Tell me about your artheritic horses please :)

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samhorse

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Hi guys. I would like to hear about all your atheritic horses. What are they on supplement wise, do they have good days and bad days, what are their routines?

My mare is late 20's, she's not ridden, will not be stabled... would rather kill herself than go in one. She has DJD / artheritis. She has good days and bad days as in the way she moves. The mud really knocks her for six as does the cold and right now she is struggling. Still bright in herself and clears her grub, carts me round on the end of her lead rope, can up and down from rolling.

Vets have said her legs will give out on her before the rest her gives up and basically so long as I can afford to keep her comfy I'm not being unkind to keep her going... She gets bute on a very low does, increases doasgage when she needs it and in summer normally has none, she has a joint supp, oil in her feed and I keep her extra warm at the mo.

Just interested in your stories to see if I can do more.

x
 
My sister's old cob has a really arthritic knee, she is out most of the time. Maintenance dose of bute, not ridden, in fact, sounds very similar to yours. I'm not sure there's a great lot more you can do, as long as she can still get around and seems happy, we just let her live out her life as much as she can x
 
I have a 32 year old, I had been keeping her out 24/7 until this year as a) she hated being stabled and b) she was less stiff. She did not winter that well last year and cannot now eat hay or haylage sufficiently well so had started to drop off. This year I have brought her in at night, instead of a haynet she gets a large tub trug full of Just Grass and a mushy 'hard' feed made up of soaked alfalfa pellets, speedibeat and veteran mix, she also gets Litovet joint supplement, she is keeping weight well on this regime and the farrier commented yesterday that she was much less stiff and could actually keep her foot up on the pedestal when normally she can't. She has been on the Litovet for around 8 weeks now and I am NEVER taking her off it. It is made from Rosehips and is also chock full of Vit C which is good for muscle and lung function too - love it!
 
sleepykitten said:
My sister's old cob has a really arthritic knee, she is out most of the time. Maintenance dose of bute, not ridden, in fact, sounds very similar to yours. I'm not sure there's a great lot more you can do, as long as she can still get around and seems happy, we just let her live out her life as much as she can x
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Thank you sleepykitten :)

Amaranta said:
I have a 32 year old, I had been keeping her out 24/7 until this year as a) she hated being stabled and b) she was less stiff. She did not winter that well last year and cannot now eat hay or haylage sufficiently well so had started to drop off. This year I have brought her in at night, instead of a haynet she gets a large tub trug full of Just Grass and a mushy 'hard' feed made up of soaked alfalfa pellets, speedibeat and veteran mix, she also gets Litovet joint supplement, she is keeping weight well on this regime and the farrier commented yesterday that she was much less stiff and could actually keep her foot up on the pedestal when normally she can't. She has been on the Litovet for around 8 weeks now and I am NEVER taking her off it. It is made from Rosehips and is also chock full of Vit C which is good for muscle and lung function too - love it!
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Amaranta I haven't heard of litovet before. I am about to look it up. Thank you x
 
One of my boys has osteoarthritis in both stifles and it's spreading down his legs. I took him on as a companion a couple of years ago and he's happy with his job! He's currently on joint eclipse and no bute. He has previously had both stifles operated on. He wears bioflow boots at night, which do help a great deal. He also is full of life when out, loves going out and is very playful with my tb.

However, this past week he's been stiff a bit when coming in from field, on and off, one day he's fine, the next, takes him a little while to lift his near hind leg so I can pick foot out. He's had a bute tonight and getting the vet out to see what options are pain relief wise. Hoping for a physio referral also. He regularly gets treated by a mctimoney, and I have a hand held equissage which I use every other night, although last night he wasn't overally keen on it, which isn't like him, he tends to lean into it!! He's only 10yo but is a big boy at 17hh and 760kgs. I know his legs will be killer for him but at the moment he's pretty happy and as far as I'm aware loves life!!

