Horse Joint Supplements: A Solution for Osteoarthritis?

As horses grow older and exercise less, weight gain and natural joint deterioration can lead to osteoarthritis. Eventually horses suffering from osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease, can become lame. This doesn't have to be the norm. Keeping a horse flexible and active by using horse joint supplements can do wonders to improve a horse's overall health and quality of life.

Osteoarthritis Symptoms

Recognizing osteoarthritis is an important part of the treatment process. Failing to treat a horse quickly can result in additional damage that can often only be cured by surgery. Horse owners should begin looking for osteoarthritis symptoms when a horse is near 15 years old, or has led an unusually active life that required a lot of conditioning and joint usage. Horses that have experienced injuries can also be at risk.

The first sign of osteoarthritis is a gradually deteriorating performance. A horse will start having trouble doing the most simple activities, or exercises they usually performed with ease. As the condition worsens a horse will start displaying stiffness after they wake up or attempt to walk after standing still for a long period of time. Swelling that does not go away will be the most pronounced sign of osteoarthritis, and if the swelling is hot to the touch a condition more serious than osteoarthritis may be present requiring immediate veterinary attention.

What Joints Are Affected

Often people who are not familiar with, or have limited experience with, horses and their medical conditions believe that a horses knee joints (stifle) are the only joints affected by osteoarthritis. In reality, a horses knees are very rarely affected by osteoarthritis. In reality, the ankles (hacks) are the joints most commonly affected by osteoarthritis along with pastern and coffin joins. This is because of the stress that is caused by athletic training and daily use. Proper shoeing, weight management, and a healthy diet can slow joint deterioration; but even these preventative measures alone are not always enough. Medication will eventually become a necessity as your horse begins experiencing pain and unrelieved swelling.

Why Use Horse Joint Supplements

Anti-inflammatory medications are usually prescribed by veterinarians treating osteoarthritis. The problem with this is the fact that these medications are not usually safe for long-term use. Although prescriptions may provide short-term relief, they do nothing to heal the actual problem. On the other hand, our horse joint supplements are completely safe and deal with the root of the issue.

When combined with a nutritional diet, our horse joint supplements can help prevent osteoarthritis or slow joint deterioration that has already occurred. Horse joint supplements also improve a horse's circulation, which speeds tissue recovery. Most importantly, our horse joint supplements relieve pain, which will allow your horse to remain active during the healing process.

Bottom line? Horse joint supplements can help increase your horse's years of overall health and quality of life. Isn't that what we all want for those who trust us for their care?