Old horse question

[lisam]

My Arab mare turned 32 two weeks ago! She's very healthy, good weight, good teeth. However, twice this past month she's been unable to get up when I go out to feed. The first time was in her stall, I determined she was stiff and made the decision not to stall her anymore.

Today it was out in the pasture. She had been down for awhile, since there was flattened grass and smooshed poop underneath her. The neighbor helped me get her up--she was having trouble getting her left hip underneath her to help her rise.

She has been stiff for the trimmer this past year with her two back legs.

She is turned out either in a pasture or good sized paddock at all times. She grazes still, and walks around quite a bit. She even runs around like a filly at times.

She gets MSM, BOSS, ground flax, ground celery seed, vitamin e, and Northwest Horse Supplement in her beet pulp. She eats orchard grass hay, grazes on grass, and gets orchard grass hay pellets.

My question is, is there anything else I can do for her?

[cricket]

I would have your vet out to look at her if this is something new.

My old Arab mare lived to be 36 and she'd go through phases where I could tell she was really stiff and had a hard time getting up. This is what worked for me:

I'd try Glucosamine and chondroitin (sp?) along with the MSM.

I've also found that sometimes if one brand doesn't work, I'll try another and sometimes get better results.

I feed the Horse Guard multi-vitamin and mineral to all my horses, but I like Smart Paks for additional supplements for a specific condition. They're super convenient and have a pretty wide selection.

It's good that she still has good teeth. That makes things easier. Hope you get it figured out. I miss my old girl!

[cutiepiepmu]

There are a few feed things you can do to help daily but also think that she may be a good canidate to do a full course of adequan IM - 7 doses given 1 week apart, then a monthly booster. It is about $350ish to do, but can make a big difference.

BUT - the first thing I would do is start on Horseguard vitamins - they are MUCH higher quality than the NW supplement and for the amount you feed daily it runs a little cheaper actually than theNW supplement. so - that is the first thing I would do.

Second - stop feeding BOSS. Black oil sunflower seeds have enough plant hormones that it can cause increased inflamation in teh body.

Third, keep feeding 10grams of MSM daily, but to this - add NEXT LEVEL joint liquid. It is a complete joint product which also has bromelain, which is a natural pain reliever. Feed 60cc's for 30 days then go to 30'cc per day.

I also suggest adding some daily herbal stuff to help control inflamation and arthritic pain. Devils Claw and Yucca are the standards and there are a few ways to do this. BL-Solution is a liquid and is a good choice - OR you can order the Devils claw powder and Yucca powder from www.mountainroseherbs.com Give 1 tablespoon Devils claw powder and 2 tablespoons yucca powder daily. Both run aroun $11 per pound and a pound lasts ABOUT 35-45 days.

ALSO - in the evenings, even in teh summer - if it gets below 60 at night - throw a light weight turnout sheet on her. Seniors get colder than youngsters, and although 60 isn't cold, it can be enough to cause the oldies to get more stiff.

Also - low dose daily bute can be a good option. I know there are concerns about gastric problems - but the ACTUALL chance of this is pretty small when it is low dose. Start off with 1 gram daily for 7-14 days then go to either 1/2 gram daily or 1 gram every other day. It will help control inflamation long term and keep your kid comfortable. You can ask about equioxx but, IMO to control inflamation an pain you have to give it in huge amounts and the cost is rediculous.

I have a guy who is 29 this year and livign with a hugely arthritic knee - so have learned alot of little tricks along the way.

One of the things I also do in the winter is to hot pack the legs at night and put whinny warmers on all 4 legs when he comes in. I also will double blanet him faster than the others - when he gets cold, it is obvious he hurts more.

Sara

[lisam]

Just wanted to update--

Vet prescribed Adequan IM. Kara's doing very well on it! In fact, my old rescue mare Dusty has been put on it too, and we hope it will help her as well.

[cutiepiepmu]

Adequan IM is a good choice It boosts joint fluids faster than oral supplemetation and can really give good relief.

Sara

[jessiegirl1981]

So my vet prescribed Adequin and I am very happy with it but she never mentioned the 7 day treatment. I am wondering if that is just for an extreme case or if you are supposed to follow that course always?

[schwung]

Not 7-day treatment, but the should be a loading dose period with any joint therapy. Adequan recommends one dose per week for 7 weeks, then once a month thereafter. You may be able to get away with less than that, but I still think the loading dose is important.

[jessiegirl1981]

Wow! I can't imagine the outcome I would have gotten from that! She was awesome with one dose a month, I love that stuff

[cutiepiepmu]

Many horses do really well on 4-5 doses spaced a week apart, the boostering anywhere from 2 weeks to 1 month depending on the need of the horse. But, for best results - a loading dose is require.

Sara