>I was wondering if anyone has had positive results with this type
>of therapy. I have a Morgan gelding (9 years old) who I have been
>competing with since he was five. He has always had an
>inconsistent lameness problem, but it had gotten to the point where
>I couldn't even start rides.
>
>I had an extensive evaluation done on him and found out that his
>knees are misaligned, thus causing the wearing down of the
>cartilage in that joint. They have recommended Adequan injections
>and claim that he should be fine after them. The radiographs
>showed no indication of any arthritis, so I plan to compete with
>him after the therapy.
>
>Just wondering if anyone has experience with this type of problem.
>All comments (good and bad) are certainly welcome. If I shouldn't
>consider competing on him ever again, I won't. He means too much
>to me, and I want him to last a long time. Thanks in advance!!!
>
>jab@rdo.srs.state.vt.us
As usual, all disclaimers apply. You should contact your vet to get the
final opinion on such issues. The following is my experience.
At a distance clinic last fall, the speaker was a vet/rider. She stated
that we are asking a lot out of our horses and placing a lot of strain on
the joints. She indicated that Adequan had the ability to provide
nourishments to the cartilage and cause the body to generate synovial
fulid. She suggested that riders consider using Adequan therapy on older
horses (say > 10 years) to prolong their useful years as a preventive
measure.
My mare is 13 and had not had any lameness problems, aside for a minor
sprained ankle three years ago. Since I tend to pay a lot of attention to
the HRM, I had baseline heartrates for a given speed on my training course.
I talked with the vet after her presentation and decided to give my mare
two shots of Adequan, two weeks apart to see if it made any difference.
Her heart rate dropped at the walk, trot and slow gallop by a full 10 to 15
beats per min after the treatment. Her recovery time also was
significantly reduced. Also this season has so far been her best season by
far.
When I discussed this with my own vet she theorizied that there was a low
level infamation, probably caused by "dry cartilage" that the Adequan had
reduced. I now use it about every three months as nourishment to the
cartilage. It seems to work a lot better than Flex Free and is a lot less
expensive in the long run.
There was an article in the Vet Forum of the AERC News severl years ago
discussing Adequan (and other durgs) and the benefits to the endurance
horse.
Truman
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The race is not always to the swift, but to those that keep running.
Truman and Mystic "The Horse from HELL" Storm
prevatt@lds.loral.com - Sarasota, Florida
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