Hi,

My question:  Can anyone suggest an over the counter maybe human type medicine, food, herb, or supplement of some sort that I can purchase readily and cheaply to help with creaky joints???  I know there are joint supplements, but I was wondering if there was something less expensive and easy.

My horse has been limping on his right front.  The vet checked him and said, he may have some degenerative arthritis going on in that joint.  He said it's "creaky" and stiff.  The horse is only 7 years old, but just returned home (a week ago) from some intense training for the last few months.  He has never limped at all since I've had him.

The vet also "adjusted" his back and withers, and neck.  He said the horse was "out" all over.  The horse whips his tail all the time. 

I'm hoping that this is just some soreness and overwork and will resolve itself with some R & R or that it was his back that was making him lame.   The vet gave me Bute for the next week. 

Thanks for any suggestions!

Jane

You might try some ground flax seed.  While it is not a "joint supplement", it is purported to have anti-inflammatory properties, due to the high omega-3 fatty acid content.  My horses get 1/2 cup ground seed everyday, 1/4 cup in the morning and 1/4 cup at night.  It seems to be helping my 24 year old when no other joint supplement did.  My other gelding with DSLD needs it as a fat source and it's working well for him.

You can purchase seed at the grocery store, if you have a "bulk food" section.  It is less expensive there then from the feed store for me!  If you grind your own (I use a coffee grinder), you need to grind it fresh every feeding, as ground flax seed has a very short shelf life.  You can get stabilized ground flax seed, which keep longer, but it is more expensive.  You can also feed the seed whole, but I tried that when I first started feeding flax and noticed an immediate increase in the number of pigeons in the horse pen - I assumed a lot of the seed was just passing through.  The pigeon population dropped after I started grinding the seed.

You may not need anything after his R&R, but just in case....

Good luck!   

Might try MSM. It can be really helpful for joints, tendons, etc Of the joint supplements, MSM is usually one of the main ingredients, and has a high rate of absorbtion when taken orally. You can buy pure MSM for a reasonable price, too. Look at any vet supply store online or locally.

try Regenerx. it has everything recovery x has, but its cheaper. I use it on nick, since he had an injury when he was 4 and he stocks up in his right hind, when not used and it takes him a bit to fully use it underneath himself. since we put him on regenerx, he had no issues using it right away or stocking up. here in bc a bucket costs about $45 and lasts me for 3 month. it has msm and glucosamine and all teh good stuff in it.

If he's "out all over," how 'bout a complete chiropractic adjustment?  Might as well nip in the bud every ache and pain you can!

Mary