“My daughter’s horse has just been diagnosed with arthritis…”
My daughter’s horse has just been diagnosed with arthritis of both coffin bones. He is only 8, a Dutch Warmblood and 16.2. How would you treat this?
Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:
John – sorry to hear that you are having lameness problems with your daughter’s horse. Arthritis of the various leg joints is one of the most common causes of lameness problems in horses. Joint arthritis in these cases is usually due to what we would call a wear and tear injury to the joints over a long period of time. After continued concussion over the years, these joints begin to wear down and show evidence of arthritic changes. Normally with arthritic changes of the coffin bones of the front feet, the horse shows both a spurring or excess calcification of the coffin bones as well as a demineralization of some areas of the coffin bones. These changes cause the bones to become weaker and less able to function normally without pain.
Treatment of coffin bone arthritis, which could refer to pedal osteitis, coffin joint degenerative joint disease, and sometimes other names, are normally treated by 1. Corrective shoeing, such as sole or rim pads, high heels and short toes to cause a more rapid break-over so the foot is on the ground bearing weight for the minimal amount of time, and other such shoeing and trimming techniques. 2. Medically, many Veterinarians will recommend medications that will increase the circulation to the foot, a common drug used for this is isoxuprine. 3. Pain relievers such as the Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories are used judiciously in many of these cases to attempt to relieve pain and inflammation in horses that are still useful, with a little help from these drugs such, as bute or banamine. 4. The use of feed or oral medications that are available to the horse owner such as glucosamine-chondroitin products have been shown to be helpful when used consistently, to help promote health and healing of damaged joint surfaces. 5. Injections into the coffin joint may be deemed necessary by your veterinarian as a way to manage this condition effectively. So as you can see their many options and possibilities to help manage this problem in your daughter’s horse. Consulting your Veterinarian about a good program to manage your horse as effectively as possible with these different therapies will hopefully allow you to be able to continue to enjoy your horse for many more years to come.
