Joint Supplements

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joan

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Hi all:
My horse has a moderate spavin in his left hind which has been treated by the vet with an injection of anti-inflamatory etc etc. He is now on 3 weeks quiet work. I have trawled thru previous posts and found some good info on supplements but wonder if anyone can tell me whether Pernamax (extract from green lipped mussels) will do anything to improve the cartilage rather than just help with inflamation and pain relief. Some joint supplements claim to help arrest the degeneration in the joint. Mobifor apparently has vet strength ingredients and is worth thinking about. The makers of Pernamax are so confident about it that they say you will see results within a week or 10 days. Has anyone experience of either of these products?? <font color="purple"> </font>
 
I've got my horse on Pernamax to try help with his ligament injury (hind suspensory and collateral in right fore). I have to say I don't have experience using it for cartilage but it does seem to have helped my boy. His feet have not been hot and he's slowing coming back into work. It is hard to say whether it's due to the tablets or not but I would recommend trying. My mum did a lot of research on it and she decided it was worth a try.
 
If your looking for a nuracutical (sp) sort of thing then i use devils claw based products. not sure if this will improve cartilage, it will help with pain.

You need glucosamine and chondritin (sp) to help the joint regenerate.

(sorry bout my spelling, i SHOULD be packing to go away, so mind is a little overloaded!)
 
Hi there,
No joint supplement will ever completely arrest joint degeneration. Although they are extremely beneficial who ever claims that is way off the mark.
Glucosamine, MSM, and Chondroitin are heavily scientifically backed. they will aid in restoration of damages joint tissue, help prevent further damage and will slow the degeneration process down. Degeneration is a natural process so you will never stop it completely. However some horses joints age faster than ther chronical age and by feeding a joint supplement you can slow this process down so that damage isn't outweighing the repair phase.
Be careful on reading too much into claims. Everyone will claim to be great because they want your business. Whether they are good or not is in solid facts.

Anyone could claim to have vet strength ingriedients so this really doesn't hold up to much. Mobifor isn't as great as you may think.
It reccomends a daily dose rate of 25ml which would provide 5g of Glucosamine, 3.2g MSM, and only 0.8g (800mg) of Chondroitin. This would cost you £26.35 and last you 40 days. This dose rate is considerably under what is required to have a significant impact on a horse and there are other supplements that far exceed that dosing level for around the same price.
Pernamax is a form of Glucosamine in itself so again the dosing levels would be the same as with the other compounds. You would need to feed it at 10g daily pure compound to get a significant impact.
The most beneficial compounds to feed with regards to joint conditions are Glucosamine and MSM. Chondroitin is also useful but perhaps not as important as the other two and considerably more expensive.
If you are on a budget you should therefore go for a supplement with just Glucosamine and MSM in it as this will be much cheaper. If budget isn't an issue then you can go with one with Chondroitin in it as well.
There is one easy rule to follow when doing your research. The joint supplement that provides the highest daily dose for your horse regardless of cost or brand is the best supplement to feed.
Hope this helps a bit. Godd luck
 
I have a horse who has suffered serious cartledge trauma and been operated on.

After independant reasearch done by my vet and my horses specialist surgeon i was told to use the newmarket joint supplement. He also advied i feed her green lipped muscle as thats being clinily trialed at the moment as is proving sucessful so i feed her her green lipped mussle at 2000mg a day. I dont buy stupidly expensive horse ones i get it from holland and barrett ( its half price untill the 3rd may too so it works out at just £6 a month)

The damaged cartledge is replaced by a more fiberious tissue and many supplements claim to help but the the NJS is the purest.

I have thus far had great results * touch wood * and have just started rinding again after a year and am doing a bit of dressage.
 
You need to be careful buying human supplements for horses. Most of the human Glucosamine is sold in Glucosamine Sulphate form. Horses should be fed Glucosamine Hydrochloride. This is because of the complexity of the horses gut. Basically not much Glucosamine Sulphate gets absorbed where as Glucosamine Hydrochloride yields considerably more active molecules.
Be careful with the New Market joint supplement. It does have a good spec but a lot of vets earn a lot of money from selling it. there are other products with just as good a spec out there, and possibly cheaper.
The Green Lipped muscles will show that it works in clinical trials because it is a form of Glucosamine which we all know already has huge scientific backing. I wold therefore not spend excessive money on it and you really shouldn't need it in addition to Glucosamine. I would say it's an either or scenario.
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monstermunch you sound very knowledgeable.

I have a question. How can we be sure that what these companies say is in their product, really is? This is what worries me most. I have done a lot of research and this is my fear. How can one company eg Riaflex Complete HA (product, not company sorry) offer a hi-spec product so much cheaper than Synequine, for instance?
 
I know it can be pricey but i swear by Cortaflex..! Having tried the newmarket vets supplement.. naf superflex.. aviform... glucosamine.. but have found it to be the best for my boy!

He is 17 and last year i put him on Cortaflex and it really made him feel great. We competed in Cross Country and all sorts, i'm always careful with him but he hasn't had a stiff day in ages!!

I'm not sure of the scientific back up in it all.. but different things work for different horses, its just trial and error to find what best suits yours.

Good luck!
 
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