Arthritis is crippling degenerative disease that affects humans and horses and is a persistent cause of chronic, crippling pain. Only in recent years has a new therapy been developed that gives hope that the effects of arthritis can and will be conquered.
A cure for arthritis in horses?
The most common type of arthritis in horses occurs as cartilage begins to break down and nearby ligaments become inflamed.
The most common type of arthritis, osteoarthritis, can be a result of age, injury, or stress, and occurs as cartilage—the cushioning tissue surrounding the joints—begins to break down and nearby ligaments become inflamed.
MediVet, a global animal health care company with American headquarters in Nicholasville, Kentucky, has for the past two years provided veterinarians with a regenerative treatment option using blood-derived autologous conditioned serum (ACS).
Stem cells derived from a patient’s own body have for years been used in the treatment of degenerative diseases including arthritis. However, previous technologies were noted to be enormously expensive and time consuming. Thanks to revolutionary technological developments by MediVet, stem-cell procedures can now be used to treat degenerative diseases such as arthritis, hip dysplasia, bone, tendon and ligament injuries
The ACS process begins when a veterinarian collects 500 cubic centimeters (cc) of a patient’s blood. The sample is delivered or sent to the Nicholasville lab in a cooler provided by MediVet free of charge. At the lab, the pro- and anti-inflammatory proteins are separated. From the latter, an antibody-rich serum is created and then activated under MediVet’s low-level light system.
Finally, the processed serum is placed in multiple single-dose syringes and returned to the veterinarian within 24 to 72 hours. Treatment itself is done by injection directly into the affected joint area, where the activated antagonist proteins immediately go to work inhibiting inflammation, alleviating pain, and protecting cartilage.
ACS contains the body’s naturally occurring anti-inflammatory agent and no foreign compounds. Being a drug-free product, it is not banned by any equine organization in the world. This makes it ideal in treating sport horses and racehorses, whose arthritic symptoms generally stem from the stress and concussion of work combined with the natural aging process.
Results from worldwide clinical trials have repeatedly shown ACS to be a safe, effective treatment for early arthritis as well as other inflammatory joint ailments such as synovitis, and capsulitis. Quality of life is improved and, in many cases, equine athletes can be successfully returned to competition.
Learn more about Arthritis in horses.