{"id":8386,"date":"2017-02-14T08:20:51","date_gmt":"2017-02-14T07:20:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/?p=8386"},"modified":"2021-08-10T12:56:36","modified_gmt":"2021-08-10T11:56:36","slug":"horse-arthritis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/horse-arthritis\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Tips to Deal with your Horse\u2019s Arthritis"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your horse has arthritis and you\u2019re not sure what you could do to make things easier for it? Or you\u2019re concerned your horse will have this disease one day and you want to know all about it beforehand? This article is made for you! &#x23ec;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Arthritis, it\u2019s a bad word that makes us all think about old horses. When <\/span><b>it\u2019s actually a degenerative disease which can affect young horses as well (from 5-year-old on)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It\u2019s <\/span><b>a pretty common disease for sport horses<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, particularly show-jumpers but also leisure horses. We\u2019ll use in this article the example of the <\/span><b>feet arthritis<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but it\u2019s pretty much the same for every joint.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"toc_container\" class=\"no_bullets\"><p class=\"toc_title\">Table des mati&egrave;res<\/p><ul class=\"toc_list\"><li><a href=\"#As-usual-lets-start-with-a-bit-of-anatomy\">As usual, let\u2019s start with a bit of anatomy\u2026<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#1-8211-How-does-arthritis-work\">#1 &#8211; How does arthritis work?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#2-8211-How-to-detect-arthritis-on-time-4-x1f50d\">#2 &#8211; How to detect arthritis on time? [4] &#x1f50d;<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#3-8211-Use-the-right-treatment-4\">#3 &#8211; Use the right treatment [4]<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#4-8211-Adjust-the-activity-4-x1f40e\">#4 &#8211; Adjust the activity [4] &#x1f40e;<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#To-conclude\">To conclude:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<h2><span id=\"As-usual-lets-start-with-a-bit-of-anatomy\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As usual, let\u2019s start with a bit of anatomy\u2026<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The feet joint is scientifically called the \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">distal interphalangeal joint<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d. This represent the joint between the last two phalanges (the fingertips for us). It contains 3 bones: the 3rd phalange (distal), the 2nd phalange (middle) and the navicular bone (= distal sesamoid bone).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8387 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/tendons_schema.png\" alt=\"arthritis tendon\" width=\"2074\" height=\"814\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/tendons_schema.png 2074w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/tendons_schema-300x118.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/tendons_schema-768x301.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/tendons_schema-1024x402.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/tendons_schema-604x237.png 604w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/tendons_schema-850x334.png 850w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2074px) 100vw, 2074px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The articular cartilage of the joint is thick. That is because of its <\/span><b>cushioning function<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Indeed, this joint is under a lot of strain when the horse moves because it cushions the irregularities of the ground. [1]<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"1-8211-How-does-arthritis-work\"><b>#1 &#8211; How does arthritis work?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Feet arthritis (scientifically called \u201cdistal interphalangeal arthritis\u201d) is a <\/span><b>cartilage degeneration<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Let me explain.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>The cartilage<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both bony ends making up a joint are <\/span><b>covered in cartilage<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It\u2019s thanks to the cartilage that both bones can glide against each other and, this way, ensure the mobility of the joint. The stability of the joint is ensured by a capsule creating a \u201cbag\u201d. The inner part of this bag is covered by a membrane:<\/span><b> the synovial lining<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This lining will create the joint liquid, also called synovial fluid. <\/span><b>It oils up the joint and nourishes the cartilage at 95%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8390 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/articulation.png\" alt=\"joint arthritis\" width=\"1037\" height=\"407\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/articulation.png 1037w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/articulation-300x118.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/articulation-768x301.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/articulation-1024x402.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/articulation-604x237.png 604w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/articulation-850x334.png 850w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1037px) 100vw, 1037px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The cartilage is a special tissue, made up of only one type of cells called <\/span><b>chondrocytes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. They synthesize the cartilage matrix. What is <\/span><b>cartilage matrix<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">? It\u2019s a sponge made of big molecules, very greedy in water, confined in a non-extensible net of collagen fibers.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Arthritis is actually a response to excessive pressure on the cartilage.