For those of you using anti-inflammatories other than NSAIDs (i.e. not bute, banamine or previcox) -
What are you using, and for what condition? Does it work well for your horse?
TIA
MSM and Whole Flax – general stiffness/old age joints
MSM & Flax~ Glucosamine also helps.
I’ll third the MSM suggestion. I’m surprised how much it can help minor stiffness and aches. Every time I have used it, I have seen visible results almost immediately.
I feed whole flax, but personally have not seen any changes in movement/comfort. Although the omega 3s are supposed to help.
B-L Pellet. Valleyvet seems to have the best prices on it. We’ve seen a huge improvement in our older horses who were stiff and achy from arthritis or old injuries. Horses now are much more comfortable, and several have even gotten a lot of their spunk back! =)
I second the BL. Mine all get MSM and glucosamine in their ration balancer (Essential K GC) and I’ve been using BL solution (Formerly bute-less) on three of mine. Jeffers had a buy one get one free on the gallons not long ago.
24 year old TB has general arthritis and age related stiffness, he’s visibly improved. 10 year old paint has fusing hocks and seems more comfortable and willing on it. And I’m giving it to the half Arab with synovitis. I haven’t been riding him but he appears sound during ground/in-hand work.
With the 24 year old, I notice he rolls better and more often, gets up faster, and is more playful in the pasture. For what it’s worth, I noticed the same improvement on aspirin, but he’s a picky eater and the BL pellets or liquid are more palatable to him, this easier for me. He’s ridden 2-5 days a week and hasn’t had any injections for years.
Thanks for the feedback. Do you find that devils claw & yucca are safe for a sensitive tummy?
I’m looking at these three - and feedback on them?
https://www.smartpakequine.com/ps/smarttlc-pellets-8249
https://www.smartpakequine.com/ps/devils-claw-plus-658
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=28462&cmpid=06cseYY&gclid=CPHh6JHPpcwCFZNZhgodHj8KXg
[QUOTE=retrofit;8633022]
Thanks for the feedback. Do you find that devils claw & yucca are safe for a sensitive tummy?
I’m looking at these three - and feedback on them?
https://www.smartpakequine.com/ps/smarttlc-pellets-8249
https://www.smartpakequine.com/ps/devils-claw-plus-658
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=28462&cmpid=06cseYY&gclid=CPHh6JHPpcwCFZNZhgodHj8KXg[/QUOTE]
All of those are labeled with warnings to not use with horses with gastric/duodenal ulcers.
http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?250368-Devil-s-Claw-and-Ulcers
[INDENT]The putative “active ingredient” in Devil’s Claw is a chemical that blocks the production of prostaglandins.
In this sense, it is, in fact, an NSAID.
The reason NSAIDs cause ulcers is because they block the formation of beneficial prostaglandins in the stomach. Unfortunately we can’t tell drugs to block the “bad” ones and spare the “good” ones, although more modern NSAIDs such as the COX-2 inhibitors (Celebrex for people, Equioxx for horses) function in that general direction.
So it’s entirely possible to expect Devil’s Claw to do what it’s meant to do in the stomach (block prostaglandins) just like it does in the muscles and joints (block prostaglandins). I wouldn’t consider it any safer than bute, aspirin, or any other NSAID.[/INDENT]
Thank you Leather.
I thought about using “devils claw”, but, it warned about gastric upset, so I tried it myself first… (human dosage)
After I used it for a couple of days, I ended up on the ground unable to move because the stomach pain was so bad…
I almost went to the hospital, but, it passed in about an hour of laying on the ground moaning in pain…
I highly do not recommend it
Unless a person knows that a substance is innocuous it is best to run it past your vet. Trying supplements because the advertising sounds like it would fix everything and then trying something else willy nilly, just complicates things.
I have ‘sucker’ branded on my forehead and cannot tell you how many $100.00 buckets of white powders I have tried, from sharks cartilage to glucosamine, to whatever.
You may find the side effects make more of a problem, whether holistic, natural, or whatever.
I’ve been using this one on two horses the past couple of months and have been happy with it:
It does contain Devil’s Claw so it has the same warnings about using it on horses with ulcers or who are on NSAIDs. It is also not competition-legal.
My mare is getting arthritic in her older age - she’ll be 20 in May. Over the winter she was lame, and I think she torqued her hind leg on the ice. It came back sound after a few days. I had my vet do flexions on her a month or so later, and she was noticeably off on flexions but trotted out of it. We’re figuring arthritis to some extent in most if not all leg joints. She is, after all, almost 20.
I put her on MSM from Santa Cruz Animal Health, http://www.scahealth.com/horse-products/horse-supplements/horse-joint-supplements/ultracruz-equine-methylsulfonymethane-horse-supplement.html which is the most cost effective MSM I have found online. She gets the 21,000 mg dose each day, and I do believe she is less stiff now than prior to getting the MSM.
I have Previcox on hand just in case, but wanted to start with the MSM to spare her tummy for as long as possible, especially since she is a textbook “ulcer type” personality.
I just started my chronically gimpy horse on Sup-er Substitute. It does have Devil’s Claw but also has calcium carbonate. He’s been on it for 3 days and so far no noticeable stomach issues - but I will keep an eye on it. I didn’t know DC could upset the stomach.
Is yucca alone hard on the tummy?
