Arthritic knee

[pintoarabian]

Had the vet check out a mare yesterday with an arthritic swelling on one knee. She is sound, very mobile and well in every other way. She's 21, raced in her youth and went on to be a Gold Series Endurance horse. Vet's advice was not to be too concerned, just to keep her as mobile as possible and to give Danilon if and when required. Would like to hear from anyone else treating this in one of their own horses and any supplement that really has made a difference without costing the earth.

 

[ImogenBurrows]

Hi there,

Have you had any xrays done at all to see the extent of the problem?
Danilon as and when will be safe - there are a lot of threads covering the long term bute issue on the forum try this one fore starters! http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=403097&highlight=long+term+bute

I would add in regular gentle exercise to prevent stiffening up but also a good quality joint supplement.
They all vary in price and efficacy so shop around but make sure the bioavailability of the active ingredients eg. glucosamine, is high, - this means it is not bound to another non-absorbable substance so the horse can't actually utilise it.

Maybe even chat to your vet about injectable supplements you could give such as adequan or cartrophen. Don't rule out joint injections either for the future as things progress!!

HTH
Imogen

 

[daisy27]

I had excellent results with top spec 10/10