i have an older horse of 33 years with age related arthritis issues.she’s doing ok all things considered ,gets around on the pastures and is still taking an active part and interest in life.no other health issues .she’s on long term bute 1 gr per day but with winter here now,i am wondering if it would make her life easier getting a systemic adequan injection,vet said it works for some but not for all.don’t want to do the joint injection route as we are not sure which or how many joints are involved as well as the worry of getting an infection.any experience you want to share?
It wouldn’t be just one, it would be a series of 7 but sure it is worth a try.
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right,it would be 5 to 7 injections the vet said
I had an older horse (31 or 32) who lived w me. It helped him a lot. The loading dose was 7 injections; monthly thereafter.
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My 27-year-old gelding is on his 3rd loading dose of Adequan: 9/2020, 12/2020, and this month.
It has helped in the past. He saw a lameness specialist in January and July. He had a good shot at getting back to light riding. It was not to be. Vet injected his knee with steroids which is still keeping him comfortable. If you go to the manufacturer’s website they have a little chart you can fill out with dates of each dose. There is also an example. He also is on previcox. I prefer that to bute. He also had Osphos a couple of times. He was 4.5/5 on the lameness scale a year ago. He is very comfortable now. I retired him from riding in July. He doesn’t look or act his age. One of the staff plans to take him for a walk a couple of times daily to keep him moving.
I am trying to avoid injecting the knee joint as much as possible. So far it is working.
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just to be sure,this is a systemic/intra muscular injection your horse is getting ,correct ?[quote=“walktrot, post:5, topic:767436, full:true”]
My 27-year-old gelding is on his 3rd loading dose of Adequan: 9/2020, 12/2020, and this month.
It has helped in the past. He saw a lameness specialist in January and July. He had a good shot at getting back to light riding. It was not to be. Vet injected his knee with steroids which is still keeping him comfortable. If you go to the manufacturer’s website they have a little chart you can fill out with dates of each dose. There is also an example. He also is on previcox. I prefer that to bute. He also had Osphos a couple of times. He was 4.5/5 on the lameness scale a year ago. He is very comfortable now. I retired him from riding in July. He doesn’t look or act his age. One of the staff plans to take him for a walk a couple of times daily to keep him moving.
I am trying to avoid injecting the knee joint as much as possible. So far it is working.
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Might be worth a try. Risks are pretty low. If it doesn’t help you are out $300 bucks or so. Unlikely to hurt. You probably would have to keep up the NSAIDs.
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exactly,this is what i am thinking.it might give her a little boost to get through the winter.
I have an oldie who gets pentosan shots for his arthritis instead of an oral supplement because he has no teeth so it’s hit and miss what of his mush gets eaten and what gets spread around the floor. Seems to keep him more limber in general, and cuts down dosing him with NSAIDS to a day here and there - usually when the weather changes or the footing is crap.
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is pentosan similar to adequan and available in canada ?
I’m in manitoba so yes, it’s same idea as adequan/ legend etc but I do believe it is still an off label use
thank you 
I’m using pentosan in Canada, we get it compounded. There is a commercial canine product (Cartrophen) but it is not concentrated enough to be practical for horses.
I do feel it has helped my oldies (26 and 31). The 31 year old was finally euthed this summer due to very advanced arthritis. I feel the pentosan bought him an extra year.
that is good to know,thank you for sharing.
vet just told me he can get adequan in canada starting january so we decided to give it a try.one never knows until one tries and the comments people shared here are encouraging.i hear there’s no side effects so worst case scenario is i’d be loosing money.the old mare sure will be worth THAT risk 
pentosan is compounded in the US as well.
I have found equioxx to be much better for arthritis than bute. You might talk to the vet about trying it. It can really give some horses a totally new lease on life.
Pentosan, at least in the USA, is cheaper than adequan (I paid $100 for a bottle that lasted 5 injections) but they are two different products and some horses respond better to one than the other. So if one doesn’t work, it may be worth it to try the other in a few months.
I think it’s worth trying it. It helped my mare after her hock injury. If your vet is happy to give you a prescription you can buy online for cheaper than the vet sells it.
I used valleyvet and it was $300 compared to nearly $500 from the vet.
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