My thought is to be sure the neck has been evaluated and there is not impairment to neuro signals getting to the hind end
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I adopted a very senior horse who also had difficulty laying down/getting up. Took me a while to figure out the right cocktail, but I now keep her pretty happy with 1/2 Equioxx and one scoop of Phycox daily. I had a vet who swore by Phycox over any other joint supplement (and heās not generally a fan of supplements) so I tried it and it seems to work really well.
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Let me be clear, the horse is not struggling to rise every single time he is down to roll, nap in the very few sunny days weāve had, or sleeping each night in his stall. He is under veterinary care and receiving all the meds prescribed. Vet and I have discussed switching him to bute-- he is a terrible horse to medicate if he will not eat his meds (he happily takes his Prascend and Equioxx in a carrot each day and I am eternally grateful he does). Using a pill gun daily is not something I look forward to with bute.
I talked about joint injections and the risks with laminitis are too great at this point, in vetās opinion. I do NOT want another bout of that, thank you very much! Heās a stoic old Paint but if that happens again, I will euthanize. He hasnāt rotated and his feet look fabulous according to his amazing farrier. He is currently barefoot and comfortable.
I will absolutely have vet check his neck/do a neuro exam the next time we have her out. With only a handful of equine vets in our area, getting an appointment can be a challenge, but he loves a good trailer ride and visiting anyone who will pay attention to him, so a trip to the clinic is a āfun timeā or him. I do love loading up both old men and going in to the clinic. They are both like: āHey, itās show time again! Where is the applause?! Whereās the treats and handwalks?ā.
Thanks for all the advice so far and the cautions. We are optimistic heās got a while longer with us, but realistic enough to know the end might be coming sooner than all of us would like.
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Is driving down to OSU a reasonable trip? Do they provide equine services? Do they have an Equine ambulatory team that might be able to visit him at a facility nearer to them?
Acupuncture might be worth a try (if he enjoys or at least tolerates it).
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This is very true if you are talking about steroid injections, but not at all true if you are talking about biologics or gels. They cost more, and arenāt something many people would consider for a retired horse, but they are worth investigating if you are in the position to do so. Ask about ProStride, IRAP, PRP, Arthramid, and Noltrex.
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How big is he? I have one on the farm that does the rocking thing sometimesā¦and heās 18h and currently competing FEI dressage (though he does need hock injections). It can be a lot harder on the oldies that are big. Thatās a lot of heft to move. I wouldnāt really call it struggling, but he does sometimes āprepareā more than my ponies would. Itās deliberate and he is totally sound with regular injections.
I lost my first pony to going down and unable to get up, and it was horrific and I swore I would never let it happen againābut I donāt think what this (and probably your horse) are doing is anything like that. JMO but Iāve been boarding retirees for 30 years and this strikes me as in the range of acceptable for an oldieā¦as long as there is no flailing and the horse is calm during and after. Heck, as I am older I think more about my aching muscles before I get out of bed too.
Ditto 2 Equioxx, have a couple retirees on that dose.
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OP, hugs and jingles to you.
The only thing I can suggest is to test for Lyme and EPM - itās possible that the symptoms are being masked by his other, known issues.
Iād also get the neurological exam, t be on the safe side.
If you need to switch to, or add, bute - can you not mix it in his grain? As long as my horses are slurping down the grain, they donāt care what else is in it!
Youāve been on this forum āa day or twoā and much longer than me. It was a few of you longtime COTHERs who helped me save my first metabolic horse back in 2007.
Which is why I will off what I know has worked for my second metabolic horse who ended up with a twice (TWICE) fractured sacrum. Tragically Joker passed in February from major colic, almost making it to his 27th birthday.
Jokerās replacement as a companion for my now 28 yr old TWH with stifle issues, is a long 26 yr old Dutch Warmblood, retired show jumper, and was moved by his owner from Orange County, CA to my farm in Middle Tennessee for permanent retirement.
He has hock & stifle issues on the RR, plus he has a near perfectly healed (per the x-rays from the sports medicine vet I use) fractured splint bone & slightly bowed tendon on the RF.
All this^^^^^ to say there are things you can do but none of it comes cheap. I have learned if the issues is near critical path or in critical path, nothing cheap works.
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Cosequin ASU+ (Plus). It now comes in pellets for fussy horses.
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Lubrisyn HA
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Somebodyās pure amino acids - I like HorseTechās products.
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Cold laser gun (Brandenburg Equine Therapy Products).
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Red light therapy pad. (equinelighttherapy.com) ā According to Gospelā.
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Possibly slathering the hock and stifle in Sore-no-More clay poultice once daily.
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Ice hock boots MAY help your fella they didnāt help my other horse.
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While I am an advocate of shoes in certain situations, Iām not sure they would help in your case. If you do try this route, get Thee a certified therapeutic farrier and put composite shoes on him:)
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Chiropractor monthly as my other horse and my dogs are still on her schedule.
I have used all of the above mentioned items on Joker and some of them on the new, retired show jumper. I will go back and forth with things if something seems to stop helping.
I also have the new fella on Egusin 250 after I finished 30 days of UlcerGard paste. Succeed works just as well and is a bit cheaper but this fella wonāt eat it, nor will he eat anything in meal form.
No pain meds, except when the farrier comes.
You could easily see the slight hitch in his get along but the not knowledgeable horse buyer would never know there is anything wrong with him. You may be able to enlarge this and see the puffiness in his hock. He is 17H . I did t want 17H but this sweet fellaās manners are impeccable and he deserves every chance for a happy retirement.
EDITED TO ADD:
I also found these stifle/hock compression socks.
These may not be exactly what you want but leg compression socks are out there. I have a pair of front leg, zipper style compression socks from a company in Canada. I used them when my metabolic horse foundered in 2012 and the loser farrier went against the vet, took way too much heel and ultrasound showed torn tendons. The compression socks were an immense help toward the end of his healing process.
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