Living with Arthritis

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At the chiropractic appointment last week, I was told that one of my horses had joint concerns and he should be on a joint supplement. I've noticed he is sometimes reluctant to move around much, but then other times he is lively and boistrous. She did not mention any swelling.

In people, arthritis can come and go, so I am wondering if this is what is happening to my horse.

I plan to start him on the supplement right away, but is there anything else I should know? What questions would I ask the vet? Can he continue working in harness?

There is no lameness, just a shortening in his gait movements, as though it is uncomfortable to stretch the legs. He is in a large pasture and he and his buddy are actively moving all day; he is not stalled.

The horse will be 8 this spring.

I would appreciate anyone's experience with this.
 
If a supplement would help arthritis why is it not prescribed to people??

Painkillers and anti-inflammatories help arthritis but, as I know to my own cost, supplements do not.

MSM can help certain conditions, but not arthritis.

It either works wonders or it does not work at all, so it is often worth trying.
 
rabbitsfizz said:
If a supplement would help arthritis why is it not prescribed to people??
Um, they ARE.
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I'm on them because I saw how much they helped my old Arab and they cleared up my stiffness and cracking knees quite quickly! I'm on glucosamine, chondrotin sulfates and MSM (which, as you say, helped my mom's horse quite a bit before he died but did my fellow no good at all.) Both current horses share a supplement with all of those plus manganese and copper as well as the all-important Hyaluronic Acid and do quite well on it. I'm afraid Spyder would have been put down years ago without those supplements and I'm hoping they'll protect Kody's joints and keep him active late into his twenties.

Marsha, your horse is a bit young for arthritis problems but if the vet thinks that's what he has then let's go with that. Having dealth with Spyder's arthritis for the last 15 years (as well as my mother's) I've got some experience with the subject! *LOL* First of all, yes, he'll have good days and bad days. Cold weather will be hard on him, so will cold damp mornings most likely. Not only CAN he still work, it'll be good for him barring any other issues. My vet told me that if I retired Spyder he'd simply get stiff and sore and that working him carefully was the best thing I could do for his joints. The stronger his muscles were, the better they would support his skeleton and the healthier he'd stay overall. Think about how you feel when you first get up in the morning and treat your horse the same way- give him lots of time to warm up and stop creaking and ease him into the exercise. Once he appears to loosen up and move more freely you can work him just like normal.

Another thing that helps is stretching. Before you work him and daily if you can find the time, do a series of whole-body stretches to help keep him supple. He's stiff and creaky right now, anything you can do to help him loosen up and regain flexibility in a gentle manner is going to make him more comfortable overall.

Between stretching, supplements, careful warmups and good quality dressage work to strengthen the body you can keep an arthritic horse going for many years. Chiropractics are also helpful and I've heard good things about accupuncture too. Oh, and magnets! My big horse always got a dose of Bute after a show and before shoeing to help him with the stiffness but obviously with a mini you'd need something else. Talk to your vet about pain relief alternatives and maybe use linament or a magnetic blanket if he's really having problems in later years. I think the single biggest thing you can do right now is the supplements. I can't say enough about H.A.! Spyder got a whole new lease on life after starting that additive and Mom's horse Bo showed major improvement on it as well.

Leia
 
Awww I'm sorry your little guy has arthritis at such a young age. As a kid, I had a Quarter pony who did barrels and gymkhana and I don't think was worked in a kind way, and by the age of ten was getting pretty bad arthritis in her hind end. We did supplement with a broad-spectrum glucosamine/MSM/chondroitin type supplement and it helped her a lot, especially riding in the winter. Unfortunately she fell one morning on her "bad side" in the mud while playing and it was just the end of her increasing difficulties with arthritis, and we had to put her down (I think she was twelve years old).

It can happen to young horses unfortunately... all you can do is try to make the horse as comfortable as possible.

Andrea
 
Thanks for the replies.

The vet did not say it was arthritis--it is my own speculation since it seems to come and go. The chiropractor is the one who recommended the supplement after his treatment last week. He has never been lame--as in limping or refusing to put weight on one leg. I hear no creaks or pops when he moves.

I will remember to do a warm up and some stretches!

When my dog was on supplements, I was told it takes 6 weeks to two months to begin to see any improvement, so I hope it is that speedy with horses.

Hopefully he will be one that responds to the supplement!!
 
I've used the supplements on my horses with arthritis. It does take a couple of months to really see results. You need to start at a loading dose, which is usually double what the daily dose will be after the loading period.

The MSM/Chondroiton and Glucosamine helped my horses, and it has helped me with the osteoarthritis I have, but it does nothing for ny Rheumatoid arthritis. Some horses respond to it, others do not. You can use all 3 of the above, or just a single or 2 of the 3 in various matches until you find one that works. If you do experiment, remember that it does take a while for the results to show. It works by rebuilding the cartilage in the joints and keeping it "plump" and flexable. That takes time.
 

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