Research by a Dutch research team has shown that a combination of systemic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) plus intrasynovial glucocorticosteroids is superior to either medication alone in improving outcomes for lame horses with joint pain.
Better answer to horse lameness
More horses returned to their previous level of performance within 6 months when treated with the combination compared with a control group treated with NSAIDs or glucocorticosteroids alone.
The study found that more horses returned to their previous level of performance within 6 months when treated with the combination compared with a control group treated with NSAIDs or glucocorticosteroids alone.
"A possible explanation for the better outcome is that glucocorticosteroids primarily suppress the inflammatory process in the synovial membrane/submembrane fibrous layer, and NSAIDs also suppress the inflammatory reaction in the fibrous part of the joint capsule and perisynovial tissues," say Harold Brommer and colleagues from the University of Utrecht.
The researchers retrospectively identified 104 horses that presented between 2004 and 2007 with joint and tendon sheath issues and were treated with NSAIDs for group one, intrasynovial glucocorticosteroids for group two and a combination of both for group three.
Significantly more horses in group 3 had a successful outcome, at 55.9%, than horses in groups 1 and 2, at 27.5% and 26.6%, respectively, according to the report in Veterinary Record.
Multivariate analysis showed that while factors including breed, age, and duration of lameness had no association with outcome, treatment group, and the synovial structure affected significantly correlated with return to full functioning within 6 months after treatment.
Specifically, horses in treatment group 1 and 2 were a respective 79% and 82% less likely to have a successful outcome compared with horses in group 3.
Brommer and co-authors highlight the possibility that the lameness in the horses in their study is "likely to recur" if the underlying cause is not addressed once the treatment effects wear off. They also suggest a prospective, randomized clinical trial to increase the evidence for their findings.