arthritis in fetlock joint

V

velvet2005

Member
Joined
15 January 2010
Messages
14
Visit site
hi there, hoping someone has had experience of this! will keep it short.
my retired, 17years old, pony is lame, vet out suspects arthritic changes. has prescribed bute in high doses until fairly sound then will xray both forelegs to check for any changes etc. she acts as a nanny for my neurotic hunters/team chasers, is worth her weight in gold and owes me nothing. what i would like your advice on is future prospects/welfare/comfort/management etc? she is fit and healthy in every other way, is carrying no excess weight and is barefoot. she lives out 24/7 as ties up and becomes colic-y when stabled.
thank you!
 
There is quite a bit that can be done for horses with arthritis but it depends what you want for the outcome and 17 is no longer very old for a horse these days, most old horses I know are still competing well into their late 20's, I understand that research has shown that horses that have been active all their lives and then suddenly turned out can go downhill quite fast, especially the big warm blood and heavier types. My horse was diagnosed with spavin aged eight and had bute, tildren, intra articular injections into the joint of steroids and HA and finally fusion with alcohol which worked really well and helped no end with the sprain he had on the opposite foreleg. As he was in regular work the vet said it was better to continue this as arthritic horses benefit from regular work and turn out and he's never looked back with his spavin. At the time I thought it was the end of the road and was really upset! He jumps, dressages and does fun rides and loves his work. He gets regular turnout (in a sandpit during the winter) and is fed according to the work he does (which has only ever been light-medium).

Your mare is turned out and sounds like she is no longer ridden. As she is turned out this is great for her as she is able to mooch around to her hearts content and therefore ease any stiffness. She may benefit from having an injection into her fetlock joint but this will probably depend on what the vet finds. I have my horse on a joint supplement which he's been on seven years, and he also has magnetic therapy boots which are really good too, although not sure you are meant to leave them on an animal that moves around loose. You could try her on turmeric in a small feed if she is not given feed otherwise but I have heard that it can cause gastric ulcers so stopped using it for my horse. Cider vinegar is also good for arthritis. He was for a while on half a sachet of bute a day to ease any potential stiffness but then I changed him to a liquid bute less supplement.

I shouldn't worry too much about things. They soon tell you when they are uncomfortable and if you have had her as long as it sounds you will know when the time comes. My horse has never been shy of telling me when he's been uncomfortable (saddle issues) and has soon let me know by depositing me on the ground!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
thank you so much for your reply, im glad there are so many options, though it makes it even harder to decide! she has simply been a hack for around 4 years since i could no longer compete her, she is so quirky and keen we thought it best alround that she stay with us in a job she is so good at. i pony raced, hunted and evented her and, though she has never had more than the usual bump/graze, im starting to fear her miles have caught up with her! she has a home here no matter what aslong as she is pain free and has a quality of life.
vet did mention injections, though said they will need repeated at intervals dependent upon degree of changes? they also mentioned that the pain will flair up and settle down spasmodically. would you feed a maintenance level of supplement and alter for these flairs?

sorry for the questions, ive always been incredibly lucky and havent really had more than vac's and basic vet treatments!
 
velvet2005 said:
thank you so much for your reply, im glad there are so many options, though it makes it even harder to decide! she has simply been a hack for around 4 years since i could no longer compete her, she is so quirky and keen we thought it best alround that she stay with us in a job she is so good at. i pony raced, hunted and evented her and, though she has never had more than the usual bump/graze, im starting to fear her miles have caught up with her! she has a home here no matter what aslong as she is pain free and has a quality of life.
vet did mention injections, though said they will need repeated at intervals dependent upon degree of changes? they also mentioned that the pain will flair up and settle down spasmodically. would you feed a maintenance level of supplement and alter for these flairs?

sorry for the questions, ive always been incredibly lucky and havent really had more than vac's and basic vet treatments!
Click to expand...

