Joint injections

[kasimos]

I think i have asked the question before but i need an opinion.
My horse has got arthritis in his hock. It is getting worse over time and sometimes he is really stiff from it (only in trot) Its such a shame because he is a such lovely horse to ride. I asked my vet about joint injections and he said he will have to take an x-ray of his leg to see the damage and that he might not even need the injections. If it turns out he does need them does it make them 'sound' or do they still seem stiff? I really want to take him to shows but i dont want people thinking i am been cruel riding a stiff/lame horse. At the moment i cant do very much with him because i dont want to hurt him and i also dont want to use bute. Has anybody had horses with arthritis who have had the injections??? or is i just a case of retiring him (he is only 12)

 

[sheer bliss]

I havnt had a great experience of the injections they made no difference to my sisters mare at all!
Can I ask why dont you want to use bute ? If its the negative effects it has on the liver, I believe danilon, has less negative effects, it might be worth asking your vet about it. You could also feed a herbal liver tonic, like milk thistle to help reduce the risk of damage. Over the yrs, we have had a number of horses on low / medium dose danolin, for long periods, for different ailments, with no negative effects
If you want to go more of a natural route, have you thought about glucosamine suppliments , devils claw root, magnotherapy ?

Jill

 

[artemis]

I have arthritis & have had injections in my joints - never needed an Xray! Gave me 6 weeks of no pain.

 

[Daffy Dilly]

It really depends on the case. Some horses can have one lot of injections and be more or less fine for life (obviously things deteriorate over time though as they get older) others need them every month and eventually the effects become reduced.

Daffy had injections into all four legs (front coffin joints and his hocks) and tbh I don't think they did much. Certainly not in his hocks anyway - but he has a bone chip in each hock as opposed to calcification of the joint itself.

Xrays are useful because they should tell you what is causing the stiffness and then your vet will be able to say whether the injections are likely to help or not. You have to bear in mind the cost too. It cost me upwards of £2000 to have all the investigation, nerve blocks, xrays and injections done.

Personally I've had far better results with Cortavet (the industrial strength equivalent of Cortaflex) and Bowen therapy. Global Herbs do a product called Alpha Bute (formerly ButeX) which I haven't used yet, but it's meant to be good.

 

[lottiec]

Also if the horse has a spavin developing you shouldn't really use bute as it is an anti inflammatory and you actually want the joints to be inflammed so they can fuse. I know that sounds a bit mean but it is apparently true! My horse had injections in his hocks and it helped him but you also have to bear in mind the side effects of using steriods and make an informed decision. Tildren can also be effective if the horse has bone spavin.

 

[sancho]

Ive just invested in some Bioflow magnetic boots for Taya's knee injury which may result in arthritis later on in life.

They really work in more ways than one and when I asked if anyone had had any experience of them on NR , all the replies were very positive from people using them for arthritic problems.