anti-inflammatory | Horse Racing Free Tips

Efficacy Of Oral Joint Supplements: Which Ingredients Actually ‘Work?’

Dr. Rachel Tucker, an associate at Liphook Equine Hospital in the United Kingdom, was on a quest to determine which ingredients, if any, contained in popular equine joint supplements actually worked.

Many oral supplements claim a wide array of effects, including maintaining joint health, offering anti-inflammatory benefits, improving welfare, reducing joint stiffness and pain, and slowing osteoarthritis progression, reports The Horse.

Since most supplements are sold as food products, they are not required to conform to regulations or quality — or to have demonstrated efficacy.

Tucker considered ingredients effective if they achieved a desired response in the joint. They must also be bioavailable when administered orally, and have an appropriate formulation and concentration that matches published studies.

Chondroitin sulfate is a building block of joints; it is bioavailable and reaches synovial fluid and cartilage. It has an anti-inflammatory effect on human joint tissues and has been shown to reduce pain and swelling, as well as to prevent joint space narrowing. Equine-specific studies, however, have shown that chondroitin sulfate has no measurable effect on the horse.

Glucosamine is present in cartilage and synovial fluid; the amino monosaccharide prevents joint breakdown and acts as an anti-inflammatory. Research has shown conflicting evidence: some studies show that glucosamine has slow or no utilization in tissue, while others find that it does have an effect on pain or function.

Boswellia serrata, also called Indian frankincense, claims to be an anti-inflammatory. There have been no veterinary studies on Boswellia serrata's use, so additional investigation is needed, Tucker said. It has shown some benefit in humans who have taken it.

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Turmeric use in humans has demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, but it has poor bioavailability. Only one veterinary study has been done to date, and the vets involved thought it showed significant improvement in dogs that consumed it.

While Tucker concluded that there is no concrete evidence that supplements work, they are safe to feed horses.

Sore Back? Skip The Bute

Horse owners have been known to take medications prescribed to the animals in their care, despite the possible dangers. While some anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, and dewormers may be the same in both human and equine medicine, but their formulations can be vastly different; because of this, human ingestion of equine drugs isn't recommended.

An American woman experiencing severe back pain attempted to take some phenylbutazone (Bute) that had been prescribed for one of the horses in her care. She took three doses of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), each suitable for a 400-pound horse, reports the journal Clinics and Practice.

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Three days later, the woman went to the hospital complaining of nausea, vomiting and weakness, which she said she had been experiencing for two weeks. She often had back pain that was controlled by use of over-the-counter naproxen, but reported that this episode was exceptionally painful, which is why she ingested the Bute.

She presented to the hospital with nearly low blood pressure, a high heart rate, and normal O2 levels, as well as dry mucous membranes. Blood work showed a low white blood count, low platelet levels, elevated liver enzymes, and acute kidney injury. Her urine blood screen showed use of amphetamines and marijuana.

Poison control and toxicology were engaged once it was discovered she had ingested the Bute, but no antidote was recommended. She was given an N-acetyl cysteine and sodium bicarbonate drip because of the suspected acute liver damage caused by the phenylbutazone.

After three days of in-hospital treatment, the woman was feeling better and checked herself out.

Though phenylbutazone was used in human medicine for the treatment of multiple forms of arthritis, it was removed from the human medicinal arsenal in 1970 because of an increased risk of agranulocytosis, a life-threatening blood disorder.

Bisphosphonate Use In Young Horses The Focus Of Texas A&M Study

Texas A&M researchers have created a study to evaluate off-label bisphosphonate use in horses. Originally meant to mitigate navicular pain in mature horses, off-label use of the drug in younger horses may promote bone degradation.

Though the number of equine fatalities from horse racing is decreasing, California, Kentucky, and New York have seen increased racing fatalities in 2018. Lead researcher Dr. Jessica Leatherwood says that a primary concern regarding these breakdowns is the off-label use of bisphosphonates; the study will assist in determining the effects of the drug on developing skeletons.

There is currently no scientific data exploring the effects of bisphosphonate use on young, exercising horses. The study, “Bisphosphonate Pharmacokinetics and Comprehensive Effects on Juvenile Cartilage, Bone Growth and Healing: Implications for Animal Welfare,” received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The particular bisphosphonate that will be studied is clodronate disodium, which is easy to administer and popular.

Racing commissions acknowledge the off-label use of bisphosphonates, but laboratories are unable to reliably test for the drug, limiting the ability to regulate off-label use.

Radiographs are often a key to racehorse sales, particularly in young horses where they expose skeletal health. Off-label use of bisphosphonates may mask potential flaws and cause microdamage accumulation, which could lead to breakdowns. The concern over bisphosphonate use isn't limited to racing; some sport horse disciplines are also limiting or restricting their use.

Horse and sheep models will be used in the study. As sheep are typically processed before they are two years old, they will offer insight into the potential changes in bone and biomechanical properties. The team hypothesizes that younger animals will clear the bisphosphonates more rapidly than older animals, that the drug alters bone in young, exercising horses, and that it will also have anti-inflammatory effects on the joint.

The findings could help shape new regulatory policies on bisphosphonate use in young horses.