September 2017 8 Arizona REAL COUNTRY the magazine Mike Barna Publisher mbarna@963realcountry.com (602) 622-3695 Erika Smith Royal Editor erika963realcountry@gmail.com Misty Voitovski Creative Director Contributing Writers Desiree’Byrne, Kim Christman, Daniel Davis, Kimmie Dillon, Robin Etnyre, Jim Olson, Haydee Pardee, Robert Piekow, Liz Potof, Matt Robertson, Bob Roloff, Renee Winter, JolynYoung 801 W. Wickenburg Way Wickenburg, AZ 85390 (602) 622-3695 ArizonaRealCountry.com Arizona Real Country is owned and published by Barna Broadcasting LLC. No person, organization or party can copy or reproduce the content on our website and/or magazine or any part of this publication without a written consent from the editor’s panel and the author of the content, as applicable. The publisher, authors and contributors reserve their rights with regards to copyright of their work. /ArizonaRealCountry @arizonarealcountry /arizonarealcountry Ask the Vet Q: I have a team roping horse that bucks when I catch and start to log the steer. I have been told metabolic acidosis could be the cause of his being sore and his sheath swelling. Could this condition possibly be the cause and if so what is the treatment to balance his ph.? A: Metabolic acidosis is not a condition that a horse has without being very sick. It would be seen in conditions such as severe colic (gut twist), hypovolemic shock (severe loss of blood) or septicemia. Bucking can be either related to pain, or can be behavioral. The first thing to check would be that the tack fits correctly. It would be a good idea to get a saddler to do this - the saddle flocking may need adjusting for example, or perhaps the bit you are using is not comfortable. Look for white hairs around the saddle area on the back - this would be a sign of pressure points. The next step would be to do a trial with pain killers. Bute (equipalazone) should be used daily for 2 weeks to observe for a change. If the bucking becomes less, this indicates that pain may be the cause of it. In this case, the source of pain must be identified, and your vet will need to perform a thorough examination. It may be pain of one or more limbs, or the back/neck. Q: My horse seems to have normal, healthy joints, but I know joint health becomes an issue for many horses as they get older. So my question is how do I prevent joint degeneration in the first place? A: Good for you for being proactive about your horse’s joint health! Let’s go ahead and call a spade a spade, meaning joint “degeneration” is the same thing as degenerative joint disease (DJD) or osteoarthritis. DJD is defined as progressive and permanent deterioration of articular cartilage, the specific type of cartilage that lines the ends of bones where they come together to form a joint, such as your horse’s fetlock or ankle. Healthy articular cartilage provides a smooth, slippery surface that allows free movement and contributes to the shock-absorbing properties of the joint. As DJD sets in, articular cartilage becomes compromised, which disrupts the normally smooth surface, causing stiffness and discomfort. Interestingly, a 1999 study published in the Equine Veterinary Journal identified arthritic changes in a herd of wild mustangs, which led the researchers to conclude that arthritis was a natural part of the aging process in horses. As you point out, senior horses are more likely to show arthritic changes, so age is definitely a factor. But so are acute trauma or sudden injury, conformation/genetics, foot care and footing, and workload--or the frequency, duration, and intensity of exercise. In fact, it is this repetitive, low-grade trauma experienced during years of athletic competition that leads to DJD in the older equine. While there is no sure-fire way of preventing arthritis altogether, by working with your veterinarian, farrier, and trainer you may be able to help keep your horse going strong for as long as possible. Make sure your horse is turned out as much as possible for free exercise and that his controlled exercise includes both schooling and conditioning components on safe surfaces with lots of time for warm-up and cool-down. Work with your farrier to ensure his trimming (and shoeing if necessary) is appropriate for his conformation and workload plus follows a suitable schedule. Ask your veterinarian for suggestions on maintaining joint health too, as your options include the judicious use of injectable medications, prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs when necessary, and over-the-counter supplements that contain ingredients like Mother Nature’s “Big Three”: glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and hyaluronic acid or HA. Why not “stack the deck” in your horse’s favor by providing the building blocks of healthy joint tissue so that when they need these ingredients to build cartilage, synovial fluid, and other joint components, they’re already on board! Q: I’ve had my 10-year-old Quarter horse gelding for almost two years. A few months before I bought him, his previous owner gave him hock injections. He’s still a bit stiff in his back right hock. I don’t want to jump right into x-rays and hock injections, so I was wondering if there was anything else I could do to help him? A: I agree with you that jumping right into treatment may not be the best course of action. What I WOULD recommend, though, is having your veterinarian thoroughly examine your horse. By this I mean schedule an appointment to have a complete physical exam performed that includes a lameness exam. That way you’ll get an expert opinion about your horse’s “stiffness” as well as professional advice about the next step, which might be x-rays or might be something else. Think of it this way: just because, two years ago, your horse was given hock injections doesn’t necessarily mean that his hock joint is what’s bothering him now. In the long run, you may end up actually spending less time and money by working with your vet to diagnose the underlying cause for what you’re seeing now then formulating a plan to address this particular issue. If your vet is able to identify that your horse’s right hock is indeed the source of his stiffness, there are still a number of options on the table. Depending on factors such as what you do with him (including the intensity, duration, and frequency of work), the day-to-day living environment in which he’s kept, the season of the year, and yes, even cost, your vet may offer up several treatment and management strategies. These could include injecting prescription medications directly into the joint, injecting prescription medications in the vein or muscle, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs administered orally or topically, a regimen of physical therapy (such as heat/cold application, compression/pressure, etc) and specific instructions regarding turnout, work, shoeing, footing, and other elements that may have an impact on his comfort and soundness. I firmly believe that a combination approach employing all the available tools at our disposal will deliver maximum joint health and result in the healthiest joint tissues in our horses.