<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The pressure exerted causes a <\/span><b>breach in the collagen net<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The cartilage swells up with water (edema) and<\/span><b> it becomes vulnerable and divides<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This way, cartilage fragments fall into the joint.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under the pressure, <\/span><b>the cartilage cells (chondrocytes) become overactive<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by trying to fix the cartilage. Lastly, <\/span><b>they end up depleted and they die<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If arthritis first manifests in the cartilage, <\/span><b>the other elements of the joints will also be affected<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The synovial lining will try to clean up the cartilage fragment fallen into the joint cavity. It will react by creating an important quantity of synovial fluid, which signals the inflammation. The bone will thicken because of this pressure and create a bone growth named an \u201c<\/span><b>osteophyte<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d around the joint. You can see it clearly on the radiograph.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What you need to understand is that the osteoarthritis process is a vicious circle. The progressive destruction of the cartilage decreases its suppleness and its cushioning capabilities, increasing the mechanical stress and encouraging the destruction. It is a <\/span><b>self-aggravating disease<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. [4]<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8393 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/re\u0301sume\u0301.png\" alt=\"arthritis joints\" width=\"2074\" height=\"754\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/re\u0301sume\u0301.png 2074w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/re\u0301sume\u0301-300x109.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/re\u0301sume\u0301-768x279.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/re\u0301sume\u0301-1024x372.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/re\u0301sume\u0301-604x220.png 604w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/re\u0301sume\u0301-850x309.png 850w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2074px) 100vw, 2074px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"2-8211-How-to-detect-arthritis-on-time-4-x1f50d\"><b>#2 &#8211; How to detect arthritis on time? [4] &#x1f50d;<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This disease mostly appears in horses around 5 to 10-year-old. The troubles are treacherous. You might detect <\/span><b>a progressive and sporadic lameness<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. You might encounter difficulties while working, without seeing a real lameness: your horse could have a hard time doing some exercises, and your results during shows will decrease.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Often if there is a lameness, it is <strong>accentuated on a circle and hard ground<\/strong>. It also improves when the horse is <strong>warmed up<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By the way, you can use Equisense Motion or Motion S to follow the evolution of the symmetry and the elevation which can alert you if the locomotion gets worse.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8396 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/APP_1-1.png\" alt=\"arthritis equisense motion\" width=\"1292\" height=\"740\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/APP_1-1.png 1292w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/APP_1-1-300x172.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/APP_1-1-768x440.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/APP_1-1-1024x587.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/APP_1-1-471x270.png 471w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/APP_1-1-850x487.png 850w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1292px) 100vw, 1292px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, take some time to <\/span><b>observe your horse in its stall<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It can position itself to get a bit of relief, with its foreleg in protraction.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"3-8211-Use-the-right-treatment-4\"><b>#3 &#8211; Use the right treatment [4]<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are a lot of possible treatments. Of course, you have to adjust to each case.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>A trim and\/or a shoe &#x1f463;<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>An orthopaedic treatment<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will ensure the transversal and longitudinal balance of the foot, static or in movement. The veterinary will evaluate the joint with a radiograph and adjust the trim and\/or the shoe depending on the injury.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you shoe your horse, it<\/span><b> has to be light and have a good cushioning effect<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, with a rounded inner and outer toe. The goal here is to help the feet rotate in every direction.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8399 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/parrage.png\" alt=\"arthritis trim hoof\" width=\"1037\" height=\"367\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/parrage.png 1037w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/parrage-300x106.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/parrage-768x272.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/parrage-1024x362.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/parrage-604x214.png 604w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/parrage-850x301.png 850w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1037px) 100vw, 1037px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3><b>A medical treatment &#x1f489;<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The medical treatment depends on <\/span><b>the horse, its activity and the injury<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The goal is to decrease the lameness by decreasing the pain in the joint. This is something you have to talk about with your veterinary. This can be a local treatment, in the form of intra-articular injections (<\/span><b>infiltrations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">). Note that repeated injections in the joints can alter the cartilage. You should be careful with this type of injections.