How to Manage and Prevent Equine Arthritis in Horses

What is equine arthritis?

Horses are susceptible to many different diseases including equine arthritis which is fairly common especially in aged horses. It is also known as degenerative jointdisease (DJD) which explains exactly what its symptoms are. Basically, the soft cartilage that acts as a shock absorber and allows freedom of movement without painful friction between the joints is worn down and may even disappear with time. This results in severe pain due to the “knocking” of joints together with no cushion in between to prevent them from creating painful friction. This means that one or more joints will become largely useless eventually leading to lameness.

What are the symptoms of Equine Arthritis?

• Severe pain in joints often the fetlock, carpus and hock joints
• Swelling in the joints afflicted with DJD
• Lameness in one or more legs
• Difficulty in bending the joints
• Painful movement even when walking

What are the causes of Equine Arthritis?

• Old age

When a foal is born, its bones are small and numerous and consist of a large amount of cartilage make its joints soft and flexible. Over time as the joints are used for daily work it causes wear and tear of the cartilage. Often the amount of cartilage left is insufficient to provide enough cushion so the joints’ ball and socket come in contact every time that limb is moved causing pain.

• Trauma

The horse may have been in an accident or had a life of strenuous work that was more than its body could handle resulting in premature degradation of the leg joints including swelling, pain and lameness.

• Bacterial infection (Septic Equine Arthritis)

Sometimes there may be a wound that is not properly treated giving entry to harmful bacteria that attack the joints of the horse. It is extremely difficult to treat and is also common in foals with a systemic disease or low immunity which makes them susceptible to such bacterial infections

How to manage Equine Arthritis?

There is no cure for equine arthritis but vigorous management strategies can save a horse from a lot of pain and help it carry on with its daily activities. However, if the horse has a strenuous lifestyle then it cannot go back to being used that way if it has arthritic joints. Oral administration of vital compounds that are already present in cartilage or promote its health can help slow down the degeneration of the joints. These drugs include hyaluronic acid, corticosteroids and glucosamine which may also be injected directly into the arthritic joint. A relatively new technique is the employment of stem cells in the hope of regeneration of the worn down cartilage.

How to prevent Equine Arthritis?

There are plenty of great health supplements present in the market which contain active ingredients such as glucosamine hydrochloride, microcrystalline cellulose, sodium chondroitin sulfate and manganese ascorbate. These help restore the vitality and flexibility of the joints and aid in repairing the damage afflicted by old age, trauma or bacterial infections in horse joints.