Do Horse Joint Supplements Actually Work?

So, the veterinarian just evaluated your horse and determined that he is suffering from degenerative joint disease. What are you options? Do you simply need to make a few lifestyle changes for your horse or will you need to rely on horse joint supplements?

Before you start using horse supplements, you need to be sure to ask the important questions and determine whether you are really getting your money's worth.

Do Horse Supplements Work?

The effects of horse joint supplements have been studied for years. While these supplements are not always best choice for your horse, they are often the first step to reducing the symptoms of joint disease. Your veterinarian may recommend these joint supplements if your horse is:

• In the early stages of joint disease


• If your horse has recently been diagnosed with joint problems


• If lifestyle changes have not helped reduce the symptoms of joint disease by themselves

In some cases, your veterinarian may discourage the use of these types of supplements. They may tell you that your horse's condition has progressed to a point where supplements will not help. They may also tell you that joint injections would work better to care for the symptoms your horse experiences. While this information may be true, you still want to begin your horse's treatment with regular supplements.

Even if the horse's condition has worsened to the point where the vet believes supplements won't help, if you can afford a two month supply, you can try using them anyway. You may be surprised at the changes you see in your horse. The supplement may help your beloved equine deal with the pain and inflammation often associated with joint diseases like arthritis.

Joint injections can be extremely helpful for horses with joint diseases, but regular injection can increase the risk of an infection. Before you begin using joint injections, try using horse joint supplements. You may be able to obtain the same effects and put off having your horse injected for a while.

Using Horse Joint Supplements

Choosing the right supplements for horse joints is important, as is using them correctly. When you begin looking for these kinds of supplements, take a careful look at the ingredients. The products should have the best ingredients and the recommended level of these ingredients for the right therapeutic effect. The most common ingredients used for therapeutic reasons in these supplements are Glucosamine and MSM. Other ingredients, like vitamin A, copper, magnesium, B vitamins, and zinc may also be used to enhance the effect of the product for joint care.

Each horse supplement product will have its own instructions for recommended use. In general though, the loading dose, which is given during the first two or three weeks, is double the amount of the regular, maintenance dose. The loading dose is used to increase the levels in the horse's body fast. This will allow you to see the effects of the supplement more quickly.

Horse joint supplements do work well for many horses. If you think these kinds of horse supplements may help your horse deal with the symptoms of joint disease, speak to your veterinarian today.