Preventing arthritis? Is is possible and worth doing?

[SpruceRI]

I currently feed Cortaflex for my 14yr old mare. Bought it last year because she was 'feeling the ground' and someone suggested it would help.

Don't know whether it ever did because then we had loads of rain and the ground softened.

The grounds' been soft all this year, though I've kept feeding her the Cortaflex throughout her competition season for support.

She's never shown any signs of arthritis or stiffness, so do you think I'm wasting my money?

I don't feed it to her in the winter because she doesn't do much.

It's just hard to know what to do!

 

[conniegirl]

we feed oils and cortaflex, it realy realy helps my 26 yearolds.
One judge in the show ring asked me to show her his teeth to prove he was 26 and not in his early teens as she thought he was. This 26 year old feels and looks so good that he has yet to be placed outside the top 3 in a veteran class and he DEMANDS to be taken for a hack. If you take the others he stands at the gate and screams untill you come and get him. He chirps right up when you produce a saddle and bridle. if you dont bring him in and tack him up and take him with you he sulks big time. Even the vet says he is no stiffer then your average 15 yearold dispite being more then 10 years older.

 

[alicedove]

I know of some producers who feed cortaflex to all youngsters (top level event prospects) as a rule. I think they do this as a prevention.

I would feed it intermittently with a month or two break every two or three months, apparently the gut could build up a resistance to absorbing it as well otherwise.

Since I had it recommended by a good vet once for a teenage horse feeling his feet, and it slightly worked (I think!) I would use it. I reckon only on signs of arthritis though, rather than as a prevention. Not sure on the prevention thing, its very expensive and I really don't know whether my horses do enough to warrant it, or to bring on earlier conditions.

Do you think that the MSM and Condroitin, etc would be present in good feed/forage?

 

[conniegirl]

my 26 yearold is very very fat! hence he doesnt get much feed so he gets cortaflex.

 

[Blizzard]

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my 26 yearold is very very fat! hence he doesnt get much feed so he gets cortaflex.

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That doesnt make sense?!

cortaflex isnt a substitute for vitamins and minerals...and if your elderly horse is very very fat, that extra strain on his heart and joints will be doing a lot more harm than feeding cortaflex will compensate for.

To answer te OP, I feed the equine america £13.99 glucosamine plus MSN to both horses, one because he is geting stiff at nearly 19, and one because although he is young he is 17.3hh and i worry about the extra strain being put on his joints.

 

[Puppy]

[ QUOTE ]
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my 26 yearold is very very fat! hence he doesnt get much feed so he gets cortaflex.

[/ QUOTE ]

That doesnt make sense?!

cortaflex isnt a substitute for vitamins and minerals...and if your elderly horse is very very fat, that extra strain on his heart and joints will be doing a lot more harm than feeding cortaflex will compensate for.

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Ditto!

I have fed my older horses, and dog, and myself cortaflex for some time. I think it's wonderful stuff

 

[Charlie77]

My boy was diagnosed with mild arthritis of the coffin joint in the spring he was only 12, If I could turn back time I would have used some thing right from the start, He has always been fed linseed oil though, I think in reflection (Prevention is better than cure) and it might be expensive but then so were the x rays & HA injections at the time of diagnosis, I clocked up a bill of just over £1000. & he's now on very expense supplements! But then my old mare worked hard right in to her mid 20s with no problems & she did twice the work that he ever did, I guess some times your just unlucky?