Management of arthritis. Advice please.

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ZondaR

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My 18yo horse was diagnosed with arthritis in his hocks today. It is very mild but enough to make him uncomfortable at canter, he is fine in walk and trot. The vet recommended injections but this is an expensive course of treatment and the horse is more of a loved pet than a high level competition horse.

Can anyone recommend what supplements or homeopathy are working for them? I would love to keep him working if possible and if not then at least keep him comfortable.
 
I used Devils Claw until fairly recently when it stopped being effective. Now coming to the end of my first tub of Boswellia and he's currently *touch wood* sound again and doing well.
It smells odd, like a church as it's actually from frankincense (sp!) but my fussy eater didn't even sniff it which is really unlike him so it must taste ok! I'm definitely getting another lot for him so could recommend that.
We've been down the joint injections route aswell which at first was great but the last one didn't work at all so I've given up on them.
Good luck x
 
Cortisone injections actually kept mine sound for years at first so on a first diagnosis might be worth a try, wasn't trying to put you off but they don't work forever and I've reached that point I guess.
 
Turmeric. Needs to be accompanied by freshly ground pepper and oil (or micronized linseed) to ensure efficient absorption but check out the Turmeric Users Group on Facebook, there are dozens of reports of stiff arthritic equines making remarkable recoveries. I am just starting it with my 35 yr old arab mare with a stiff SI joint, and a big wb with developing ringbone.
 
ZondaR said:
My 18yo horse was diagnosed with arthritis in his hocks today. It is very mild but enough to make him uncomfortable at canter, he is fine in walk and trot. The vet recommended injections but this is an expensive course of treatment and the horse is more of a loved pet than a high level competition horse.

Can anyone recommend what supplements or homeopathy are working for them? I would love to keep him working if possible and if not then at least keep him comfortable.
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Gosh I must repeat this about ten times a week! (Not that I mind in the slightest).

I had my horses hocks injected with ethanol. Read this link http://www.horsesandpeople.com.au/article/ethanol-treatment-hock-arthritis-shows-promising-results

It cost £300 for both hocks and is meant to kill the nerves immediately. Whilst not all horses can have it and not all horses benefit from it, the very vast majority of horses do.

This is more expensive than injections but cheaper in the long run and more effective.

I would also feed a good joint supplement. Tumeric has been in the press a lot recently due to its supposed effectiveness with arthritis and a lot of people on this forum have had sucess with it. I am sure if you do a search for 'tumeric' you will find some links on this forum.

Good luck and never give up! :)
 
A converted Tumeric fan here, I use it for myself and my horses, I and my mare has arthritis, my mare improved on linseed so much, she came back into light work and is now on Tumeric and linseed, I can now ride for longer and am relatively pain free, this is after not having a lot of movement in my hands for years, my OH saw the difference in me and is now trying Tumeric for his bad back, with quick results, what do you have to lose by trying it
 
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I use devils claw. Go barefoot if possible, boots if needed. 24/7 turnout. For info, our latest vet newsletter advised caution with turmeric. And before anyone shouts vested interest, they are very open and equally advise against the three figure branded veterinary supplements too! Remember pain has a function- protection. Nobody wants their horse to suffer but gentle regular exercise keeps things ticking over. No point trying to disguise it then try and carry on like theres nothing wrong.
 
I initially tried Devil's Claw but didn't see any results from it. I now use a combination of Glucosamine, MSM and Boswellia (all combined into one supplement from www.naturalhorsesupplies.co.uk) which seems to be working well for my TB with spavin and arthritis of the fetlock. I think it is the Boswellia which makes the difference.
 
I would certainly medicate the hocks first. And then look at other ways of supporting the joints long term once the initial pain has been managed.

Even our 'pets' cost us money.
 
Nudibranch said:
For info, our latest vet newsletter advised caution with turmeric. And before anyone shouts vested interest, they are very open and equally advise against the three figure branded veterinary supplements too! Remember pain has a function- protection. Nobody wants their horse to suffer but gentle regular exercise keeps things ticking over. No point trying to disguise it then try and carry on like theres nothing wrong.
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Could you send me a link to the article please - is it just based on the function of pain?
 
My friend has an arthritic TB (hocks). She had steriod injections (possible what was mentioned above?) And they worked for about 6 years. She's just had them done again, and her horse seems a lot more comfortable. Slightly stiff in the AMs after stabling, but she'll be living out soon.

Ax
 
JillA said:
Could you send me a link to the article please - is it just based on the function of pain?
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No, the pain issue is not related to the article. Arthritis is chronic and progressive so although it is good to treat the pain, it does not remove the cause. So a horse which is made to work at previous work levels will continue to damage the joints. Hence light, regular exercise is best.

Here is the link to the turmeric advice

http://www.intakevets.com/blog/2014/04/april-newsletter
 
I know horses that have had injections and have gone on to be sound for years! In my boy they didn't work (lasted approx 3 months). I used Comfrey Leaf which supports bone and cartilage function (put link at the bottom) and Magnetic boots to help swelling. I've always fed my horses Cortaflex too of various strengths with different horses. I've also heard of Cortavet which is the strongest available.

http://www.naturalhorsesupplies.co.uk/p/product/0803010902-Comfrey+Leaf+900g++%A31199/
 
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