Joint health – problems, prevention and supplementation

Joint problems include injuries such as sprains and developmental orthopaedic diseases (DOD) in young horses, but the most common cause of joint lameness is osteoarthritis (OA), and one veterinary survey showed that 60% of lame horses had OA.

What goes wrong?

Joints – also called articulations, hence the term arthritis – are where bone ends meet and are joined together by a fibrous joint capsule and connective tissue. The ends are covered in smooth cartilage to enable them to glide smoothly, allowing movement. If damage occurs, the resulting inflammation causes damage to the cartilage, which, due to its limited repair capabilities, can become thinner and roughened. Eventually, the underlying bone is also affected, at which stage the condition is described as OA. Inflamed bone produces more bone in an attempt to heal, so bony spurs and overgrowth can result.

Joint problems include:

• Injuries including sprains (ligament damage)
• DOD, including OCD and bone cysts
• Arthritis (joint inflammation)
• OA

A variety of factors increase the risk of OA, including a genetic predisposition, poor nutrition (such as an unbalanced diet during growth), obesity, excessive work, injury, inappropriate surfaces, and old age.

Classic signs of OA are pain and stiffness, although early stages can occur without overt symptoms. Over time range of motion is reduced and there may be swelling.

How to prevent and manage

There are certain strategies that can reduce the risk. Starting early is the key to reducing the risk of joint problems:

• Select breeding stock carefully to minimise genetic susceptibility
• Feed a balanced diet to growing youngstock, taking extra care with energy and protein balance, mineral intake, starch intake and ensuring slow gradual growth
• Use a progressive and carefully planned exercise regime, never working the horse harder than its current state of fitness
• Intervene as early as possible with injury
• Feed a balanced diet with particular emphasis on mineral balance and a healthy bodyweight
• Feed an oral joint supplement (choose wisely because not all contain effective levels of ingredients)

Supplementation

Oral joint supplements are commonly used to support joint health and they are the most popular type of supplements for horses. Beneficial joint supplement ingredients may include nutraceuticals like glucosamine and chondroitin, MSM, Omega 3s such as DHA and EPA and antioxidant Vitamin C. Their main benefit over some types of medication is the lack of harmful long-term side effects.

Joint supplement ingredients have a variety of effects, including providing building blocks for joint tissue and antioxidants to reduce damage. Some seem to block inflammatory mediators, limiting damage, too. For example, glucosamine seems to increase new cartilage production and limit the breakdown of existing cartilage in horses.

Evaluating Joint Supplements

When choosing a suitable ‘joint support’ product you may opt for simple but effective glucosamine, or for a more comprehensive combination of ingredients. Whatever your choice, you need to be mindful that these supplements do not always provide the answer and relative success is likely to depend on why you are feeding the supplement in the first place.

Diagnosis by your veterinarian is essential before embarking on nutritional support for an injury or disease situation. Additionally, whatever the main active ingredient in your supplement of choice, you should be aware of the level of the active ingredient present per daily feed. This will enable you to make valid comparisons between competitive products and to evaluate their relative ‘value for money’.