Arthritis - When do you know enough's enough?!

F

Ferns Magic-Breeze

New User
Joined
14 September 2015
Messages
7
Visit site
Morning all,

My boy has had Arthritis in both his stifles and hocks for years now and hes always had them medicated till the injections didn't do much for him. IV tried various joint supplements to keep him comfortable but IV noticed over the last few months he just isn't the same horse. Hes happy enough, looks fab weight wise and enjoying retired life but he wont trot or canter anymore (at feed time he would always bomb it up the field) now he just slowly walks up the field, hes very funny about other horses around his back end (did kick one the other day which isnt him at all) and has started biting the wood which hes never ever done in the 7 years iv had him, and im worried he doing it from being in pain?.... These last few nights he's been really stiff in the mornings, hes rugged and he's living out (Vet advised he would be better out so he can move around) but I was just wondering if there's anything else I can do to make him more comfortable?! Thicker rugs? Magnetic N.E.W turnout boots?? 😞 I'm speaking to Vet today for some advice.

Very concerned as we haven't even hit the hard Winter yet so im worried this winter is gonna be to much for him! What do people think? Thanks x
 
Apple cider vinegar can help - you need to get the one with the mother enzymes in it. It did seem to help my horses stiffness a little. A good health shop will sell it I pay approx £3 for a 750ml bottle so it's cheap enough to give it a try.
 
quality of life is the most important thing. if he isnt acting in the same way and is in pain then pain relief is needed or PTS. i have just been through this and decided, at 25 to call it a day and know it was the right decision for my mare. i have to say not the best one for me as i am devastated but feel that if i had gone down the bute route it would be to keep her here longer for me, and that would have been wrong...
 
splashgirl45 said:
quality of life is the most important thing. if he isnt acting in the same way and is in pain then pain relief is needed or PTS. i have just been through this and decided, at 25 to call it a day and know it was the right decision for my mare. i have to say not the best one for me as i am devastated but feel that if i had gone down the bute route it would be to keep her here longer for me, and that would have been wrong...
Click to expand...

Couldnt agree more! I hat to make the decision to put My Jumping Mare down 2 weeks ago after being diagnosed with significant feet problem which would only get worse and she was living in pain, it broke me but it was the kindest thing for her. Im sorry to hear you have just been through this. Waiting for Vet to phone me back for a chat....
 
hope it was good news when you talked to the vet.....sorry about your jumping mare...they leave such a big hole in our lives, i am going to look for one on loan as i dont have a wad of cash to buy one...i cant imagine being without a horse for ever....
 
ihatework said:
If you are going to keep him going then he'd be on bute if he were mine
Click to expand...

Ferns Magic-Breeze said:
I was thinking this, but long term this wouldn't be suitable.
Click to expand...

What are your reasons for saying long term it wouldn't be suitable? Surely it's suitable for as long as it is fair to keep the horse going. You've described an uncomfortable/in pain horse, surely it is better to bute in order for him to be comfortable for as long as that is feasible rather than carry on as he is?
 
The moment my old boy became arthritic was the moment I retired him and he became a very much loved field ornament and companion. The moment I realised he was in constant pain was the moment I had him PTS. Not because I didn't care, but because I loved him. It was a very difficult decision, but one I had to make for his sake and not mine.
 
My horse is 22 years old and has arthritis in his right foot coffin joint and also arthritic hocks. I keep him as warm as possible and exercise him every day. He was on one bute per day but have been giving him Equimins joint supplement and I've seen a big improvement and no longer give him the bute. I don't believe its a good idea to put your horse out at night now that its getting colder - he would be better off in a warm stable rugged up. If you keep him in then get some nice warm leg wraps for the cold weather. I have magnetic brushing boots for my horse but haven't used them continually as some nights recently have been very hot and humid. Exercise is key in keeping arthritis under control. My horse also has Equine Metabolic Syndrome so has to be muzzled out on the grass while he spends four hours grazing during the day. Before making any decision about PTS why not try bute? seems to me you have nothing to lose in this respect.
 
My oldie is 23 and quite arthritic behind. He was doing well on 1/2 bute per day through the warmer months and is now back on 1 per day as it gets colder. He's as happy as larry on bute but shows his age without it. Bute is an easy drug to give and, used in the mid-term (IE a couple of years) it is certainly worth using.
I ask myself, if it were me, would I want the painkiller or would I prefer to die? At this stage, I'm pretty sure I'd choose the painkiller. When the answer changes he'll be PTS (although maybe his melanomas will get us there sooner)
 
Just to add, I didn't PTS the moment mine became arthritic. I actually managed his arthritis for several years. I only PTS when he'd had enough.
 
TheMule said:
My oldie is 23 and quite arthritic behind. He was doing well on 1/2 bute per day through the warmer months and is now back on 1 per day as it gets colder. He's as happy as larry on bute but shows his age without it. Bute is an easy drug to give and, used in the mid-term (IE a couple of years) it is certainly worth using.
I ask myself, if it were me, would I want the painkiller or would I prefer to die? At this stage, I'm pretty sure I'd choose the painkiller. When the answer changes he'll be PTS (although maybe his melanomas will get us there sooner)
Click to expand...
i was told by vet that in an older horse old age will kill a horse quicker than bute fed low dose over a long period i.e many years. not exact words but u catch my drift. I dont see an ethical problem with bute but wouldnt personally wish to continue long term on more than one sachet a day or equivalent 'no bute' bottled stuff but thats just me. for someone who is on 17 pain and anti inflam tablets a day its a bit of a contadiction i know lol. Retirement isnt always the best solution for man or beast :) best wishes to the OP whatever they decide.
 
