Equine Guelph's Tool of the Month for May is "Journey Through the Joints."
Anatomy of a horse's legs
Equine Guelph's interactive learning tool teaches you what is normal and what is not when it comes to a horse’s joint and enables users to understand what is happening below the surface.
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It is estimated that a staggering 60 % of all equine lameness is due to arthritis and joint disease! Often joint diseases are diagnosed after the onset of the disease.
One of the biggest challenges is that some arthritic horses might not show signs of lameness when there is damage and inflammation in the joint. Proper prevention and early diagnosis is key in managing the progression of joint disease.
A) Prevention: What can you do? Look for pain, swelling, heat and function.
Pain: Signs of pain such as lameness or soreness upon palpation of the joint may indicate inflammation in a joint.
Swelling: Acute swelling (sudden onset) occurs as a result of blood vessel dilation and the movement of fluid into the joint to help repair damaged tissues. This type of swelling is often soft to touch and your horse may be sore upon palpation. Chronic swelling, or long term swelling, of an inflamed joint may feel harder due to the production of new bone as a result of the chronic inflammatory process.
Heat: When a joint becomes inflamed, the temperature might rise as much as 1°C above resting body temperature which can be useful as a diagnostic tool given the appropriate equipment (our hands are likely not sensitive enough to notice this small change in temperature).
Visual Exam: Inflammation in the joint might be visible from the outside due to swelling. Noticing and identifying any swelling at an early stage might help in the early diagnosis of joint disease.
Palpation: Palpating, or feeling, your horse’s joint is an easy method to identify potential inflammation. Familiarize yourself with basic joint anatomy and know what is normal, which lumps should and shouldn’t be there. You may also use the opposite leg of your horse for comparison.
When you are feeling your horse’s leg, check for any signs of heat, swelling, pain and reduced range of motion. If you suspect any signs of inflammation, speak to your vet. Veterinarians have a wide range of diagnostic tools at their disposal.
Learn much more about Equine Joint Disease
Go on a tour of the Equine Joint!
This interactive learning tool will teach you what is normal and what is not when it comes to a horse’s joint. This tool enables users to understand what is happening below the surface and how to manage joint inflammation.
Information for article from Equine Guelph May E-News Provided by J Belamy