Anyone dealt with arthritis in the coffin joint? Alternatives to coffin joint injections?
I have a 9yo Paint gelding who has been lame on his right front. The vet came out today and we had radiographs taken and decided that he needed his hocks injected again. She left me a message with results from the radiographs, which confirm that my horse has arthritis in his coffin joint, and that she wants to inject that as well. I haven’t had a chance to discuss alternatives yet, or to find out if there are any.
I dislike having to inject joints unless it can’t be avoided, like it has been with his hocks. He’s currently on Cosequin Optimized and SmartMSM, which seemed to help for a few months, if it helps anyone to know that.
Has anyone successfully treated/managed coffin joint arthritis without injecting? One of the barn’s older school horses used to get Adequan for general arthritis, would Adequan have any effect on arthritis in the coffin joint? Is Adequan better for the horse than joint injections are? I know that there is no “cure” for arthritis, but I want my horse to be healthy and happy. If the only way to have that is to inject the joint, then that’s what I’ll do, but I would like to be more informed and explore other options first. I will ask these questions to my vet as soon as I can reach her, but I also want to hear from others who have dealt with horses who have/had arthritis in this joint. Thanks!
eventing… – my vet didn’t say anything about it being especially severe or permanent and didn’t mention low ringbone, but I will ask.
Im confused because arthritis in the coffin jt i thought was low ringbone which isnt fixable and makes horse permantly lame. So im confused i would talk to your vet again because something doesnt make sense
If i were you i would google it because that jt is basically right below the cornet band and not really ecessable by a vet.
Arthritis between P2 and P3 is a bit more problematic than arthritic changes between P1 and P2 as the P2-P3 joint has more mobility, but it is still manageable. I’m on the fence regarding injecting the joint for the same reasons you probably are. If I were you I’d try the Adequan and see what results you get. The difference between Adequan injected systemically vs injections given to the specific joint, is that the adequan has a stronger anti-inflammatory effect and aids in repair of all joint surfaces. This is in not the case with injections given directly into the joints.
I’m not in the habit of making disparaging or accusatory remarks about vets, but I have to say that since the economy has taken a turn I’ve noticed a marked increase in recommendations for some questionable and rather costly diagnostics and treatments, made by them, especially in the case of the more wealthy clients. . . just verbalizing an observation.
I have a mare who fractured her extensor process (top of the coffin bone) and over the years has developed arthritis in the joint. It’s just arthritis, not any form of ringbone…
I did have one joint injection done when the injury was first discovered but not since and it’s been 3 years. My horse is comfortable with just the shot and no worries about messing with the joint.
I give her an IV hyaluronic acid shot and it works wonders
The stuff I use is also a generic product, exactly the same as “Legend” or what ever but it’s only about $35/shot
she gets it once every month and a half or so depending on how she is feeling. Sometimes I can wait for 3 months between shots.