I am baffled by people who won't give horses modern pain relief get give herbs and supplements where most have had no testing for toxicity or trials for efficacy .
I totally get that you can't endlessly throw money at joint jabs, Tildren and the like but surely an old friend is worth the cost of Danilon to keep them feeling chipper.
 
splashgirl45 said:
quality of life is the most important thing. if he isnt acting in the same way and is in pain then pain relief is needed or PTS. i have just been through this and decided, at 25 to call it a day and know it was the right decision for my mare. i have to say not the best one for me as i am devastated but feel that if i had gone down the bute route it would be to keep her here longer for me, and that would have been wrong...[/QUOT

SplashGirl - really sorry to hear about your mare, I have read lots of your posts about her Cushings and admired the way you managed her. I didn't know she had problems with arthritis as well. Have a hug from another cushings owner.

OP - hope you can reach a decision that's right for your horse, as others on here have said, it's about quality of life and what's right for one won't be the same for another. It's a horrible decision to have to make.
Click to expand...
 
LeneHorse said:
splashgirl45 said:
quality of life is the most important thing. if he isnt acting in the same way and is in pain then pain relief is needed or PTS. i have just been through this and decided, at 25 to call it a day and know it was the right decision for my mare. i have to say not the best one for me as i am devastated but feel that if i had gone down the bute route it would be to keep her here longer for me, and that would have been wrong...[/QUOT

SplashGirl - really sorry to hear about your mare, I have read lots of your posts about her Cushings and admired the way you managed her. I didn't know she had problems with arthritis as well. Have a hug from another cushings owner.

OP - hope you can reach a decision that's right for your horse, as others on here have said, it's about quality of life and what's right for one won't be the same for another. It's a horrible decision to have to make.
Click to expand...

yes she was lame all round at the end and the vet thought that she was borderline laminitic so i wouldnt have been happy giving her bute to mask the symptoms in case of pedal bone rotation.i had a long chat with the vet and i did bute her for her last 5 days and she was more comfortable but i knew it wasnt a long term solution. she was on 4 prascend daily and the cushings symptoms were increasing, fat pads over eyes and a full coat even though she was clipped in the middle of july.drinking more, i would have loved to still have her but i am certain i did the best for her. cushings is a horrible disease ....some people are lucky and it doesnt seem to progress much but hers was aggressive......thankyou for your good wishes and i hope your cushings horse is doing well...
Click to expand...
 
Mine has arthritis. She is retired, lives out with access to field shelters (which is definitely better for her than being stabled as movement keeps her warmer and makes her less stiff). She is on bute.
 
Cocorules said:
Mine has arthritis. She is retired, lives out with access to field shelters (which is definitely better for her than being stabled as movement keeps her warmer and makes her less stiff). She is on bute.
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm not convinced about one of the comments posted about being stabled with rugs to keep an arthritic horse comfortable. Rugged and turned out with access to shelter yes but not stood in a stable getting stiff! :(
 
Antw23uk said:
Yeah I'm not convinced about one of the comments posted about being stabled with rugs to keep an arthritic horse comfortable. Rugged and turned out with access to shelter yes but not stood in a stable getting stiff! :(
Click to expand...

Mine could not bear being out when it was cold and muddy I think it was the mud she hated most .
So I stabled her at night and she had some turnout in the morning and a period in the school at night when I was doing up the yard .
She was happy with that .
You need always to watch your horse they will show you what they prefer .
 
Bute or danilon to keep him comfortable. The change in behaviour says pain to me if there haven't been any other significant changes in his life (e.g. moving field, new field mate).
You don't say how old he is, but I would rather mine had shorter, happier lives than longer, painful ones.
 
We've always agreed that the day we can't keep Bruce field comfortable, is the day we make the decision.

Old age and/or stiffness is one thing. Dog lame and unable to get up/down (when already at max painkiller level) is another.
 
My big warmblood will shortly go onto one bute daily. He gets the odd one when looking a bit stiff over the summer, but needs it daily in winter. I can't see the problem giving a regular painkiller.
As he gets regular prescriptions, he has to be seen periodically by a vet. My vet admits that he checks that owners are not keeping crippled horses going, he has no reservations about having The Conversation.
 
I'd try bute / danilon to be honest. If you can't keep him comfy in the short term then the long term becomes unimportant. It may help a little, it may help a lot, it may make very little difference to him but surely worth a shot? A lot of people also seem to have reasonable results with tumeric but never used it myself so can't comment on that.
 
My old lady was on danillon every day from the day I had her (I had her for 2 1/2 years) as she came to me to retire and lasted longer than expected! TBH I didn't really notice how much she'd declined until I was forced to move from a flat field to a very steep hill. I knew she wouldn't be able to cope with living on a slope in the depths of winter and I had nowhere else to take her, so I made the decision. I gave her a double dose of danillon for her last week and she started cantering again and had lots of lovely snoozes - all the normal horsey things I hadn't noticed she'd stopped doing! Although it was very sad, I'm quite glad that our forced move made me make the decision and I never felt that she wasn't ready. Unlike another horse I had who was literally dying and still fought the euthanasia.

That's not to say you should PTS! Just saying that it's tricky to know what to do! Good luck x
 
We look after a 35yo who has a sachet of bute daily and still mobile. Some days she can look a bit stiffer than others but generally as long as they are mobile, able to get up/down then that to me is fine. Not having the ability to move and get up easily is when I'd call it a day. All our oldies are out 24/7, rugged if necessary and have access to field shelters which IMO is far better than standing still in a stable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top