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Post by sassiedogtk on Sept 2, 2008 21:56:55 GMT -5
A friend of mine gave us a really nice horse over the weekend. Hew was a three day eventing horse and he has arthritis. He is fine at a walk but at a trot he limps on his front right. Is there something that I can give him so that he is not in pain and is not lame or should we have him seen by the vet. I have to have his teeth done but thought I would see what exp. others have had with arthritis. He is not old only 11 and we are only looking to be able to use him for my daughter for her dressage lessons so I hope we can get this figured out. Thanks for all you help.
Tina
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Post by toeps on Sept 3, 2008 0:59:40 GMT -5
Next Level liquid worked wonders for my old ottb.
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Post by shelberttk2 on Sept 3, 2008 1:24:27 GMT -5
In my own personal experience, (I have used Next Level, GLC 5500, and many others) I saw the most results with our ex roping horse when we put him on Cosequin ASU. It is a bit costly, but the results were dramatic!(And you get more bang for your buck) Your kid may also benefit from injections, and yes I strongly encourage a full lameness evaluation to be done on him!
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Post by cutiepiepmu on Sept 3, 2008 2:13:50 GMT -5
I would suggest a full evaluation by a qualified lameness veterinarian. This may include xrays to help determine exatctly what is going on. Injections may be an option - although i generally recommend injecting IV or IM rather than intrajoint if possible. Diet can help as well - what are you feeding?  Eliminating alot of the plant estrogens as well as lowering sugars can help lower the inflamatory response in the body. As far as supplements - I agree about the cosequin ASU - but also do really like next level. Aloto f times it is a bit of a challenge to figure out exactly what will work for your individual horse since different horses will have different reactions to supplements -just like humans! But - before any more riding happens, I do think you need to have a FULL lameneess workup by a specialist to rule out a cracked/broken bone or serious soft tissue injury. Take care, Sara |
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Post by sassiedogtk on Sept 3, 2008 10:41:50 GMT -5
Thanks for all the info. he has an appt tommorow at 3:00 for a lameness eval and xrays so hopefully we get some good news and we can fix this big guy up.
Tina
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Post by shelberttk2 on Sept 3, 2008 18:11:19 GMT -5
I also use Adequan, and LOVE it!!! Mikey (30ish) had his hocks injected, and was on Adequan and Cosequin ASU during his intensive gaming periods....For maintenance this summer (No gaming) we have just been doing the Cosequin ASU.....
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Post by sassiedogtk on Sept 4, 2008 19:32:47 GMT -5
We got good new back he does not have arthritis his range of motion was great he does have sore toes. The sole of his hoof is very tender by the toe. My trimmer thinks that he has worn shoes most of him life because his hoof wall is very thin. So the vet wants us to put shoes on him and bute for two days and then decrease the bute and see how it goes. We will see. Any info that you have would be great. His xrays came back clean.
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Post by cutiepiepmu on Sept 5, 2008 2:53:53 GMT -5
What diet do you have him on? Hay/pasture/grains/vitamins? Start there and i am SURE I can think of all kinds of things lol!!
Sara
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Post by sassiedogtk on Sept 5, 2008 9:20:30 GMT -5
Righ now he is on oat hay and a multi vitamin but he does not like the vitamins. Before I got him I have know idea what he was on. Thanks Sara for all your info.
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Post by cutiepiepmu on Sept 5, 2008 12:54:10 GMT -5
Howdy - will pm you since i think the response will be a TAD long for here  Sara |
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Post by shelberttk2 on Sept 5, 2008 17:52:51 GMT -5
oh come on Sara! Share with us! Always interesting to read what you have to say!!!!
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Post by cutiepiepmu on Sept 6, 2008 2:20:23 GMT -5
LOL - ok! will cut and past the PM if it is ok with sassie!
sara
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Post by sassiedogtk on Sept 6, 2008 9:13:37 GMT -5
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Post by cutiepiepmu on Sept 6, 2008 12:14:40 GMT -5
How cute is that!!!! Your daughter looks TINY up there!!!
