Best supplement for serious joint/ligament issues?

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MissCommunicate

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Hello,

I realise that there have been lots of posts around joint supplements etc over the years, but I'd really appreciate some feedback from those people who have/have had horses with serious mobility issues. I'm not sure what to do for the best for mine.

I have a much-loved 15-y-o mare who I have just retired due to what we (myself and the vets) presume is a combination of degenerative hind suspensory ligament disease (confirmed by very bad scans) as well as worsening DJD in multiple joints (we know she has it in at least her stifles). At this point may I add that you would not think this to look at her - she is full of life, can fly around the field and leap around with her friends, but is pretty lame in trot and looks stiff in walk. Vet diagnosis is that there is nothing we can do to make the ligament situation any better, which means that actually there's not much point in doing anything huge with the DJD - it's now a case of keeping her comfortable for her lifespan.

Which leads me to the supplement question. I've fed TopSpec 10:10 for years, but obviously considering the degeneration I want to revisit this. I've tried Kentucky Joint Fluid lately, but I can't find any info anywhere on the levels of the active ingredients it contains. This is putting me off. Just seen the TEN Challenged Joints supplement, but I don't know anyone who's used it. Cortaflex/Extraflex made no difference for her at all.

I'm not made of money - but if there is a feeding/care regime out there that has had definite positive results with horses with serious mobility issues, I would like to know about it... can anyone give me any advice?
 
Hi, I don't have any experience with the condition your horse has but you could try oil based feeds like linseed and coprameal. My mare is arthritic and found using a combination of apple cider vinegar and boswellia works amazingly. I also get swollen joints which are quite painful at times. I think I hav arthritis but hav to go docs to confirm but I tried the above combo on myself and within an hour my joints had gone right down and the pain had ceased. I was amazed. Anyway both are cheap so might be worth a go. I get fiv litres for eleven quid off amazon and the boswellia comes from naturalhorsesupplies.co.uk.
 
Hi Claribella,

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I've heard good things about boswellia in the past - I think that's also in the TEN Challenged Joints supplement, but not sure on levels, etc.

Lots of people use supplements as preventative measures, but when there's a genuine serious problem it's so hard to know what actually really makes a positive difference. I know she can't be cured but anything that controls things for her is worth investigation to me.
 
does she have shoes on? taking them off is supposed to help arthritis reduces the concussion.

agree with the oil, you can get big sacks of micronised linseed from charnwood milling for under £30 delivered.

If you do a search on joint supplements on this forum you should find some suggestions. I use suppleaze gold which is good.

Do you give her bute? You could always try "no bute" I've heard good reports about that, I think it's going to be a bit of trial and error so see what suits her :)
 
The thing with a lot of the name brands is that they contain fillers so you are only getting small amounts of the specific plant. I ran out of boswellia a while ago so had to buy an off the shelf. I went with alpha bute but it was no where near as good as pure boswellia as there wasn't much in the pot. I know what you mean though. I guess it might b a case of trial and error maybe. Good luck
 
I have tried a range of different brands from Equine America,Naff and Mobi4 and cosequin,but by far the best product i found is Feedmarks Extraflex with rose hips,wonderful stuff and has made a big difference.I have added Zero bute now the ground is hard for additional comfort.Unfortunately it is difficult to predict what will work as all drugs and supplements will have idiosyncratic effects. At least there is no placebo effect in horses (unless they are very clever) which helps when observing the effectiveness of the product.
 
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