Hi guys!Its been 2 weeks since my last blog, and we've had some atrocious weather conditions to deal with, and many INCHES of snow! This harsh winter started early 2008, and we're still soldering on through it in February 2009. Roll on summer!
The trouble with this awful damp, cold, grey, windy weather is it also brings along with it the disruption of our horses routine, knee deep mud, and the aches and pains that even the healthiest equine feels in these minus temperatures! Although arthritis can affect horses all year round, special care needs to be taken in the winter, when the cold can exacerbate the problem.
The most likely to feel these painful ailments is the elderly equine. With our horses living longer nowadays than ever before, some well into their 30's, and even 40's, we are all well aware of the stiff joints, unusual swellings, lameness and distress that arthritis brings.
My own horse (and best friend) at 27 years of age has many ailments,
one of them being Arthritis. I come across many equines in my my job, who are in the very beginning stages of, or who have chronic, arthritis. This terrible, terrible winter (the wost UK winter in 19 years) has taken them to the extreme end of this uncomfortable, painful complaint. The past few weeks have proved just that, by the most popular items that have been bought by my customers.
The products that have helped keep my OAP friend sound, and joint happy are Nutri-Science Arthri Aid HA, which combines high strength Glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM and HA (Hyaluronic Acid), & Equine Herbals (nz) Devils Claw Flex, which can be as effective as using phenylbutazone (Bute), though it does not contain anything other than herbs in liquid form. He also wears magnetic boots, a magnetic rug, and has the equissage 3 times a week....but we'll talk about those another time!
Arthri Aid, and Arthri Aid HA, seem to be preferred amongst my clients, with the next in line in popularity being Cortaflex.
No Bute Liquid In a Nutshell, is a Glucosamine/ MSM product which has the extra assistance of a natural soothing ingredient called Devils Claw. This can be used to promote soundness and joint flexibility when other avenues have failed.
Take a look at my website to see many other mobility,joint care and soundness aids for your 'best friend'
So.......
What is Arthritis?:
Also known as degenerative joint disease (DJD), it's progressive joint inflammation due to trauma or wear and tear, leading to erosion of articular joint cartilage, which then becomes frayed and thinned, causing pain and loss of function. Arthritis mainly affects your horse's weight-bearing joints.
Why your senior horse is at risk?:
Regardless of how good his conformation is, his risk of arthritis increases with every passing year. That's because the longer he lives, the bigger a target he becomes for injuries and wear and tear that lead to joint degeneration. His joints almost never get a break. Even standing at rest they're bearing his weight on tiny patches of cartilage. Plus, there's a metabolic shift that occurs around age 15, leading to an escalation of cell death within bone, cartilage, and fibrous tissue. Tendons and ligaments become less elastic, more easily torn. Cartilage thins, absorbing less shock. Its shape changes, too, due to a lifetime of pressure and torque, causing joint bones to be less aligned and the cartilage, ligaments, and tendons more susceptible to strain. Your horse's reactions slow down with age - especially if he's retired to an inactive lifestyle -making him more prone to a stumble. The faster you identify arthritis in your horse, the quicker you can attack it.
There are two kinds of equine arthritis: the sneaky kind and the obvious kind. In the obvious kind, the joint's been traumatized or infected, so is sore enough to cause lameness.
Your horse is lame? - CALL YOUR VET.
In the sneaky kind, the joint isn't sore at first, so there's little or no lameness. But that doesn't mean that arthritis isn't marching forward. The first sign will be a little joint puffiness. If you don't look for it, you'll likely miss it - and miss out on your chance to help minimize future joint damage. Watch for these subtle but telltale signs:
- Slight puffiness in lower-leg joints.
- Stiff, choppy gait when you first begin work, which improves when he warms up.
- Reluctance and/or resistance to perform maneuvers that previously came easily for him, such as stops and collection.
- He may raise his head and hollow his back.
How to identify the signs:
Inspect your senior horse's joints every day: Visually inspect and feel each leg joint, preferably an hour after mild exercise (such as hand-walking or hand-grazing), which will minimize any joint puffiness resulting from inactivity. Press your fingers gently over each joint, feeling for smooth, well-defined bone and fluid-free soft-tissue areas. As a joint becomes puffy, you'll feel bone edges become obscured, and soft-tissue areas begin to fill, like a springy water balloon. If you're unsure, look for asymmetry. Compare the left leg to the right leg, or compare a suspicious joint to the same joint on a young, sound horse.
Find a puffy joint?:
CALL YOUR VET
You can also do a soundness check, below
- If your horse is lame, CALL YOUR VET!
- If there's no hint of lameness, gently probe the joint with your fingers, including the puffy part, while watching your senior horse for signs of pain, such as a wringing tail, flinch, or snatching the leg away from you. If you find any sign of tenderness, CALL YOUR VET
- If there's no sign of lameness or tenderness, start Arthritis Home Treatment (below) as your primary treatment -you could even call your veterinarian for advice.
