Arthritis?

[huntez]

I am hoping someone can help me please. I went to feed my horses this morning & one of them was laying in the snow. I knew there was a problem straight away. The other horses were standing a round her. I managed to get her up but her back legs was not right. I got a stable for her & walked her up to it. She had a problem walking up there. I called the vet straight away & it didn't take her to long to get to us. The vet is in Derby & I'm in Nottingham. She had a good look at her & she doesn't think it is laminitis as she couldn't feel any pulse. She said that she should be fine. I asked her if it could be arthritis & she said it could be.
The vet gave me EQUIPALZONE 1G (Bute) & to give twice a day for the first 2 day & then after that 1 a day. She as 10 days worth of it. I am worried seeing how hard it was for her to walk & with her laying in snow the way she was. The lady in the next field said that she seen her laying in the snow a few hours before that. The vet said she couldn't find anything wrong as she lifted her hoofs & moved all her legs & couldn't find anything wrong!
I am so worried as it is not normal for her. She is 16 years old & I have never seen her like this in the 6 years I have had her. She is young to be arthritic.
Any help please.

[cosmo]

My big lad was diagnosed with arthritis in the summer - he's only 10 and really low mileage for his age. Took him over to the vets as he was intermittently (sp!) lame but only on a circle in trot. Vet x rayed and found that he had quite bad arthritic changes in both front pastern and fetlock joints. He had a course of 7 adequan injections which did work out expensive but the insurance paid luckily and he's now on feedmark ExtraFlex which contains Glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM and Hyaluronic Acid and Pernamax tablets which contain Green Lipped Mussel. I've also got him on Devils Claw as a bute alternative with him being so young I didn't want him on bute long term if it wasn't completely necessary. He also has magnetic leg wraps on over night which help. Touch wood he seems to be doing really well. He flies across the field in the morning when I turn him out and doesn't look remotely stiff.

I know its hard but try and stay positive - I was devestated when my horse was diagnosed as the vet was very much doom and gloom, but with careful management he's staying sound and most importantly happy.

[ashleigh]

My 22 year old mare has arthritis in her hocks. She is on half a sachet of Danilon a day, with Glucosamine 10,000 +MSM and she is skipping around in the snow like a youngster. We also do a bit of jumping and dressage.

Arthritis can be managed efficiently, you just need to find what works for your horse.

[happysnail]

You must have had such a fright. Sending positive thoughts to you both. Know a few younger horses with early onset arthritis who've resopnded really well to Devil's Claw.
happysnailx

[huntez]

Thank you Cosmo, you have made me feel better. When I bought her, she had a foal with her & had never been broken in. I left her foal with her until she stop the foal herself drinking her milk & the foal was just about a year old. She as always been a very laid back horse & always the first one to me when I went into them. hen she just got slower when the snow came which I explained to the vet.

It must of been a shock to you for your horse to be diagnosed at the age of ten with arthritis You have done a great job in getting him better. I really do not want to have her on bute for the long term & I am wondering now to ask for x rays to see if it is arthritis. I believe it is, as she was & is so stiff bless her.
I will look into the food, Devils Craw & the magnetic leg wraps.
Thank you again for helping me with this problem. I just want the best for her. It seems that 16 isn't to young then to be suffering with arthritis I will get on to this today. Thank you so much again for your help Cosmo x

[huntez]

Jan 7, 2010 10:47:57 GMT 1 happysnail said:

You must have had such a fright. Sending positive thoughts to you both. Know a few younger horses with early onset arthritis who've resopnded really well to Devil's Claw.
happysnailx

Thank you Happysnail, I must admit when I drove up to the gate & saw her laying there, with a big black bird standing on the side of her stomach, I started to cry lol I thought she was dead. A few years ago in another field, there were quite a few horses & no body bothered with them. I used to go in to check their water & see they were ok. One day I found one of them dead, laying just like my mare. It brought back that memory straight away. My son started to shout out to her as he jumped out of the car & it wasn't till her got the gate open that she moved. I was a mess. Thank God she is well & as the vet said, it is nothing to worry about.

I have just looked at the Devil's Claw & I think I could use it as well I suffer so bad with my knee & I have always used Glucosamine, but I caught it a few weeks ago & it is swollen & aching all the time.
Thank you x

[happysnail]

Big hug and all the best. x

[huntez]

Jan 7, 2010 10:35:12 GMT 1 @ashleigh said:

My 22 year old mare has arthritis in her hocks. She is on half a sachet of Danilon a day, with Glucosamine 10,000 +MSM and she is skipping around in the snow like a youngster. We also do a bit of jumping and dressage.

Arthritis can be managed efficiently, you just need to find what works for your horse.