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Post by cutiepiepmu on Sept 6, 2008 12:15:34 GMT -5
And - these were my thoughts - It is a bit long - sorry First - Do you have any other hay options outside of oat hay? Oat hay along with alfalfa can cause increased inflamation in the body because of the plant estrogens it contains. When you are already trying to lower the inflamtion in the body, this can work against you Do you have any kind of quality grass available? Second - what vitamin is he on(brand) and is he getting it mixed into anything else? A multivitamin/mineral is really important but the key is to make sure you are feeding the right one Assuming he is an easy keeper I am going to make a few suggestions that should help alot. You will need to get a large tub that hangs that can't be tipped over. I like the hard plastic ones with the 3 rings on top. I hook them to eye bolts using double ended snaps in the stall Based on the thought that he is an easy keeper, this will all be mixed into a base of Grass hay pellets. These are available at most feed stores or can be ordered generally. If for some reason you absolutely can't get them, the next best thing is beet pulp. As for supplements - I suggest looking at the Platinum Performace Vitamin OR Accel Lifetime vitamin. Both are good products and since I believe you are in an area that is NOT selinium deprived this is a good way to go. Secondly - Joint products. There are a mirage of things on the market and it can boggle the mind to say the least. There are a few that I have had better results with than others - for Chronic arthritis and not an accute injury, I have found Next Level to be really outstanding. Get the liquid and NOT the pellets. Dose 60cc's until you see an improvement, then go to 30cc's a day. This is a little different than the directions, but you will get better results. The othe thing that I have had luck with is using the NExt level along with Lubrisyn. Lubrisyn is a hylaronic acid supplement and can be used easily with the next level which is a comprehensive product without hylaronic acid. The downside - lubrisyn is spendy. I have actually had better general luck with horses using the above vs. the Cosequin ASU. So - try starting with that. I would also start dosing this guy daily with BL-Solution. This is a yucca/devils claw product that is really fantastic at relieving pain. As a bonus - it is CHEAP! Third - Feet - With the feet being thin walled, the ideal would be to start strengthening them. Oneof the BEST products for this out there is by Select the Best and is called Nu-hoof Maximizer. It will not oversupplement the above items and should really help the feet. If you want even faster results - feed the Nu-hoof maximizer along with a product by the same company called Nu-Image. Again, all should work together without issue!! Lastly - I would go ahead and start this kid on some full fat ground flaxseed. Start with 1/2 cup daily and work up to around 1 cup daily. The key here - it needs to be ground, and it needs to be fresh. The longer flax sits after it is ground, the more of the good stuff it looses. If you can't grind it yourself daily - I suggest getting a product called Nutra-Flax from www.horsetech.com. It is a human grade, full fat flax that is low heat stabilized. It has a great shelf life and is pretty reasonable in price. Flax is one of those miracle things - it helps the body/coat/feet but it als has some fantastic anti-inflamatory properties and can really help horses with low level arthritis!!! I would add the supplements to 2-3 pounds of grass hay pellets, add some warm water, stir around till the pellets are soft and everything sticks - then serve. Initially, if your kid is a picky eater it may take some figuring to find out what he likes. You mayneed to add some actual pelleted feed such as safechoice to it - or some WHOLE oats. AND LAST! For the sore feet - Get a product called Keratex. It is expensive, but the little bottle will last a year or more. I have had my current bottle for almost 2 years with 3 horses! This is one of those less is more things - paint the entire hoof wall leaving the coronet band untreated. Paint the sole of the foot, but don't put on the frog. Just a thin coat 2-3 days a week MAX. It is a breathable strengthener that has fibers to hold the feet together. GREAT GREAT product!! So - is your head spinning yet??? Feel free to ask questions or if there are other concerns let me know - sometimes it take some tweeking to figure out exactly what works for your specific horse! |
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Post by cutiepiepmu on Sept 6, 2008 12:19:34 GMT -5
Also - after seeing the pictures, get some free choice loose minerals out. The tree beavers need minerals The blocks don't do much so a good chelated mineral is SOOOOO important. You can order the gro-strong direct at www.admani.com - it comes in a block or loose -either will work Take care, Sara |
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Eliminating alot of the plant estrogens as well as lowering sugars can help lower the inflamatory response in the body. 
