Hock Arthritis - does magnetic theapy work ? If not, what does ?

[Spangles]

Our pony has a bit of arthritis in her hocks and she was injected a year ago. I am just wondering if she's feeling it a little bit again, although no visible signs of lameness. I've been reading about the EQU StreamZ fetlock bands and have been put off with people saying they are a scam, no scientific evidence etc.

So, what other more natural options are out there ? I've got the PE Nano-Tec Infrared Boot Wraps that I used over the winter months to stop filling overnight but is it worth trying them whilst she is in during the day ? Just a bit worried when the warm weathe arrives whether she'll get too hot ?

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

It is entirely possible that the medication is wearing off. We have used Ice Vibe hock boots successfully in the yard before.

 

[Twohorses]

Magnetic therapy never worked on me. The equine products are too expensive for me to waste money to see if they would work on a horse

Ditto the ice hock boots during warm weather.

Also, FWIW, my 25 yr old was diagnosed with "dry hocks" during his spring physical. I have him on "EquiThrive-Joint". It has Resveratrol as the main ingredient. There have been clinical studies.

It is a U.S. product BUT I found it on this UK website.

https://animalshop.co.uk/product/equithrive-joint-2-lb/

You can go to EquiThrive's home website and read their research links

My horse has only been on this product for a month, so it's too soon to tell much. I will say that he seems to be "gathering" his hind legs up when he steps out of the barn in the morning -- he has to step down when he leaves the barn.

The only other oral product I have seen any measure of improvement with arthritis is "Cosequin ASU", another U.S. product so I'm not sure you can get it

My horses come in at night. Their stalls have about 10" of limestone crush, mats on top of that, about 4" of shavings on that. It seems to give them enough cushion to help.

Also, if your horse has a long tail, either keep it bagged at night (when they are most likely to lay down) or cut it above the fetlock so he can't step on it when getting up.

Sometimes struggling to get up,with sore hocks, makes a horse twist, then step on the tail and not only pull the tail out but do damage at the top where the tail meets the tail bone.

I know this from experience -- broke my heart to cut my horse's tail as it drug the ground by six inches but I'm too old to be taking extra time to wrap/unwrap a tail, so I cut it

I hope you find something that works

 

[Steerpike]

I have just recently put some EQU stream bands on one of my horses, her fetlocks were warm and puffy due to arthritis,the following day you could definitely tell a difference, she is out at night and in during the day. I'm not sure how long they will work for but for now they seem to be doing something.

 

[Nari]

I think they work for some & not others. I noticed a difference in my welsh cob who would pull out of the stable in the morning very stiff, he's also better if he wears them all the time rather than just overnight. I guess you could try the cheaper Equine Magnetix ones to begin with, a friend has had good results wuith them, but they aren't designed for 24/7 use.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

My WelshDx responded extremely well to magnetic wraps, the difference after the first 24 hrs was amazing but although other horses have tried them since then, none of the others have shown much response.

 

[MyBoyChe]

My highland seems to benefit from magnetic wraps on the front and the PE hock wraps on the back. He is just starting to show signs of a little bit of stiffness is he's in overnight or the weathers horrid so started using them this winter, I dont leave them on overnight but for a couple of hours in the early evening. Whilst hes out 24/7 I dont bother to use them but if he is stabled for part of the day they always go on

 

[TPO]

I had equistream bands for a TB and mum had them for her horse.

Mums horse was night and day with them on and there was a marked improvement on his movement with them on and yoi could see the different when he lost them (they were both living out). Didnt make the slightest bit of difference to my TB that we could see.

A previous vet recommended magnets for my TB. I cant say I put much value in them but I bought him the PE stable wraps and he wore them at night during winter. I can't say that I noticed any difference.

 

[blitznbobs]

There is no evidence that magnets work better than placebo - there is some evidence for long use of omega 3 oils and chondroitin and glucosamine

 

[Cinnamontoast]

My vet recommended Devils Claw and Boswelia, I started both yesterday, on top of one Danilon daily.

If you can go for the injection again, do so. I can't due to a huge splint over the joint, plus bone chips in the hock.

I've never seen much difference with the use of magnets, I've got bioflow boots. Useful to keep the area warm, but that's about it, I'd say.

 

[Lucky788]

I have just recently put some EQU stream bands on one of my horses, her fetlocks were warm and puffy due to arthritis,the following day you could definitely tell a difference, she is out at night and in during the day. I'm not sure how long they will work for but for now they seem to be doing something.

I also have EQU stream plus another cheaper brand and I really do think they help, equ stream are worth the money as so adjustable and a great fit, they also sell replacement straps for very little if like mine they fall apart after 2 years of constant use
The cheaper ones are ok but bulky. I have certainly noticed a difference with my horse this winter

 

[SEL]

I saw no improvements with the bands on either of my horses but I think the Arc Equine helped. I say 'think' because the horse has multiple issues and sometimes I wonder if there would have been improvements anyway!

 

[pippixox]

My horse was diagnosed with hock arthritis aged 15, 6 years ago. For a few years he had them injected at 6 month intervals. At 5 months you noticed subtle increase in stiffness. But after a few years they didn’t seem to do much and I’d stopped any schooling anyway.

He tends to swell a bit and stiffen up if in for a bit so I used wraps or bandages to help.

Other than that I just keep him warm and out as much as possible as long as not deep or very slippy as he twists his back legs a lot. The more he is out the better

Maybe some things work. I borrowed magnet wraps and they didn’t seem to be any different to normal wraps

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

There is no clinical study that proves magnetic therapy works & magnetic therapy boots, poll guard, hock boots & rugs are very expensive however it seems to work on some horses, namely on my horses. My wife snuck off & bought some & we've actually found that it works, specially the poll guard on one of ours that has a tendency to worry in the ring & sometimes spook. It seems to chill him out.
As for various joint potions & lotions my vet told me a few years ago that the best way to sort out joints is to medicate them by injection. It's the most cost effective & also effective way to sort them out. He said he sells joint compounds because people want them, but injection is by far the best way to help the horse out.

 

[ester]

If injecting helped, and it was a year ago why not inject again?

I used boswellia pre-injection but we injected because it was insufficient after a while.

 

[JenTaz]

My horse was diagnosed with arthiritis in october and was injected both steroids and a drug called hyrdogel, its meant to be better than steroids as it doesn't break down, may be worth speaking to your vet about? However it was expensive £200 an injection :/