Arthritis, opinions? (also in veterinary)

*Maddy&Occhi* said:
My previous 13 year old mare was diagnosed with arthritus earlier in the year, it wasnt very severe so a good joint suppliment saw her through. Sadly she was then diagnosed with severe navicular disease and collateral ligament damage (she was an ex-eventer) I only had 2 options, to PTS or to try remedial shoeing, she would have to be retired plus the shoes would cost a ridiculous amount every 5 weeks. I made the decision to PTS but then my farrier offered to take her on as his own (I couldnt afford the shoeing) she is now happily retired with him. The special shoes has made such a difference.
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Wow, what a lovely farrier! Wouldn't catch mine doing that.
 
It's a very difficult :(
My mare was diagnosed with arthritis a few months ago. She is 19, so it wasn't a huge surprise, but there are lots of positives in her case. She wasn't lame, we only knew something was wrong because she'd started tripping every now and then when hacking. She also only has one joint affected so far (coffin joint, right fore). Added to that she is a fairly small, light horse (14.2hh Arab) so there is less pressure on her joints. She had steroid injections in feb and has been doing really well since then. In fact, she's come back into light work better than ever! I got a text from my sister (she rides her while I'm at uni) singing her praises and saying how nice she is to ride atm :D

So I feel pretty positive about her situation. But if I was in your friend's shoes...I just don't know! I think it depends on the horse - is he happy in himself? How lame is he? I think I would try to give him the summer and the very least and see how he does. But it's hard to judge without knowing how bad he is.
 
Tamba - arthritis differs in each horse. It is a legitimate reason to PTS if they cannot cope. Some suffer worse then others and not all of them can be ridden through it. In some cases it does help but not all. My boy has been out of work for nearly a year now because his legs wouldn't cope with the extra weight, he will eventually be PTS due to his arthritis.
 
Thanks for all your replies, plenty of food for thought there. I will show my friend this thread so she can have a read of it herself. She is taking him back for more tests next week so by then will have a fuller picture of what is going on with him, will post an update :)
 
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