Horse Arthritis (aka Equine Arthritis) by definition is an inflammation
of a joint. The condition can be caused by trauma, mineral or dietary
deficiency, old age, poor conformation, over exertion or infection.
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The
different structures that can be damaged in arthritis are the cartilage inside
joints, the bone in the joints, the joint capsule, the synovial membranes, the
ligaments around the joints and lastly the fluid that lubricates the insides of ‘synovial joints’. In severe cases all of these structures are affected. In
for example osteochondrosis only the cartilage may be affected.
Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) is a
condition in which arthritis has worsened to the extent that the overall
physical structure of the joint has started to deteriorate markedly. It is a
general term, which really just means arthritis. In a bad case of DJD cartilage
becomes eroded, joint fluids become watery, joint capsule becomes ragged and
perhaps stretched, ligaments that hold the joint together become stretched and
worn and bone is not strong enough causing a tendency for calcium to be laid
down in the wrong places and ringbone to form.
Much arthritis creeps up on your horse
gradually and suddenly you notice that he or she is ‘not sound’ (lame). Some
may say that this is just a result of ‘old age’. The truth of the matter is
however that it is more than just old age. We believe that this sort of
arthritis is more commonly related to mineral imbalance (see mineral deficiency
section). When minerals are not present in adequate amounts bones and cartilage
is weaker than it should be. Wear and tear that is normal in any horse is not
repaired like it should be and little areas of damage get bigger eventually
causing inflammation because the joint cannot work like it should. This
inflammation is what causes pain.
Arthritis in horses is treated by vets most commonly by
the use of ‘Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – NSAIDs like Bute (phenylbutazone).
This drug reduces the amount of inflammation that the body produces in relation
to damage to the joint. Inflammation is in fact part of the healing process but
sometimes it gets out of hand and the pain associated with it reduces joint use
that is part of the healing process. So Bute can be useful but unfortunately it
does also interfere with natural healing processes and will in the end make
arthritis worse. In addition many NSAIDs damage the lining of the intestines and
the liver making the horse prone to lots of other diseases. Other drugs used by
vets are compounds like sodium hyaluronate and PSGAG which are injected into
knee and fetlock joints and muscles to promote regeneration and reduce
inflammation. Chemicals like DMSO can also be rubbed into the outside of joints
to reduce inflammation.
When feeding supplements for horse arthritis the
idea is to improve the nutrition to the whole body but in particular improve
nutrition to the fluids inside the joint so that there is some chance that the
joints can repair themselves more efficiently. With proper nutrition and
supplementation and strategic use of veterinary drugs it is possible in many
cases to stabilise degenerating joints and prevent further wear while at the
same time reduce pain and inflammation to near zero.
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Arthritis in
horses is referred to as either equine arthritis or horse arthritis and results
from infections, old age, mineral deficiencies, trauma, stress, poor
conformation and plain over exertion.
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