Thank you Ashleigh. I'm sorry to read your horse as arthritis as well. I am so pleased that there is a few things to try on her & get her back to feeling good. I have written all of these down & I am looking into it today. Thank you again

[stablehand]

I'm wondering if it is the hard un forgiving ground, it is very possibly she has slipped, skidded or fell in the snow/ice. and that she is just feeling genrally sore. Maybe keeping her a bit extrs warm might make her feel more comfortable.
Good luck

[kafee]

No, sorry, huntez 16 isn't too young to have arthritis. My 20 year old pony was 3 when I bought him, and used to walk 'funny' sometimes even then. It was always gone the next day, and I thought that if I couldn't see the problem the vet wouldn't be able to either. When he was 7 my daughter started having lessons on him, and the instructor told me he was lame behind, which I couldn't see.

He had nerve blocks done on his hind legs starting at the bottom and working up. The lameness disappeared when they blocked the hocks, and x-rays revealed arthritic changes. He was put on bute and light work: no sand schools, heavy going, circling or coming down steep hills, for 6 months and then reassessed. There was no change.

He's had a very easy life, mostly hacking, a bit of pony club and local shows but I've never over worked him in any way. So why did he get arthritis at 3? I know of two possible reasons: he's a forest bred NF and the vet told me there is a lack of calcium on the forest and implied that that could be a cause. Also he was lunged a lot with a child on at the age of two, probably in a sand school.

He has had a variety of treatments over the years, bute, shark's cartilage, cortaflex, bioflo (sp? magnets) boots, cider vinegar, solvitax (sp? oil for joints) etc., however, my farrier tells me that he is now not as stiff as he used to be, and no stiffer than any other 20 year old, and thus whatever changes were happening, are over.

I have started buying and bringing up NF foals, and I'm being careful to fed them well and suppliment with codlivine every day. They have lime stone flour regularly, though not every day, as I feel it is possible to over do it.

[nich]

my girl was written off with arthritis aged 13 in the coffin joints. she came right with barefoot trimming, and pernamax. her feet seem fine, a bit trippy on uneven ground and not great down steep hills. I have now stopped the pernamax as it doesn't seem right to be on it permanently, i alternate boswellia and RRA (ruta grav, rhus tox and arnica) and have used devils claw. my concern with devils claw is that it is quite powerful and like bute could mask the pain, leading to the horse doing too much and causing damage.

[appy]

What a shock for you. It must have been very difficult to see her so stiff, but arthritis is manageable as the others have said. My mare was diagnosed with bone spavins in both hocks at the age of 11 which was gutting as she'd only just recovered from 18 months of facial infections and 4 major surgeries!

Anyway, I manage her condition with danilon (1 sachet/day in cold and wet), bioflow magnetic legwraps overnight and she is now on Naf extraflex which seems to have really helped. She also now comes in overnight whereas before she was out 24/7. In her case, coming in and staying warm seems to have helped her more than staying out, whilst I know other horses improve no end being out. She has also had 2 sets of steriod & hyralaunic acid injections into the hocks, but I don't want to keep repeating these.

The most important thing is to get her comfortable and see what dietary and management changes will help her. I know my vet swears by legwraps for the older, stiffer horse. As others have said, the hard ground and really low temps may have contributed to her stiffness so the bute and keeping her warm may help.

[huntez]

Thank you all for replying
Now I know she is not to young to have arthritis. The vet said that she thought she was to young to have it I am now thinking about the vets! Sheseems a lot better in herself but that could be down to the bute. I am taking her back into the field today & putting her back into the stable at tea time. I know she will play up as she hates being in the stable. I am scared to leave her out over night after the other day. Everyone at the yard keeps saying that she will be ok left out. I am searching the net to see all the different things that I can get to help her. I have already put a threat up asking about COSEQUIN. The vet said that is all they use as it is so good. They have some in & it cost £150. I don't mind paying out if it is going to be the best for her. That is all I want, to see her well, pain free & happy.

[julz]

Jan 7, 2010 2:45:12 GMT 1 huntez said:

She is young to be arthritic.
Any help please.

sorry but 16 isnt young to have arthritis.. like humans, arthritis can be present as a young adult/child as well as an older person.

My horse was PTS last Sept at the age of 16 with advanced arthritis that was slowly getting worse. He was diagnosed late at 14... if he'd been diagnosed earlier he might still be here today

If it is arthritis the bute will help, but so will getting her on a good supplement. Maybe keep her in at night, even though moveability is better for all time round, but if the cold is getting to her, then half and half will be better at the moment.. some time in a box to get warmed up and rest, and then some time out during the day to let her move around.. either in the feild or a school/arena.

[asbo]

my 16 year old has arthritis in his hinds, he doesn't like being stabled so lives out, hes on liquid no bute, turmeric and his srn feed plus sugar beet., he also has access to a mobility lick.
he is having the winter off and fingers crossed will start hacking again in the spring when the weather improves.