Young gelding with arthritis? What will help him most?
I’ve got an older gelding that I’ve got on Smartflex senior, and it’s been great for him. It’s got 7000 mg of glucosamine, and some devil’s claw to help with inflamation.
I was thinking about buying this for my younger guy too, but I wasn’t sure if this would be right for him. The smartflex ultra has got a lot more glucosamine and other joint support supplements, but no devil’s claw. If his arthritis is so bad that he isn’t rideable, and it’s causing ligaments to swell what’s more important, joint mobility or pain relief? My vet said it was very possible he already had bone on bone in the joints, that would mean glucosamine wouldn’t help very much, wouldn’t it?
I would still give him glucomamine. Make sure he is getting enough vitamins and minerals. Apple cider vinegar has really helped my arhtritic gelding!
I guess I’d want films taken to rule out bone on bone contact…joint mobility is very important and you can only achieve that with pain management….don’t keep him locked in a stall!! You know the saying, “If you don’t move it you loose it”..(his mobility)
Good luck…a shame it has to happen to a young horse!!
You’re right – glucosamine helps to lubricate the joints, so if they joints aren’t the problem or if it’s past that point, then it’s not going to do too much for him. You’d want to look for pain relief, not something that might help increase synovial fluid production for joint lubrication. Bute probably isn’t as good option for a young horse to be taking long term.
You might ask your vet about injections (sorry, I don’t recall their brand name but she/he will know what you are talking about.) I know several people who have used them with good to great success – from all reports, they are on the pricey side but well worth it.
1024 is talking about Adequan I believe. And yes it might help.
You can get Devil’s Claw caps at the grocery store, drug store and health food stores. Probably cheaper to order online though. Just mix them into a joint supplement you use.
I would suggest you look for a supplement that has chondroitin, MSM and glucosamine. They all work together to promote joint health.
Even if your gelding has one joint that is bone on bone, I would use the supplements. It is possible it will prevent problems from getting worse in other joints.
Vets the best person to advise on supplements and if you haven’t already done so, get the vet to xray the joints to totally identify the problem. Regular sports massage will also help your horse to feel better as he will be holding his muscles extremely tense to help support the joints.
Theoretically if there are large areas of new bone formation in the affected joint(s) then supplements are unlikely to help, however anecdotally it is suprising how much some supplements do help. My favourites are Cortaflex and Synequin as they seem to be the most effective but they are expensive. You get what you pay for with these supplements, however, so go with the most expensive your budget will allow. I would steer clear of anything with devil’s claw in it as it is basically aspirin and it can be difficult to monitor a horse’s progress or disease progression. If you are ever using bute or Danilon then devil’s claw is an absolute no-no as it will cause stomach ulcers.
Joint mobility and pain relief go hand in hand to a point, so if you are just looking to manage rather than treat the arthritis then bute/Danilon will do this. They are both pain-relieving and antiinflammatory and so will make your boy feel better and help to treat the arthritis a little. Same as for oral supplements. If you actually want to treat the arthritis you need to have your vet medicate the affected joint(s) with a sterile injection at your clinic and/or give injections systemically (into the muscle) eg Cartrophen.
some horses dont respond to powder supplements.
i would suggest trying adequan injections.
it is given in the muscle. reduces inflamation AND promtes synovial fluid generation. the first month is the most expensive. 1 shot every 10 days…so 3 the first month (@$50 per shot) the following months once every four weeks.
I think it is far better than “Legend”.
I noticed results after the second shot, and it was the fountain of youth after that. good luck!