Just hoping once vet comes out he'll find something to make him comfortable again until the spring comes. I'll never let him suffer and if I thought he was I would pts but I'm not convinced its his time yet. I think because he's such a big boy also he won't have years but this past week has really taken its toll!! I do find though he has his bad days and good days, and up until now he's not needed bute.
 
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Amaranta said:
She has been on the Litovet for around 8 weeks now and I am NEVER taking her off it. It is made from Rosehips and is also chock full of Vit C which is good for muscle and lung function too - love it!
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The joint eclipse I feed is made from rosehips also, they really do work!! Never heard of litovet, will look into!! :)
 
My girls also on Devils Claw, recommended years ago by my back lady. Not sure if it works or not but it is inexspensive and she eats it
 
bumblelion said:
One of my boys has osteoarthritis in both stifles and it's spreading down his legs. I took him on as a companion a couple of years ago and he's happy with his job! He's currently on joint eclipse and no bute. He has previously had both stifles operated on. He wears bioflow boots at night, which do help a great deal. He also is full of life when out, loves going out and is very playful with my tb.

However, this past week he's been stiff a bit when coming in from field, on and off, one day he's fine, the next, takes him a little while to lift his near hind leg so I can pick foot out. He's had a bute tonight and getting the vet out to see what options are pain relief wise. Hoping for a physio referral also. He regularly gets treated by a mctimoney, and I have a hand held equissage which I use every other night, although last night he wasn't overally keen on it, which isn't like him, he tends to lean into it!! He's only 10yo but is a big boy at 17hh and 760kgs. I know his legs will be killer for him but at the moment he's pretty happy and as far as I'm aware loves life!!

Just hoping once vet comes out he'll find something to make him comfortable again until the spring comes. I'll never let him suffer and if I thought he was I would pts but I'm not convinced its his time yet. I think because he's such a big boy also he won't have years but this past week has really taken its toll!! I do find though he has his bad days and good days, and up until now he's not needed bute.
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I hope your vet visit goes, my girl had hers a couple of weeks ago and I dreaded it just incase he said it was cruel to keep her going. So long as they are bright and happy and not in distress and excessive pain then I don't see why we can't keep them as lawn mowers. I can wait till spring, I know my girl will improve greatly, I'm just questioning if she'll get there right now as she is in a bad patch with all this mud and cold. Good luck and let us know what your vet says xx
 
Little Lad is getting on in years. We reckon he's in his early twenties-ish.

Arthritic in all four legs now. Last winter he was bad and I should have had him pts then. Me bad :(. But since then he's improved in all ways! When the forecast was very bad (snow due in November!) I had the vet booked and we made ready to say goodbye, but the bad weather didn't come and the vet was very pleased with how he was looking and moving :D.

He was on one Bute a day for a couple of months or so - took him off to see what the arthritis was doing, and he's been fine :D. Now he just gets a Bute if the forecast is bad. He's out 24/7, rugged as his coat isn't as good as it was, plus he shivers like a jelly in heavy rain.

I was looking at magnetic boots the other day, but having seen him galloping across the field the other day and play fighting with his mate, Little Cob, I don't think we'll need them for a while :D
 
I have looked at magnetic boots in the past and have a pair of bioflow, they did work wonders on one of my others but this mare can't have them as she has screws in her leg (she broke it years ago), I can honestly say that the Litovet is the only thing that has really helped her, so much so that I have tried the human version (I have a dodgy hip), it worked so well that it stopped hurting for the first time in about 5 years and because I am rubbish at taking stuff I keep forgetting to take it, then my hip reminds me and I throw some more down myself in a very sporadic fashion lol.

I am MUCH better at remembering to give it to the horses :rolleyes:
 
Hmm that does look interesting, but apparently it is the GOPO in the Litovet that has the anti-inflammatory effect, they have apparently patented the extraction process.

