Arthritis - how is it diagnosed?

cblover

cblover

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Hi peeps, this may sound a silly question but I'm not sure if my gypsy cob mare is becoming a little arthritic or how its actually diagnosed. She's 13 now, which I know isn't old but she's a big heavy mare. Before I owned her she has very overweight too.

Anyway, over the years we've done most things and she's been awesome but lately I've noticed something is not quite right and she's slowing down. I rode her yesterday and she felt ok but picking her feet out before we went was an ordeal. Especially the back ones as they crack and crunch as you pick them up. There was an almighty crack coming from the fetlock joint....it felt and sounded awful.

So, is the fact she was so overweight starting to have an effect, or just as she's getting older. She also isn't one for walking or trotting on grass verges as she panics on soft ground (she got stuck in a bog as a baby) so all out hacking is on roads. We just go slow most of the time but over the years we've done plenty pleasure rides. I know her inside out and something isn't quite right. Maybe time for a supplement? I've heard NAF 5 star joint flex is good. Any views? x
 
Phone your vet and discuss what you have just told us they will give you advise over the phone.
I've known 20 year olds being put down from arthritis , but one of my friends horses was diagnosed with arthritis at 6 and had to be PTS 2 years later as was so bad , so age doesn't always factor in .
 
Thanks folks. I do have linseed for ted but have to be so careful what I feed kinz. She can heat up on next to nothing. I usually give her top spec top chop lite and an apple. I could try li seed too and a joint supplement. Bless her, I just want to do my best for her. She's my one in a million!
 
I have both my mares on pure MSM. One is a HW 11yr cob , the other a 14yr shire x tb that's had a hard life in a college up to last summer. I'm insured but haven't gone down the vets route as I tried supplements first and both girls have done really well through winter (living out). If either of them started stumbling out hacking or had difficulty getting up I'd call the vet but a bit of stiffness comes to us all as we age and horses are no different IMO.
 
Like copper pit my girl had a full work up by the vet with nerve blocks and X-rays. She has it in one hock. Previous to calling the vet she had started just slightly losing her footing every now and then and when it was cold she visibly stiffened up. Vet said each case varies but he's known done horses ck tinting their ridden life gentle hacking into their 20's. my girl is only 8. Vet said it can be brought jn by something as simple as a nasty twist joining about in the field. I photographed horse last year who had been involved in a road accident at 12. Vet advised PTS but her devoted owner nursed her back to health. Her leg was badly broken. She still hacks her out 2-3 times a week and she's now 26!
 
Mine is only 9 and had it in one hock too Horse photographer. I had them both injected anyway and some Tildren. Now on a joint supplement and living out 24/7.
 
Vet did flexion tests etc to work out where the lameness was. Next step would be to have the horse x-rayed and nerve blocked to find out exactly which joints are effected.

Once you've found out where the arthritis is, you can inject the joint.

With my oldie the vet did flexion tests and said given the way he's moving, his age, and that his stiffness is worse in colder weather then it's 90% likely to r arthritis. I was offered the choice of X-rays etc but given his age and that he's only a light hack I opted to put him straight onto danilon and start looking into supplements.

In the winter he has one sachet a day, in the summer he has half a sachet every other day. Things that I found helped -

- 24/7 turnout. He really is much better if he can keep moving about.

- maxavita maxaflex is a great supplement

- lots of gentle exercise, walks in hand when they're very bad, lots of short hacks when they're feeling like they can go further!!

- get her on a diet!! Being overweight will place more strain on the joints and worsen the stiffness.

- be wary of ground conditions, avoid trotting on roads wh
 
Whoops sorry ......

Avoid trotting on roads where possible and avoid boggy ground like the plague :)

That's all I can think of right now but if you have any question please fire away, I've done a lot of research and testing with arthritis related products lol :) xxx
 
Great post Sophie and thank you - I'm only just at the start of this journey and not got my girl back into ridden work yet. Doing virtually everything you mention except the Danilon and maxavita maxaflex - which ivd never heard of where do you get it and how do you give it please? Is it a liquid joint supplement? Did you try any others?
 
It's available online if you google the maxavita website, it's £20 for a quite a big tub so it's really good value!! It's active ingredient is green lipped mussel. My vet told me green lipped mussel and rosehip are the only things that have been scientifically proven to assist with the inflammation and pain caused by arthritis. It's a powder supplement!

I've tried lots and lots of stuff but the things I've found seem to work the best for me is maxavita, devils claw root (either in granule form or liquid form) and oil (cooking oil from supermarket!)

It's a minefield when it comes to supplements as what brings one horse sound won't do anything to another, so shop around and find a combination that seems to work for you. One thing I would mention is that if you do have a diagnosed arthritic then glucosamine based supplements (where glucosamine is the main ingredient) won't be as effective as anti inflammatories such as no bute, they certainly don't hurt but shouldn't be their 'main' supplement.

Danilon really is great, if you can get your vet to prescribe you some you can get 60 sachets for £45 at pet drugs online.com, half the price of what the vet will try and charge you! :)
 
sophiebailey said:
It's available online if you google the maxavita website, it's £20 for a quite a big tub so it's really good value!! It's active ingredient is green lipped mussel. My vet told me green lipped mussel and rosehip are the only things that have been scientifically proven to assist with the inflammation and pain caused by arthritis.


Danilon really is great, if you can get your vet to prescribe you some you can get 60 sachets for £45 at pet drugs online.com, half the price of what the vet will try and charge you! :)
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This is SUCH a useful post, thank you so much Sophie :)
 
Out of interest how long before you would expect to see improvement on maxaflex? I gave it a try and didn't think it worked as well as one I was using before. I used the whole tub.
 
I went through a whole tub at the 'loading dose' then noticed a difference halfway through the second tub. Would have normally given up after the first tub but vet recommended it so heartily I persevered lol :)
 
Me too ;( costs a fortune with no guarantee its gonna work too!!

Also hard getting recommendations, coz what one person raves about can be useless for your own!! Minefield lol :)
 
Our mare was diagnosed through bloods, she was so sore, vet wouldn't have her trotting, he suggested omega 3 oil and 1 bute daily.
The mare is jumping round like a 2yr old on half a bute daily, tumeric and omega 3 oils and she's rising 19yr old
 
Thanks everyone, especially Sophie, really useful. My mare isn't lame but I know she's not right. I've got a tub of naf superflex and started her on it yesterday so I'll give it a month or so to see if it has any effect.
 
Mine is sound but has been a field ornament since he had his hocks injected. I will probably have them injected again in August anyway. I think him living out had been the major factor in coming right.
 
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