Best way to manage an old horse with arthritis

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Ruftysdad

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Rufty recently has struggled a bit to get up after lying down.He has always loved a long snooze rather than standing up and creating a leg. However this means he gets very stiff and when he gets up he is very doddery for a few strides. He is sound when ridden but still a bit stiff. Vet says daily Bute, half a sachet twice a day plus gentle riding. He is already on Devils Claw. Any suggestions on what else I can do to keep him comfortable and in light work? He is 24 and has managed Cushings
 
Does he live out? It literally gave mine many extra years, when stabled he seized up. I would take the vets advice and stick him on bute, on a low dose they can take it for years with no significant side effects.
 
Go with bute - I had an oldie on it for a couple of years, really helped reduce his stiffness. Also keep stabling to a minimum, they're much better being able to move about outside.
 
Rufty is out 24/7 at the moment but of course I have to be Lami aware. Thanks for all the responses. He enjoys being ridden so I want to keep him in work as long as possible. Any views on the efficacy of Devils Claw?
 
I haven't tried Devil's Claw. Living out is the thing that helped my arthritic horse the most, followed by turmeric. I do also use a more expensive supplement called Yumove, which I do think helps a bit as well. But if he is stabled, or the time I ran out of turmeric, I really noticed the difference in his movement. He doesn't have any bute - the vet did recommend it about 3 years ago but so far have managed not to need it at all, although I will do later when necessary. He is 19.
 
I also rate Yumove. If he needs more help than a supplement I'd say Bute as the vet suggested. I've also used Boswellia which I noticed a difference with, but didnt notice so much with devils claw.
 
Ruftysdad said:
Rufty is out 24/7 at the moment but of course I have to be Lami aware. Thanks for all the responses. He enjoys being ridden so I want to keep him in work as long as possible. Any views on the efficacy of Devils Claw?
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I have a PRE with arthritis in one hock, i started him on good quality turmeric 2 years ago and had great results , on vets advice this winter i added a minimum dose of Devils Claw( i decided on the actual root form rather than powder or liquid) and he improved even more. I researched it thoroughly and views were mixed regarding continuous use (possibility of causing ulcers), better to use in winter and leave off in warmer weather if possible. If my understanding was correct , you have to be careful with adding other prescription drugs for pain/ inflammation relief. It definitely worked but i cannot give you a comparison against buting as iv'e not tried it. Iv'e taken him off the DC since April, left him on his turmeric and added a dose of Boswelia, he is doing really well so far with this combination. I also keep a tube of Compagel and massage a bit into his hock after a ride. He sounds like yours, very stiff until he's up and moving, fine at the moment out hacking but i'm careful with what he does now. Perhaps try adding some turmeric and boswelia and see how he does on that. x
 
Re Devils Claw - I've used various versions over the years, and the only one that made a difference was Harpagyl (made by Audevard). I've got one who I use tactical bute on, and found that I didn't need to when he was on Harpagyl
 
My horse was diagnosed twelve years ago and is still in light ridden work, this is encouraged by the vet.

He currently is on one danilon a day and on turmeric. I use the global Herb one and add black pepper and oil. In the winter when the ground is softer i take him down to one danilon every other day.

I am a firm believer that supplements only take you so far and after that tried and tested analgesics are needed. Especially when you reach the point the animal is having difficulty getting up. The combination of the two in my experience works well. The danilon prices out about the same as DC really.

Management can help, short, sweet regular riding, no trotting on roads and hard ground. Keeping them at a lower weight to reduce stress. I've found acupuncture helps to. We took up dressage and did more school work in the summer months to avoid the hard ground.

My lad is in fine form ***touches wood*** and still sound when ridden.

When I was given the Danilon I was told that the maximum dosage I could give was 4 in one day. We started on that and slowly after several weeks reduced it down to one every other day. It stayed there was a number of years. The vet allows me to change my dosage to reflect what I'm doing. Currently one a day, I could up it if he needed it or we were doing more.
one a day is a small dosage, you could speak to your vet.
If he is stiff this time of year I would also be getting the vet out for a look and a chat as it would concern me. You might be having trouble i the winter.
hope all is ok.
 
The vet only came out yesterday, hence my questions. I think I will now drop the Devils Claw and see how he responds to the Bute and perhaps Turmuric
 
Definitely living out if possible would help. I use Aviform Suppleaze Gold which I found had a really good effect on him and I give him Bute on the day before, the day of and the day after riding him.
 
Ruftysdad said:
The vet only came out yesterday, hence my questions. I think I will now drop the Devils Claw and see how he responds to the Bute and perhaps Turmuric
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Cool,

With Ffin, he was struggling to walk in from the field at night, I was thinking about putting him to sleep. I tried the turmeric as a last option, within a week he was bowling me over and cantering in. It worked so well on him I now take it myself for my knees :D

I've found that if its going to help it does so quite quickly.
 
You could try Cartophen? We used it for our old boy, who had arthritis all round, and it kept him comfortable. It's not cheap but we noticed a real difference in him, coupled with living out.
 
Those who use bute, how long does it take from the horse eating it to having its maximum effect? My oldie gets hacked out a couple of times a week and gets half a bute a day as he's a bit stiff at times. I'd like to time it so when he does get hacked out it's at its most effective if this is possible. He doesn't show any unlevelness but he does move forward more freely when he's had some.
 
I have my old girl on Boswellia and Nil-bute (Devils Claw, MSM and Yucca) and this combo seems to have made a huge difference.

The only time I see her struggle now is if she is out in heavy rain. She can stiffen up quite a lot after that and would need a Danilon in her tea (doesn't like being stabled even in a downpour!).
 
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