Hi all–I’ve searched some older topics but none cover what I’m wondering about. My coming-23 year old has high and low ringbone, and the high seems to be the more painful now. I did IRAP-II in 2019/2020 and it helped the low ringbone, but seemed to do nothing for the high. He’s not a candidate for conventional joint injections, but my vet did say she though Noltrex could be an option.
Big BUT–since it’s so new on the market (well, at least FDA approved), she has very little experience using it (so far, just one client) and hasn’t used Arthramid, as it’s been difficult to get. I’ve been trying to do some research and it seems as though there’s better studies done on the efficacy of Arthramid, and I’d prefer to use that–but, as mentioned, so far my vet’s office hasn’t been able to get any (as of two weeks or so ago).
I know these should in theory be very similar–has anyone used both to compare? Is there a difference in potential reactions/complications, etc? I’d like to treat the joint sooner rather than later–he’s mobile but definitely “iffy” some days on daily Equioxx (better on 1 gram of bute a day, but I’d prefer not to feed that long-term). Last radiograph showed that the high ringbone has progressed quite a bit over the last year and the joint space is narrowing on one leg, so I feel like getting this done ASAP is a priority. Also, he’s mostly retired–I’d be happy to trail ride at the walk when he feels up to it just to keep him moving (the rest of him is, of course, in great shape). So this is just about prolonging quality of life/long-term comfort, no expectation that I’ll suddenly have a perfectly sound horse. Yes, I’m probably overthinking the difference between these two. 
