Properly Handling Arthritis In Your Horse

I'm sure you are probably familiar with arthritis and the pain and suffering it brings. It is a very common problem for people especially senior citizens. However, did you know that animals can also experience the pain and suffering of arthritis? This is especially true for horses.

Horse arthritis is a major concern for horse owners. Thanks to modern medicine there are new discoveries about how to detect arthritis in horses and the best methods on how to properly handle it. Your animals no longer need to suffer for nothing.

There are a number of different reasons for a horse to see symptoms of arthritis. Some of these include heredity, abnormal growth, loose joints or old injuries. While you can never be sure about what the cause of the pain may be there are ways you can help prevent it through taking good care of your horse's joints. The risk can never be totally eliminated, but you can make it easier through preventive measures.

Arthritis comes about when the liquid in the joints no longer provides the needed cushion on the joints. The reason is the fluid becomes thinner over time and eventually cannot provide the appropriate amount of lubrication on the joints, which you could imagine on such a large animal, causes a great deal of pain. Arthritis is painful enough on our joints now imagine it in a large horse.

One way to tell if your horse is suffering from arthritis is you'll notice it beginning to walk or move around gingerly and rather uncomfortably. It will exhibit difficulty doing normally easy actions such as getting up from a lying down position. Other signs of this painful condition include swollen joints, stiffness in movement and decreased range of step. It is important that you identify condition early on so that you can take the necessary steps to take care of it.

Once you notice sure signs of horse arthritis, my advice is to schedule an appointment with a veterinarian. They can help you tell for certain if your horse has arthritis and what steps you should take to deal with it. The veterinarian will probably run some tests such as ultrasound, fluid testing in the joints and other diagnostic tests so don't get scared. Once the veterinarian has enough information to make a diagnosis, they can then assess the severity of the arthritis and recommend proper treatment options. Horse arthritis treatments vary from equine vitamins, exercise or weight control.