Best joint supplement to feed?

Originally Posted by Skyseternalangel    

No clue but I'm going to try this with Sky:

Yucca Saponin - Equine Anti-Inflammatory Supplements from SmartPak Equine

Originally Posted by Me and Smiling Horse    

Hi There. I have an old gelding so I have searched for the anti-aging supplements. The most intriguing I found was Recovery EQ. It seems to make good sense to me, as the ingredients used are also great for anti-aging in people. (I used to work for an anti-aging physician.) I read reviews and such, and am starting my big boy on it.

As far as joint supplements go, I've been giving my gelding those too for about 1.5 years now. We've had great success with Next Level joint supplement. I've found it cheaper on line - web sites like state line tack, and even amazon. I even found Recovery EQ on amazon for 1/4 the price of other web sites.

Of course every horse is different, and the proof is in the pudding. Watch your horse to see how he/she responds. If you don't get good results, try a different one. Just keep trying until you find one that works for your budget and your horse.

Originally Posted by rascalboy    

Well, MSM is my go-to supplement. It's cheap ($6 for 45 days), and extremely effective for most horses. If it works on your horse, it usually works very well. My mare has a ton of arthritis and gets stocked up. On MSM, no stocking up. Off MSM, she starts stocking up again.
My friend's mare has arthritis as well, and off MSM she's creaky and stiff. On MSM, she acts like a 5yr old.
Make sure you feed 10,000mg per serving. Some supplements don't have enough MSM. The human dose is 1,000.
You really can't overdose on MSM so don't worry about that. Even humans can't really overdose on it.
I haven't had good luck with Adequan (HA) or Glucosamine, or Chondroitin with my own mare. Just MSM. :)
My friend's gelding does great on Cosequin. You can tell when he's not on it. He's 24yrs old and still hopping pasture fences.
I'd like to try Hylan, as I've heard it's pretty good.
The supplements from smartpakequine.com are all good quality. If you buy anywhere else you'd best do some research to make sure you're getting the right dosage and source of the chemicals/nutrients in the supplements.

Originally Posted by GotaDunQH    

^this what Dancing said. Many times supplements won't work because the joint damage has gone BEYOND maintenance. Many of these feed throughs do nothing, if it's gone beyond a certain point...and all you are doing is feeding something that is not going to be utilized by the body. And many times, for the supplement to be effective...you have to feed MUCH more than what the label calls for. Many vets say that the feed throughs are a waste of money depending on what the horse actually needs. The best one really is Cosequin and it's pricey. The best route to take...is to get yoour vet out, assess the actual health of the horse's joints to begin with...otherwise, you could be wasting your money big time.

Originally Posted by GotaDunQH    

^this what Dancing said. Many times supplements won't work because the joint damage has gone BEYOND maintenance. Many of these feed throughs do nothing, if it's gone beyond a certain point...and all you are doing is feeding something that is not going to be utilized by the body. And many times, for the supplement to be effective...you have to feed MUCH more than what the label calls for. Many vets say that the feed throughs are a waste of money depending on what the horse actually needs. The best one really is Cosequin and it's pricey. The best route to take...is to get yoour vet out, assess the actual health of the horse's joints to begin with...otherwise, you could be wasting your money big time.

Originally Posted by Me and Smiling Horse    

It's true that glucosamine doesn't really work if ALL the cartilage is gone. However, that type of damage is pretty extensive, and it takes a long time for joints to get that bad. The best idea is to start supportive measures when stiffness is first noted before it gets THAT bad.

There are injectable forms of glucosamine (as well as hyaluronic acid) that REALLY do work. Adequan is an example. It just plain works! And, in my experience, it works better than cosequin. I gave cosequin to my dog for years, but when she got BAD and the cosequin no longer helped her, we switched to adequan and WHAM she was dancing like a puppy! Adequan is also made for equines.

My gelding showed great improvement with next level. I just watched him for a month to see how he was acting and sure enough, he was romping around kicking up his heels etc! I was grateful! I decided to try feed throughs first before paying for expensive xrays. I guess just because of my modest budget, I'll try what I can first before opting for more expensive stuff. And for my gelding, it works! YAY!

Originally Posted by Me and Smiling Horse    

It's true that glucosamine doesn't really work if ALL the cartilage is gone. However, that type of damage is pretty extensive, and it takes a long time for joints to get that bad. The best idea is to start supportive measures when stiffness is first noted before it gets THAT bad.

There are injectable forms of glucosamine (as well as hyaluronic acid) that REALLY do work. Adequan is an example. It just plain works! And, in my experience, it works better than cosequin. I gave cosequin to my dog for years, but when she got BAD and the cosequin no longer helped her, we switched to adequan and WHAM she was dancing like a puppy! Adequan is also made for equines.

My gelding showed great improvement with next level. I just watched him for a month to see how he was acting and sure enough, he was romping around kicking up his heels etc! I was grateful! I decided to try feed throughs first before paying for expensive xrays. I guess just because of my modest budget, I'll try what I can first before opting for more expensive stuff. And for my gelding, it works! YAY!

Originally Posted by QuarterHorseLuv    

I feed powdered yucca from a natural health food store and 3,000mg glucosamine daily for maintenance. When my horse shows soreness in his hocks I use an oral product with higher doses of glucosamine/chondroitin/msm plus yucca. I was forced to switch products to what I am using now since the other was on backorder but since what I am using now is working I plan to continue with the lower dose until I feel he needs something more.

I do not have a veterinarian that I feel comfortable with giving injections and they are also faily expensive in my area and I just cannot afford it if there is something else that is working. I caught my horses arthritis before it became severe and I think that plays a huge factor.

I would recommend a glucosamine/chondroitin and yucca powder. You can get yucca at a health food store cheaper and without any other added products to it.