devils claw vs bute

[PonyIAmNotFood]

How powerful is devils claw compared to bute? Not too worried about side effects, pony this is about is elderly so liver damage etc is too far in the future for it to apply. So yeah, does it work on chronic lameness and stiffness that are controlled currently with bute? Would you feed them together? Does devil claw actually work? Cortaflex and no bute made no difference whatsoever. Thanks in advance :-D

 

[competitiondiva]

My vet does not believe devils claw has any effect whatsoever, and personally i've used equine answers joint plus supplement which has devils claw and saw no difference in stiffness/lameness whereas on just gluccossamine and bute I can see a difference. Also I'm not sure that devils claw is even cheaper than bute, so not saving anything. I've currently got my mare on vetvits gluccossamine/chondroitin and of the joint supplements i've used this is the only one that's shown any improvement in the horse (btw I feed constantly at the loading dose (ok'd by vet)) and even then price wise is one of the cheaper ones out there!

 

[Nudibranch]

No Bute is a devil's claw supplement.

I have found it pretty effective for two arthritics, one has been on it for several years on and off (I don't think you are supposed to use it at the same dose permanently). I increase and decrease the dose according to how she looks and it seems to keep her comfortable. Sometimes she doesn't need any at all for a few weeks.

I wouldn't feel happy using bute or even Danilon like that. Even for an oldie, you don't know how much longer they'll be around - it could be another 10 years or more! I'd hate to think I'd ruined their last years with liver problems. There are various devil's claw supplements around, NAF make one for example, so you might just need to try a few and see if any are more effective for yours.

 

[PonyIAmNotFood]

He's Deffo not got another 10 years, i think i might try glucosamine again, tho that's what's in Cortaflex which he was on for a year and made no difference. He might just be beyond supplements :-/

 

[Mynstrel]

Have a look at Boswellia, we've found that effective for creaky joints & it's more gentle on the system than bute or devil's claw. It's the alternative active ingredient to devil's claw in some mobility supplements but we've found it good just using it straight - cheaper too!

You can find plenty of info you google it.

Another vote for vet vits joint supplement too - although cortaflex is the one we'd have everybody on if cost didn't have to be considered

 

[Magnetic Sparrow]

Supplements work on some horses and not others. I had one elderly gelding who became a different horse when given No Bute. It was brilliant. Hasn't worked nearly as well for my elderly mare.

I've known other horses kept on the road (comfortable and sound) on a modest dose of bute. Whatever works imho.

 

[indie999]

I tried it and thought it was rubbish just sugary stuff. Sorry

 

[horseandshoes77]

iv found a real difference using boswellia, its apparently stronger than devils claw and it seems to work for mine, i buy it from naturalhorsesupplies via ebay

 

[somethingorother]

From what i have seen when used on an old arthritic gelding, devils claw (liquid) certainly made a difference. Bute worked better but sometimes a little too well actually and he would forget his age and gallop about like a plonker too much. The devils claw seemed to ease him enough to be comfortable but didn't mask the pain if he pushed himself too much.

Worth a go if you've tried other products with no effect anyway.

 

[hairycob]

I tried devils claw on an old arthritic pony & it had no effect. On half a bute he was so much more comfortable. Really, a low dose of bute won't hurt him for years & if he needs a high dose long term it's decision time. Don't forget that Devils Claw does have it's side effects as well & these can include things like stomach ulcers.

 

[tallyho!]

i have used dc to good effect but got told that acv was a good long term joint supplement... my dad actually said to try it, i usually ignore anything he says .

Anyway, I ran out of dc and thought i would carry on with 50ml x2 a day with the acv (I had been mixing it 50/50) and his stiffness was better than it was on bute, HLA, Glc and msm! Even my trainer commented how supple he was and I wasn't upping his work or anything. His occasional clicks all but disappeared too.

It is supposed to be an old wives tale but i found it to be amazing.