Coffin joint arthritis in 8 yr old

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lynsey1808

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I have an 8 yr old gelding who has just been diagnosed with arthritis of the coffin joint. He will be starting a course of Adequan and will have steroid injections also.
Can I have experiences good or bad please, particularly in younger horses.
My vet has said she sees know reason why he can't go back to his original level of work but as always I guess every horse is different.
Im gutted as he is so young so am hoping for some rays of light!!
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We tried steroid injections (with 1mth box rest simulaneously because he wouldn't stay quiet with turnout) in my four year old and he got 95% better (which the vets were delighted with!) so has now been turned away for 3mths and we are using Cosequin supplement (£135 a tub
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but SOO worth it if it works
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Yup my vet seemed to think that Synequin and Cosequin are literally the ONLY joint supplements worth spending money on because they have been regulated (in order to be sold through vets)

My vet warned that anything on the open market is totally unregulated, so you cannot guarantee what's on the label is in the tub (or that what is on the label isn't total piffle anyway!)

I realise I could get shot at for posting this but ultimately I pay for my vets professional advice and, on this occasion, I can also genuinely see his logic
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My boy was diagnosed with this exactly 2 years ago - not identical to your case tho as he was 20 at the time. The symptoms came on fairly quickly and he was very lame with it.

He had steroid injections and they were like a miracle. I was honestly thinking of PTS but he came sound again - and still is. He did have a 'top-up' of the injections after a year as he started to feel a little bit unlevel.

I did follow the vet's instructions to the letter - no box rest needed, but turn out in a small paddock and then the introduction of a structured exercise programme.

My boy was semi-retired when it happened, but he is still full of beans. I am just a lot more careful now of the ground as regards fast work. Hope your boy does as well as mine did. Good luck.
 
Didn't have arthritis as such in coffin joint but had a bony spur (which I guess is the start of it on the coffin joint) which showed after a lameness work up at the vets. Had HA injected into it and never looked back, but I wasn't entirely convinced it was this that was making him lame in the first place as he had a slight active splint at the time, although the nerve blocks pointed to the foot. He was 2-3 10ths lame in the n/s fore especially noticeable from walk to trot and back to walk transitions, canter and jumping he was fine. I think the injections and adequan are usually very useful and work very well, but each horse is different. Good luck, sorry I cant be more helpful x
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Thank you all for your responses and messages of Good Luck, I'm hoping for the best and glad to hear of people going on to do normal things with their horses!!
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My mare was diagnosed with DJD in the coffin joint 3 years ago when she was only 8. We didn't have the course of adequan but had steroid injections done into both front feet straight away on the vets advise. She then had Cortavet and been on cortaflex ever since.

And my OH's gelding has arthritic changes in the same area, he had the adequan jabs 6mths ago and is now on synequin and it is working great for him.

Both of them are in full work and able to cope with all the things they did before so fingers crossed your boy will come right as well.
 
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