Osteoarthritis: Not Just an Old Horse Disease

Studies show 60% of all equine lamenesses are related to osteoarthritis, and while it is incurable, there are treatments available and research is ongoing. More than 60% of equine lameness is attributable to OA, and it is widely accepted that OA can affect any horse at any age.
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Studies show 60% of all equine lamenesses are related to osteoarthritis, and while it is incurable, there are treatments available and research is ongoing.

There is no need to start panicking about osteoarthritis (OA) the day your foal's feet hit the ground, but its impact should be considered following every footfall thereafter.

When a horse owner says, "My horse has arthritis," the image that often first pops into our heads is an older, wizened, slightly swaybacked, retired horse standing alone in a field slowly plodding along, while his younger counterparts gallop happily past.

"This is simply not an accurate picture of a typical horse with OA," laughs C. Wayne McIlwraith, BVSc, PhD, FRCVS, DSc, Dr. med vet (hc), Dipl. ACVS, Barbara Cox Anthony University Chair and Director of the Orthopaedic Research Center at Colorado State University (CSU)

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Written by:

Stacey Oke, MSc, DVM, is a practicing veterinarian and freelance medical writer and editor. She is interested in both large and small animals, as well as complementary and alternative medicine. Since 2005, she’s worked as a research consultant for nutritional supplement companies, assisted physicians and veterinarians in publishing research articles and textbooks, and written for a number of educational magazines and websites.

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