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Frank W. Czudak
New Member
Username: czudak
Post Number: 2
Registered: 4-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, Oct 22, 2009 - 12:49 pm: |   |
Would Tildren be helpful for a horse with osteoarthritis of the ankle/knee? Can a horse race after being injected or is there a waiting time? |
rtrotter
Member
Username: rtrotter
Post Number: 449
Registered: 4-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, Oct 22, 2009 - 2:12 pm: | |
Frank,
Welcome back to HA! Your profile does not say what kind of race horses you have.
Dr. O, will answer your Tildren question, but I may be able to answer the waiting time question. At least from a Standardbred perspective.
Yes, there is a waiting time. In NJ it is at least 5 days. It has to do with the withdrawal times for the the drugs they use in conjunction with the knee injections. Most vet's these days, put antibiotics, cortisone and Hylauronic acid in when they inject any joint. To me this sort of defeats the purpose of using acid as long term use of steroids is not really conducive to the long term health of the horse.
But, I digress. I see you are from NY, you might want to ask your vet how long to wait before you can race your horse.
Also, it takes a few days for the injection to work. Usually, the horse gets injected after a training session, gets the next day off, and can start back jogging on the third day after the injection.
In your post, you have ankle/knee? Is there a question as to which joint is the problem, if yes, that really needs to be determined first.
Rachelle |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: dro
Post Number: 23975
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Friday, Oct 23, 2009 - 8:37 am: | |
Hello Frank,
I think rtrotter is confusing this intravenous injection of a drug which effects basic bone metabolism with the intra-articular anti-inflammatory treatments of joint arthritis. There will be little in common concerning the decision to check for this substance or it's clearance from blood or urine testing. I am uncertain if this drug is checked for at any or which tracks or what the clearance times would be following the use of tiludronate. For an answer to this question you are going to have to ask your local track veterinarians.
Though I do agree the misuse of steroids on race tracks is not always done in the best interest of the horse, not all intra-articular use of steroids is in the long run destructive to a joint. Much depends on the steroid used and how it is used. With proper use steroids will help slow down or in acute situations even stop joint destruction from arthritis. For more on this see Treatments and Medications for Horses » Anti-inflammatories (NSAID's, Steroids, Arthritis Rx) » Intra-articular Steroids, use in Arthritis.
Concerning efficacy in treating osteoarthritis of the knee or ankle there has been no published information on whether tiludronate or others is this class of drugs may help. In humans in which there is much wider use of these drugs, osteoarthritis has not been an indication for it's use. However there was a paper that found in one case of equine vertebral arthritis where bone destruction of the articular facets was a major component that the horse improved following it's use.
In conclusion, it's use for osteoarthritis of the legs would be experimental and it is not clear from the drugs mechanism of action how it might be helpful.
DrO |
Frank W. Czudak
New Member
Username: czudak
Post Number: 3
Registered: 4-2007
| | Posted on Friday, Oct 23, 2009 - 3:22 pm: | |
Thank you rTrotter and Dr. O. Our horse is a thoroughbred race horse, a five-year old gelding plagued with chronic arthritis in the front ankle. He's been injected. The first time he was injected with hyluronic acid and cortisone, and he did quite well. However the second time he was injected with cortisone only and did not do as well. He will retire at the end of this year. Is there anything you can suggested to help him? |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: dro
Post Number: 23977
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Saturday, Oct 24, 2009 - 10:32 am: | |
Hello Frank,
We cover the treatment of arthritis at Diseases of Horses » Lameness » Joint, Bone, Ligament Diseases » Arthritis and DJD: An Overview. However the most important step for you is to realize is that once osteoarthritis is established there is no cure. Yes often with the judicious use of anti-inflammatories we can make the horse comfortable but only to a degree. Depending on the location of the arthritis and severity there will be a level of work the joint cannot support without becoming sore. Make sure of the diagnosis and if it is osteoarthritis adjust your expectations for this horse. The examining veterinarian will be able to give you the most reliable prognosis.
DrO |
