaments (cue shockwave therapy), is only 8 now and is (touch wood) currently sound and happy!

She is on TopSpec joint supplement - Cortaflex didn't work for her. Cider vinegar is also very good. Magnetic boots are also fantastic. The main things I follow are to keep the horse warm and comfortable, as cold, damp weather is the worst and my horse is always stiffer during these times - and turn out as much as possible, as gentle, consistent exercise keeps the joint moving (my horse is always stiff at first when ridden but supples up quite quickly).

We use natural balance shoes and they have made a big difference to her stride length.

Good luck - I know it feels awful, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

x

 

[aran]

i have a horse with arthritis (was 8yrs when diagnosed) and my job is researching arthritis so i empathise with you!
Nothing will cure it - however lots of things may help. the research is unclear what will and what wont - so it is personal trial and error to see what works for you.
a combination of glucosamine, chondroitin sulphate and hyaluronan should work the best (need to be of the highest concentrations you can find to be of any benefit).
Omega 3 oils also may help - cod liver oil or linseed oil
Good shoeing can help a lot too.

Practical things like keeping him out as much as possible so he isnt standing about getting stiff or if he is in then stable bandaging to keep the lower limb warm can help. some people swear by magnets or copper straps placed near the joint.

Also keep his weight down and be careful on hard or uneven ground.

I'm riding my boy again now after all his treatment (surgery). He is stiff at the start but soon loosens up and moves freely and is really enjoying hacking and the odd bit of schooling. His eventing days are definately gone for the moment but we'll see how he progresses. Good luck to you

 

[merlinsquest]

My feelings go out to you, my 8 year old D cross has been undergoing treatment for an arthritic fetlock for the last few months....

We have had shockwave therapy, joint supplements and magnetic boots, but the biggie at the moment is IRAP therapy... very expensive but very good!!!

Too complicate to explain fully, but basically blood is drawn and processed and then a blood product is injected back into the affected joint and helps to heal it naturally!!

Merlin is much improved since having it done in November.

Good luck with your horse, its not the end of the world....... it just feels like it!!!