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are other possible treatments like <\/span><b>bisphosphonate drips<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><b>mesotherapy<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The goal here is to control the lameness to help the joint recover.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8402 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/traitements.png\" alt=\"treatment arthritis\" width=\"1037\" height=\"391\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/traitements.png 1037w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/traitements-300x113.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/traitements-768x290.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/traitements-1024x386.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/traitements-604x228.png 604w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/traitements-850x320.png 850w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1037px) 100vw, 1037px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><b>Surgery &#x1f469;&#x200d;&#x1f52c;<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lastly, you might have heard about arthroscopies. When the osteophyte creates a mechanical conflict with the middle phalange (in this case, the discomfort for the horse is important), it can be a good idea to <\/span><b>treat the injury surgically<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The surgeon will enter the joint with a little camera to clean it.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Dietary supplements<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If dietary supplements can\u2019t be considered a treatment, they can be really useful to prevent the disease and help the horse build good cartilage, or as a support when the disease is already there.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"4-8211-Adjust-the-activity-4-x1f40e\"><b>#4 &#8211; Adjust the activity [4] &#x1f40e;<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A regular activity (and controlled) is advisable for horses with feet arthritis. Start with a l<\/span><b>ong warm up at walk<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, then <\/span><b>slow trot<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. You\u2019ll find the locomotion improves with exercise. The terrain should be supple and regular. An irregular terrain would unbalance the joint. You should also <\/span><b>avoid small circles and the exercises your horse has a hard time doing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s important to adjust the work to your horse\u2019s answer to treatment. Let me explain. If, after the treatment, your horse isn\u2019t lame anymore, don\u2019t hesitate to start working normally again. On the contrary, if you still note a discomfort, reduce the workload and give you horse anti-inflammatories to reduce the pain.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s also keep in mind that it\u2019s important to keep your horse active to avoid your horse being overweight: it\u2019s important to <\/span><b>avoid worsening the injury by adding to the pressure on the joint<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"To-conclude\"><b>To conclude:<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We could only talk about feet arthritis but it\u2019s important to note that <\/span><b>arthritis can happen in numerous joints<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: the fetlock, the hock, the shoulders, the back, etc. It\u2019s <\/span><b>hard to prevent it <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">because the feet joints undergo a lot of pressure. A good farrier and a good ground are important to prevent this disease.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I hope you liked this article and that it helped you understand this disease better.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marine Slove,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Veterinary.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h6><b>Sources:<br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[1]<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cEntit\u00e9s pathologiques g\u00e9n\u00e9rales: les arthropathies et leur traitement chez le cheval\u201d, CIRALE-IPC, UP Clinique Equine DEPEC, janvier 2002, J.M Denoix, F. Audigi\u00e9.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[2]<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAnatomie compar\u00e9e des mammif\u00e8res domestiques &#8211; Tome 2 Arthrologie et myologie\u201d, R. Barone.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[3] <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dossier Arthrose 2005, Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 Fran\u00e7aise de Rhumatologie<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[4] \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Entit\u00e9s pathologiques r\u00e9gionales &#8211; Membre thoracique: l\u2019arthropathie inter-phalangienne distale\u201d, CIRALE-IPC, UP Clinique Equine DEPEC, janvier 2002, J.M Denoix, F. Audigi\u00e9.<\/span><\/i><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your horse has arthritis and you\u2019re not sure what you could do to make things&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/horse-arthritis\/\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8405,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[6177],"tags":[7338,7285,6706,6530],"yst_prominent_words":[753,7336,7335,7337,1052,811,6703,7329,815,855,7324,7323,7328,7334,7333,808,7325,756,775,806],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8386"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8386"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30690,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8386\/revisions\/30690"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8386"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=8386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}