I did loads of research (I am an avid label reader!) when I was looking and I discovered some fairly alarming facts about additives for horses, one of the things that swung it for me is that Litovet (at the time) was the only supplement that had been double blind placebo trialled, published and peer reviewed, I believe they are currently testing the efficacy of green lip muscle extract in horses so there will shortly be 2 joint supplements that have been properly trialled, however I have yet to meet a horse that would choose to eat shellfish! Glucosamine, MSM et al have never been properly trialled no matter what some manufacturers would have us believe, I personally find this quite shocking, aside from that the BMA last year ran trials on humans - the results were 'inconclusive' in that there was no real proof that it worked.

Yes, I am an anorak :o
 
Amaranta said:
Hmm that does look interesting, but apparently it is the GOPO in the Litovet that has the anti-inflammatory effect, they have apparently patented the extraction process.

I did loads of research (I am an avid label reader!) when I was looking and I discovered some fairly alarming facts about additives for horses, one of the things that swung it for me is that Litovet (at the time) was the only supplement that had been double blind placebo trialled, published and peer reviewed, I believe they are currently testing the efficacy of green lip muscle extract in horses so there will shortly be 2 joint supplements that have been properly trialled, however I have yet to meet a horse that would choose to eat shellfish! Glucosamine, MSM et al have never been properly trialled no matter what some manufacturers would have us believe, I personally find this quite shocking, aside from that the BMA last year ran trials on humans - the results were 'inconclusive' in that there was no real proof that it worked.

Yes, I am an anorak :o
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Just looking deeper into that rosehip link now... I know my other half will have a heart attack at the price of Litovet... but if it works I can bash the credit card. Broken down over months i know it is not actually that pricey but it's just trying to juggle everything... Hmmm must check my lottery ticket! xx
 
my mare had arthritis in her hocks and her knees she was on quarterflex and then on bute which I increased/decreased depending on how she was. She also had stable wraps on at night. She had a very bad winter last winter and dropped a lot of weight and really struggled in the mud, wet and cold I had her PTS in May in hindsight I should have had her put to sleep before the winter and never put her through another. Good luck
 
Thank you for your replies so far guys. I appreciate every single one. I have given myself brain over load doing research tonight so will be heading to bed soon. To any one who posts after I'm gone, thank you! xx
 
I havnt heard of this one litovet thanks for sharing. I will look into getting some for mine. I fed mine 600ml of sunflower oill spilt into two feeds, Bowesilla sp?? Msm joint supp it seems to be working so far. I have upper his oill intake during the colder months. And making sure he is warm enough.
 
My pony has arthritis in her stifle. She is paddock lame and lives out with my other cripple 24/7. She is worse if she is brought in, as she gets too stiff in the stable.she is on 1 bute a day and has been for the last few years. The main issue we have at the moment I'd when the farrier visits to trim her feet she gets herself in a bit of a twissel over it as she doesn't like picking her hind feet up. It's indcredible how strong a 28 year old 14hh pony can be when she wants too...! Other then that she us absolutely happy as larry. She's worked out a more comfortable way to get up after having a roll ( bum first!) so whilst she is happy and enjoying life I see no reason to have her pts imminently.
 
My pony has arthritic hocks. He is kept moving, goes out in a no-muddy field every day, and gets walked inhand 3-4 times a week. I have found this gentle walking has helped his stiffness.
He gets cider vinegar and cortaflex in his feed, which helps him, along with danilon (1/2 a sachet in winter- hoping for less in summer)
We keep him warm and cosy, and use thermatex legwraps on cold nights like tonight.
 
Interesting post for me, as my 12hh kids pony has just been diagnosed with arthritis of R knee. she ranges from sound on bute, to almost sound off bute, and slight to medium limp on a bad day. she slightly drags R foot.
this is all very mild, and I dont know what to do.
For those of you with more experience of this condition, do you think I could bute her over the summer for my 10 year old to ride (not jumping), or do you think I should retire my beautiful, 17 year old pony.
The big problem is, she is FANTASTIC kids pony. I cant replace her.
 
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