Recent News for Older Horse Care
Article
Joint Supplements Controversy
November 01, 2000
In this issue, we discuss one of the hottest, and most controversial, areas of supplementation on the equine market--glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and other oral supplements for horses with signs of osteoarthritis or degenerative joint... Read More
Article
Osselets (Traumatic Arthritis of the Fetlock)
September 01, 2000
Osselets begin with swelling on the front of the fetlock joint, with the possible addition of synovial distensions on the sides of the joint (commonly called windpuffs). It's painful when the horse flexes the joint, and can cause lameness.... Read More
Article
Long in the Tooth
July 01, 2000
Old age treats some horses better than others. Many continue to lead happy, healthy lives well into their 30s--a little slower, maybe, with some loss of muscle tone or a bit of a swayback, but otherwise in good flesh and good spirits until... Read More
Article
Helping Your Horse through Its Golden Years
July 01, 2000
Fortunately for our nation's horse population, interest in equine geriatrics among veterinarians and researchers has been increasing. As a result, it has been found that not only do senior horses have different preventive care... Read More
Article
Lyme Disease in Horses
July 01, 2000
Lyme disease might not be the most prevalent equine disease you face with your horses, but it does exist, and it can seriously impact a horse's health. And that's not all. Although documented cases of Lyme disease in horses are relatively rare,... Read More
Article
Arthritis Pain Management
July 01, 2000
Yes, we have treatments that can assist certain types of arthritic conditions, but when it comes to the nasty stuff--chronic arthritis--cures still are elusive, with pain management offering only varying degrees of success dependant on the severity... Read More
Article
Feeding Older Horses: Cuisine For The Golden Years
May 01, 2000
Horses which have been correctly fed all their lives are far more likely to live to a ripe old age than those which have been starved or those which have struggled with obesity and its frequent partner, laminitis.... Read More
Article
Knee Surgery For Horses: Continuing Research
April 24, 1999
Horses' knees are like human ones, and that's good news for both species. It means that continuing research at Colorado State University aimed at helping horses with osteoarthritis --missing cartilage --also is applicable to humans as well.... Read More
Article
Canadian Equine Research
April 01, 1999
The University of Guelph, located in Ontario, Canada, is home of the world renowned Ontario Veterinary College (OVC). The university is a research-intensive and student-oriented facility. Its written mission is to serve society and to enhance th... Read More
Article
Feeding The Geriatric Horse
October 01, 1998
Rusty's been your faithful companion for many years, and he never seemed to show any signs of getting older...until this past winter, that is. One morning, you looked at him and noticed that he had dropped some weight, and that he didn't... Read More
Article
Traveling With Older Horses
October 01, 1998
Traveling cross-country with a horse can be an ordeal under the best of circumstances. Add in the geriatric factor, and the potential for problems is immediately compounded. The aging process takes a toll on all horses, and with that wa... Read More
Article
Older Horses at Work
October 01, 1998
The aging process takes its toll on all working horses, but the rate of attrition can vary significantly. In this, horses are similar to humans. We all have met the person who is barely past middle age and because of mental, emotional, or physical... Read More
Article
The Aging Equine
October 01, 1998
The average lifespan of a horse is said to be about 24 years; but as with humans, a horse's chronological age isn't always a good indicator of how old he really is. Some horses still are active at the age of 35, while others suffer significant signs ... Read More
Article
Using Heat Therapy
June 01, 1998
Pain is due to muscle spasm, reduced circulation, and nerve pressure caused by connective tissue changes. Heat can address all of these causes and stimulate the repair process.... Read More
Article
The Art of Therapeutic Shoeing
November 01, 1997
Michael J. Wildenstein, resident farrier at Cornell University's large animal clinic, has approximately 400 different types of therapeutic shoes hanging on the wall of his clinic. Each one, he says, was made for a particular... Read More
Article
Joint Therapy
October 01, 1997
A multitude of compelling reasons exists for utilizing joint injections or aspirations (i.e., the removal of fluid). Certainly one of the most rewarding is the capability of the veterinarian to make better and more accurate diagnoses of lameness prob... Read More
Article
Arthritis: When Bones Collide
March 01, 1997
Osteoarthritis probably accounts for the end of more equine performance careers than any other single cause. And until recently, it was considered an irreversible process. ... Read More
Article
Your Aging Horse is Only as Old as He Feels
February 01, 1997
So, rather than gauging a horse's age by years, Ralston recommends horse owners base an animal's retirement and/or health care management on the horse's physical fitness.... Read More
Article
Cushing's Disease Diagnosis
February 01, 1997
To many horse owners, it's just "old horse disease," and it's an affliction with a number of names--pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), hyperadrenocorticism, ECD (equine Cushing's disease), and, most commonly, Cushing's syndrome. It ca... Read More
Article
Will Medicine Keep Your Horse Sound?
April 01, 1996
Degenerative joint disease is a common malady of the horse. It most frequently strikes the hocks, front fetlocks, and front navicular bones, and its consequences can be severe. In fact, degeneration of the joints is the most common reason for... Read More
Article
New Treatment For Joint Disease
January 01, 1996
Both the equine practitioner and the horse owner have been barraged with a number of new treatments for arthritis in joint injury, a common problem to anyone who owns horses. Some, such as Adequan and hyaluronic acid, have been around for a... Read More
