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View Full Version : Arthritis in 7 year old Show horse

Equine_Woman
10-30-2008, 09:23 PM
My Best friend's horse Trigger broke his stifle a few years ago and had surgery to repair it. He's 7 years old this year and is a pretty good show horse. My friend has aspirations to make it all the way to AQHA World. However Trigger is developing Arthritis. He is 100% sound at a walk and trot but is having trouble maintaining a lope and tends to drag his back leg at times and 4 beats often. This has all started being an everyday occurrence about 2 weeks ago.

Danna's not sure if it is the weather or something else. She took him off alfalfa hay (which made up about 1/3 of his total hay, and upped the coastal) about 2 weeks ago and she's not sure if it could have affected him like this. I know people take alfalfa supplements to help them move easier when they get older so I told her I thought it might be a possibility.

Anyways, she's planning on taking him in to A&M to have him vetted and see what they say but in the mean time she wanted me to ask my "computer people" what ya'll thought she should do. Does anybody have a magic arthritis diet or magic arthritis drug? Or just Magic Arthritis anything? Trigger is Danna's dream horse and until he broke his stifle they were really advancing at reining. Obviously when he broke the stifle that plan had to change. Now they are rocking at western pleasure, trail and other stuff and I really hope we can figure something out that lets Trigger lead as pain free a life as possible.

Oh and in case you were wondering how he broke the stifle... he was walking out of his stall into his run and tripped or just ran into the wall and broke it. Freak accident.

In case you need nutrition info I believe she is feeding him Purina Equine Adult. Not sure the amount and I could be wrong. I'll ask her again today. He is stalled at night under lights and out in his private run during the day. He gets ridden about 3 - 4 times a week when he's training but he's been off for a few weeks, only being ridden about 1-2 times a week.

Thanks!!
AUEquine
10-30-2008, 11:26 PM
I wouldn't do anything to him right now. You don't want to do anything to cover up or change his symptoms before the vets get a chance to analyze it. She can bute him (1g 2x/day) to keep him comfortable, and then no bute for the exam. But I wouldn't start trying things until the vet can diagnose him and determine how bad it actually is.
Equine_Woman
10-30-2008, 11:56 PM
That's good advice. I'll pass it along tomorrow. I hope she can get him in to A&M quickly.
Gypsy Rose
10-31-2008, 04:20 AM
I agree with AUEquine- any arthritis managemant supplements at this point would mask the vet exam. I'm not sure, but I believe that bute shouldn't be given for at least 24 hours before the exam. Hopefully someone on here will know how long it takes for bute to stop having a pain relieving effect.
westmanfarrier
10-31-2008, 07:55 AM
If he is dragging his leg, and has had past stifle problems, it could be less about arthritis and more about tendons.
Equine_Woman
10-31-2008, 08:02 AM
Yeah that would be nice. But it's not locking or dragging any other time than at a lope. If it's like a fixated patella wouldn't it lock when he was just lounging?
westmanfarrier
10-31-2008, 08:54 AM
Yeah that would be nice. But it's not locking or dragging any other time than at a lope. If it's like a fixated patella wouldn't it lock when he was just lounging?

Hmm, good point.

Hard to say without seeing it. Interested to see what the vet says.
Mercury
10-31-2008, 11:22 AM
I think xrays are the only way to tell a diagnosis at this point. The hock has 4 joints in it. If his arthritis is in the lower 2 joints it can be fused either chemically or mechanically and he'll be completely sound. If its one of the upper joints... well... those are high movement joints and most likely will only be able to be controlled through pain killers. This is what my vet told me during all of Mercury's injury issues.
luvs2ride1979
10-31-2008, 02:18 PM
I would have her ask about hyaluronic acid injections for him. That might be the biggest help if it is arthritic or joint related.

I would also start him on some long term supplements. Look for one that's NASC labeled and is high in Glucosamine, MSM or Yucca, Vitamin C, and Chondroitin. Some people swear by HA, but there are some studies that show that it's not well absorbed by most horses in a feed-through. The Glucosamine helps increase synovial fluid. MSM and Yucca are both anti-inflamatories. Chondroitin rebuilds cartilidge. Vitamin C helps the Glucosamine be absorbed by the horse's system.

Other things that may help:


Omega 3 Fatty Acids (in fish oil, flax seeds or oil, and rice bran oil: reduces inflamation)
Bee Pollen or Royal Jelly, reduces inflamation and rebuilds cells
LOTS and LOTS of turn out time. Only stall to eat, then right back out.
Low heels and barefeet or natural balance shoes (a more natural hoof angle and shoe (or no shoe) can improve circulation and range of motion)
ThinLine hoof pads (absorb shock/impact)

Things that can be bad for an arthritic horse:


Corn oil (increases inflamation)
Sugary feeds.
Feeds high in wheat or "grain sweepings" (increases inflamation)
Too much stall time (more than 4 hours daily)
High heels or a farrier that re-shapes the feet

I've owner and worked with some arthritic horses and these are the things that I ran into. The same thing/plan doesn't work for all horses, so you just have to keep trying until you find what works. Your friend also needs to keep in mind that her horse may not be destined for the Worlds or Congress. He might need to semi-retire to pleasure riding or a walk/trot horse. There's no reason to poke, prod, or medicate a horse that can't be helped with minor to moderate injections and supplements.
luvs2ride1979
10-31-2008, 02:20 PM
I wouldn't do anything to him right now. You don't want to do anything to cover up or change his symptoms before the vets get a chance to analyze it. She can bute him (1g 2x/day) to keep him comfortable, and then no bute for the exam. But I wouldn't start trying things until the vet can diagnose him and determine how bad it actually is.

Yup, ditto. I would discuss her options with the vet first, then decide on what the best course of action is. If the vet thinks supplements or feed changes can help, then she can set out on the fun task of finding the one that works best for her boy, lol.