Hey all,
I am wondering if people feel the Platinum Performance Complete Joint is worthwhile. I searched old threads (several years ago) and it looks like people either loved it and said it was incredible…or the cost was too high. Well it’s a lot higher now, but I like the ingredients. Do we still love it? Are there better more cost effective options? Just feeding my horse is expensive, not considering supplements so…I thought I’d see what people think.
I had my mare on Platinum CJ for 2 years or so. No astounding benefits. She recently had a nutrition consult (independent, board-certified nutritionist) who said that oral bioavailability/absorption of joint nutraceuticals is low, and should wouldn’t waste the money. I confirmed this with her internist at Mid-Atlantic, as well. They recommend injectable joint supplements - Adequan, Legend - over oral supplements. She’d already been on Adequan, but I’m starting Legend as well. Food for thought!
Thank you, that was exactly the information I needed!
I think this is one of those situations where you need to ask your vet and trust his/her advice —I took my two horses with knee issues (both have knee spurs --clearly seen on x-rays) --each one knee each --one OTTB retired 3-Day horse, other QH former cutting/sorting horse --anyway, I took them to an orthopedic veterinary specialist (long list of verified accomplishments, including teaching at the veterinary hospital --Purdue-- for 10 years) --and said, “What should I do?”
OTTB, though having terrible xrays was not lame. Specialist said: no treatment; bring him back when he’s lame and will discuss further. Then take off all supplements except Platinum Performance CJ and Farrier’s Formula. For the QH who was slightly off, he did a knee injection and said Platinum Performance CJ and nothing else.
Finding out the cost of Platinum Performance CJ, I questioned him --he sent me literature on studies (I didn’t understand most of it), but in the vet’s opinion, this was the best supplement to help my horses.
So --I put both boys on it and we are going into our third year. Both horses are sound enough for use --sometimes have slight lameness after hard use, but bute clears it up. I will tell you that of my 4 horses --they have the most beautiful coats --shed out first, slick, absolutely beautiful --not that my others are not --but there is to my eye are marked difference in the texture and feel of their coats.
My opinion is that you choose your vet and pay him/her for their opinion. It is a waste of money if you don’t follow their advice or at least give it a try.
I ride both those horses almost daily (the OTTB has a dressage show coming up) and the QH is my mounted archery horse --he has a 4 day competition in two weeks --I think that they are still functioning after such crappy x-rays and diagnoses is due in part (maybe entirely) to Platinum Performance CJ.
The supplement market is unregulated. Someone could, and probably will, make a “Lead Change Producer” and a “Lameness Eraser” supplement, package it up in an attractive way, ask some TicToc savvy influencers to talk about it and presto, money maker!
I did do a deep dive recently on those studies that Platinum Performance have on their website. They did not seem valid. They referred to different ingredients and the impact but not the supplement as a whole and what it did for the study group(s) which is what I would expect from a product that I feed my horse.
Follow the science-Adequan is proven to help joints.
Very interesting.
My vet has my horse on a program for joint injections and shockwave therapy—I intend to continue this. I know feed through supplements aren’t a true solution but I thought investigating couldn’t hurt.
I also asked my then vet what supplements he fed. (This was at least 10 years ago when I thought Smart Pak was beyond amazing and every horse should have a strip of supplements. 
He replied none and that he saved his money for Adequan.
I think that’s called 100x Equine and is all over FB now 
OMG you are so correct. 
Do they make Gut X? If so, they blocked me for asking questions about their studies. 
Yes! And probably they did.
The study they refer to was done at hagyard actually, they just knocked off the formula. (I admit I bought the GutX because it’s half the price and we will see how it goes) but if you wanted to talk to them and purchase their version: Polysaccharide-Treatment-Reduces-Gastric-Ulceration-in-Horses.pdf (hagyard.com)
Interesting! I wonder how easy it is to duplicate a product? I can’t imagine the original product manufacturer is eager to share formulas and data?!
Reality is the majority of vets know little to nothing about actual nutrition, bioavailability of various ingredients, etc. What they DO know are products that tend to be front and center in the vet circles, and the Platinum Performance line of products is one, because they are “founded in veterinary practice”. That doesn’t have any bearing on how well a given product can do its intended job. I mean, lots of vets still recommend Omolene 300 for foals because it’s by Purina, it’s a growth feed, they likely got some nutritional training from Purina in school, and they have no idea that even though it’s not new info, high NSC diets are strongly linked to DOD issues in foals.
Even that study isn’t well done, if for no other reason than there wasn’t any control group.
Given that the amount of each ingredient in these products (Relyne from Hagyard, and GutX), not hard at all. Well, that’s all relative right? You CAN get beta glucan that’s derived from various sources, you CAN get HA, and if you have the right equipment you can measure out the doses either product uses.
As for the OP’s original question - the only way to know is to try it on your horse at this point in his life. That’s the only answer to every single joint supplement out there. Even for the ones that tend to produce the most results, for every 1 horse it works for, there will be 100s of horses for whom it didn’t work at all.
Me, personally, I go with Actiflex 4000 as a starting point. Liquids are most bioavailable. It has green lipped muscle in addition to others common joint-supportive ingredients. It’s still not a cure-all, but it doesn’t break the bank, and it does help a lot of horses (and also doesn’t work on 100x others LOL)
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