Arthritis - experiences please

DiablosGold

DiablosGold

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My farrier has been today and told me that Dibbs might be developing arthritis (sp?) in his back legs. He advised me to put him on cortaflex or similar.

I would appreciate any experience/advice on arthritis as I've never dealt with it before.
 
Dodson and Horrell Mobility mix is a nice natural supplement and works equally as well for my Mum's horse as the MUCH more expensive Cortaflex alternative.
 
Mac has arthritis of both hocks and in his near fore fetlock. The more mobile he is, the better he is. He is more than happy hacking and if the ground is soft, likes nothing more than a good canter/gallop. He lives out 24/7 summer and is turned out daily in the winter. I do notice that when he is in overnight, he does stiffen up a bit and if I ride first thing, he needs a bit longer to warm up. A good glucosamine supplement helps as well.
 
Merlin has a badly arthritic hind fetlock.... his prognosis was as a field ornament or a pie
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I have him out 24/7 and on a suppliment called Easy Joint from Equiform Nutrition...... He is as sound as a pound
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He did a 6 day holiday in Somerset last year and covered around 130 miles,..... still sound
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Its not all doom and gloom..... although he has had 8000 of the NFUs finest pounds worth of help too
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Both my two have mild arthritis in one hock, they are just a bit stiff first off, but soon loosen up and it doesn't really affect their performance. They are both on Cortaflex, so it is a bit expensive, but seems to work. I understand it is so expensive, because its one of the few suppliments that have had extensive trials done on it to prove it works.
 
The old girl (23) has been on a daily sachet of Danilon for over 2 years (arthritic neck diagnosed by Rossdales - at vast expense I might add!!!). It manifested itself as a problem with (which looked like) her shoulder. Obviously, from tests etc., it proved to be coming from the neck and subsequently, affecting her shoulder.

Since then, she has been sound and in work (apart from a totally unrelated skin condition!). She is also on Extra-Flex (Feedmark). Don't worry, some horses continue hunting on a regular basis with good care. As MQ said - keep 'em moving about!
 
Our elderly HW cob was diagnosed with arthritis in his hocks about five years ago, when he was very stiff with heat and swelling. He has since then been on, first, No Bute, and now Bute Free. He still works extremely long hard days with no problems, he lives oiut to keep mobile (plus he has RAO) and it has never been necessary to reduce workload, or give Bute.
 
My pony has Bone Spavin - he had a second injection in his hock two weeks ago and I've just got the okay to start riding him again. He is on the Synequin supplement atm (paid for by insurance) which is horrendously expensive and I'm not 100% convinced by it, I will look at alternatives when the insurance runs out.

I would recommend:
Regular exercise - vet says to aim for 5 days a week, no trotting on hard surfaces, keep them working properly, schooling okay as long as warmed up/down. My pony is stiffer if not ridden for a few days.

Keep them out 24/7 - this has been the first winter that my pony has lived out 24/7 and he has loved it.

Magnetic boots - when my pony was very stiff before he had this second injection the boots made a noticeable difference.

Weight - don't let them get overweight, not easy if you have a good-doer like mine..

Good luck, try not to worry too much, there are lots of things you can do
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As well as your preferred choice of supplement/medication I would also recommend cider vinegar in the feed, I found it really helped with my TB.
 
Glucosamine and chondroitin are excellent for joints - I know mine improve dramatically if I take it.

Fresh ground Linseed is also very good. Contains Omega oils that help the joints. Must be freshly ground though. I use a small coffee grinder to do mine - a cup a day for a horse is OK.
 
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