Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE Newsletter Archives

Hyaluronic acid

From: Faith

Dear Jessica, my horse is only six but he is getting very lame in his hocks especially in the right one. My vet says that he thinks we should try injecting the hocks with hyaluronic acid. I'm not really sure that I understand this. He says that sometimes this works very well. My friend had a lame horse a few years ago and she said that the only thing to do is wait for the hocks to fuse. So I am confused about this. All I can figure out is that the acid must make the hocks fuse faster. Is this correct? And how fast will they fuse? I want my horse to be sound but I worry about injecting acid into my horse. But my vet is a good vet so I don't think he would want to do this if it wouldn't help. Please give me some advice! Faith

Hi Faith! You should talk to your vet about this. A lot depends on what is actually wrong with your horse's hocks. If he has dry joints, hyaluronic acid may indeed help him quite quickly. Hyaluronic acid is a joint lubricant, and if this is what your horse needs and if your vet is good at injecting it, it could make all the difference. Joint fluid allows the joint surfaces (cartilage) to move over one another without unnecessary friction; this is how normal, healthy joints work. The surfaces of dry joints don't slide easily -- there is too much friction, and this causes them to stick, rub, and damage each other.

If there is enough damage over time, the cartilage will be destroyed and the opposing surfaces will be bone-on-bone, which in turn may lead to fusion of the bony surfaces. THIS is what your friend meant by waiting for the hocks to "fuse."

If the hyaluronic acid is going to help, the results should be apparent very soon, almost immediately in fact. If it helps, your horse may need a series of regular injections. Since every injection is an invasion of the joint and thus poses a slight risk, you'll want to discuss this with your veterinarian and be sure that both of you understand exactly what is being done and what you hope to achieve.

There are other options -- ask your vet about products such as "Legend" and "Adequan", particularly "Adequan" as there seems to be some evidence that this product may promote actual REPAIR of the cartilage, if the damage is not too extensive when treatment begins.

From a trainer's and rider's perspective, I can advise you to work the horse in ways that allow and encourage it to use its entire body, and especially its back and all of the joints of the hind legs. Horses that are tense and stiff, and horses that are ridden from front to back, can often develop hock problems because those particular joints are overworked.

Good luck, and be sure to discuss ALL of the options and possibilities with your vet!

Jessica

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