- If the swelling fails to improve within an hour after your home treatment, CALL YOUR VET!
Use these steps to help battle degenerative joint disease in your senior horse.
Step 1:
Take Him Out Of Retirement. Why would this help?: Regular exercise, tailored to your senior horse's condition, increases circulation of nutrients into, and wastes out of, his joints while strengthening muscles that protect them from stress. A well-conditioned horse generally has significantly thicker and healthier cartilage than does an unfit horse of any age. Plus, fitness enhances stamina and athletic ability, which helps protect your horse from the most common 3-part cause of joint injury:
- FATIGUE, which leads to
- POOR FORM, which leads to a
- STUMBLE.
Finally, regular exercise works wonders for a horse's attitude, appetite, digestion, and overall sense of well-being.
How to do it: Turn your horse out, and/or put him to work-carefully. (For how to start or maintain your senior on an exercise program, seek advice from your veterinarian.) Pasture living is ideal; paddock turnout is better than a stall. Your senior horse evolved to graze and step-with each step, he gently compresses and releases the sponge like cartilage in his joints, promoting joint-fluid circulation that helps keep his cartilage as healthy as possible. Grazing on pasture also is best for his mental outlook and digestion. Avoid stall confinement unless advised by your vet for a specific condition. Horses weren't designed to stand still in a "cave." Doing so freezes up joints already compromised by years of weight-bearing and wear and tear. You'll be doing your senior a big favor if you allow him, and encourage him, to move within his capabilities.
Step 2: 
Make his diet joint-friendly.Why would this help? Specific nutrients can have a significant impact on joint health. There's evidence that adding the dietary supplements at the right time can help your senior horse avoid serious arthritis and/or live more comfortably with it. there are many supplements out there, have a look on my website -always consult with your veterinarian before changing your senior horse's diet or medications.
How to do it. Work with your veterinarian to select one or more of the joint-friendly supplements to help ease your horses discomfort.
Step 3:
Work The Affected Joint Passively.Why would this help? Passive range-of-motion exercises are well documented to encourage cartilage and soft-tissue healing in inflamed joints while decreasing scar-tissue formation (which causes a loss of range of motion).
How to do it. Pick up the affected leg. Gently bend and straighten the affected joint (s), repeating about 10 times per joint.
Step 4:
Improve Your Senior Horse's Flexibility.Why would it help? Stretching breaks down adhesion, improves circulation, warms and limbers muscles and ligaments, improves range of motion, and helps prevent injury.
How to do it: Perform pre-work stretching exercises with your horse, along with a warm-up session before each day's exercise.
Step 5:
Keep Him Comfortable - Safely.Why would it help? Breaking the pain cycle can help break the inflammation cycle and speed healing.
How to do it. Talk to your veterinarian about a treatment that not only relieves your senior horse's joint pain but also is in his best interest as an individual. There are side effects to consider, which can become more of a problem with increasing dosage and duration. In many cases, your senior may benefit from a combination of conventional medications with alternative therapies.
ARTHRITIS HOME TREATMENT
Confine your horse to a box stall or small paddock for 24 hours (or longer, if prescribed by your veterinarian). If necessary, place a familiar companion nearby, to keep your horse from fretting and pacing. Ice the swollen joint. Using a flexible ice pack (such as a bag of frozen corn or peas) inserted between the folds of a clean cloth (a hand towel works great), hold ice pack on for 5 minutes; take off for 15 minutes. Repeat 3 times in a row. Apply stable bandage. If the joint is wrappable, applying a stable bandage will help reduce swelling and inflammation. Hand-walk your horse.
Twice a day remove your senior horse's bandages, hand-walk him for 15 minutes, then re-wrap and return him to his stable. Gradually increase his exercise. After the prescribed period of confinement, leave the bandage off but keep your senior horse confined for half the original length of time. (If he was to be confined for 24 hours, confine him now for 12 more.) Provide 15 minutes of mild controlled exercise 4 times a day. Examples of controlled exercise: hand-walking, long reigning in walk and/or trot, or riding in walk and trot, depending on your senior horse's condition before the problem appeared, and on how he's responded to treatment. If swelling, tenderness, and/or pain persist or return, you're going too fast.
Follow up: Check for return of swelling 1 hour after final exercise session. If it hasn't returned, go to Step 6. If it has, call your veterinarian for a re-evaluation, and keep your horse confined.
Step 6:
Turn him out. If he's symptom free, he can be turned out and resume a gradual return to work, if applicable. If not, call your vet. There may be a more severe problem than was originally thought.
Never leave symtoms of lameness/puffyness untreated. Your veterinary surgeon will advise you on how to help your horse deal with the uncomfortable, sometimes painfull condition.
Untill next time.....look after youselves, and your four legged friends! xxx
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