To be quite honest I am not certain (and no one really is 100%) that these joint supplements are all they are cracked up to be. The really expensive ones have had quite a bit of research into them, but the cheaper ones I don't think have been scrutinised to the same level. The cider vinegar is one of those things that could work on some horses and not on others, its been around for thousands of years treating arthritis as well as a number of other conditions and sometimes the old remedies can be very effective. The buteless keeps my boy ticking over, I've yet to discover if taking him off it makes any difference or not.

The joint injections (called intra articular injections) go straight into the joint. They use steroids or HA (hyaluronic acid) or sometimes both and sometimes the vet will also inject antibiotics into the joint in case of joint infection. I prefer for my horse to have any injection into his joint done is an equine clinic setting as this is more sterile than a stable yard and the chance of joint infection is greatly reduced.

The joint injection should last a good 12 months ideally. When your horse is ready for another one (i.e. it starts to exhibit signs of unsoundness) the vet may wish to xray the joint to see what kind of degeneration has taken place, sometimes there is little to no difference between xrays which is brilliant. Sometimes changes can be dramatic and then the prognosis is poorer.

My vet always says better to ride Bailey for 20 mins a day than once a week for hours. Keeping a horse with arthritis is regular work is beneficial as long as its not struggling with its workload. If it struggles it will go lame and then you will know you have done too much and to ease off some.Like humans with arthritis you have good days and bad days. Losing weight, diet and exercise can all help with arthritis. The very worse thing with an arthritic horse is to stable it, the more they are allowed to move about the better.
 
A general rule of thumb for managing the slightly older/arthritic ones -

Low impact exercise, so lots of turnout and regular gentle hacking

Correct shoe/trim and good foot balance

Joint injections can be used to support as well, they can be very effective on some horses, certainly worth trying. About £300 a pair for basic steroid injections, but more if you want the fancy lubricants as well. Speak to your vet about those.

An oral or IM joint support - my personal choice is pentosan (cartrophen)

And if needed low dose bute, I have no ethical issue with this. Some do.
 
My Friend has a shire cross ID and she has arthritis and was prescriped 1 bute a day. We have put her on tumeric now (the tumeric with Linseed oil and freshly cracked pepper) and she now only has half a bute once a day and that is still going down. Usually during the winter she can become stiff and slightly lame however this winter we have had no problems and she is happy. I have heard really good things about tumeric and have put my boy on it as well.
 
Ditto the Turmeric route. My horse has it in her hock. Back riding now and to see her hooning round her paddock - normally bouncing along on two hind feet, you'd never know she had a problem.
 
Another vote for tumeric pepper n linseed. My retired arthritic mare was on a bute a day for 3 years, with nothing to lose I tried tumeric (very sceptically) she's now off bute and much more active!
 
I have a veteran cob mare I ride long distance - she has changes in her fetlocks through aging and since she has been on the turmeric regime she has regained all her mobility and more. I also have a young ISH with trauma ringbone who is in foal and she is also now sound on the turmeric linseed and black pepper, so much so I intend to bring her back into work in the autumn once her foal is weaned.
Turmeric doesn't work for every case but if you join the turmeric user group on facebook you will get a wealth of information about it.
 
Can I ask the reasoning of buteing till sound and then x-raying? Have they done x-rays to have something to compare them to?

X-rays and MRI scans tend to be the usual diagnostic tools.

Arthritis is manageable, and there are plenty of supplements out there that will help, but if going down that route ensure you get one that has been researched and has proven results.

Your vet will be able to advise on treatment, they usually say as much turnout and movement as possible, alongside other treatment.

From a welfare point of view - IMHO -if you are having to bute up on a daily basis in order to sustain comfort and welfare, I would then question if it is fair on the horse. One bute a day may help for a whole before having to up it to two, three, four.. (obviously dosing depends on size of the horse). The higher the dosing for the horse, the more welfare concerns rise.
 
Just to say that arthritis/DJD of the fetlock will often lead to a rotation of the joint as the horse aims to alleviate pain naturally by compensating and adapting its gait. The employ of a GOOD remedial farrier is therefore paramount.
 
Joint injections gave me one perfect ride then she was unsound again. A further round failed to deliver and I PTS because she was clearly uncomfortable
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top