TEXAS VET NEWS By Dr. Bob Judd, DVM and the Texas Farm Bureau Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network

If you have a horse, chances are you either give your horse an oral joint supplement or know someone who does because the oral joint supplement business brings in over $50 million in annual sales.  The reason many folks use them is that they are less expensive than injectable medication for arthritis and they are generally believed to be safe.  Also, the marketing from companies selling these joint supplement products is phenomenal and many of them claim magical yet unproven cures.  And this is one of the problems with these supplements because since they are not classified as drugs, they can make any claim they want and there is no government regulation that requires them to prove their claims.  Also, unlike pharmaceutical drugs, the manufacturers are not required to use good manufacturing practices. This lack of regulations results in many supplements having only a small percentage of the ingredients for which you are paying. Some of these supplements may contain large amount of fillers that are less expensive that actual ingredients. 

In cases in which the supplements do contain the ingredients listed on the label, there are some positive studies that show they may be effective, although there aren’t many good quality studies with control groups.  I believe supplements with glucosamine and chondroitin probably have some positive effect on horses with mild arthritis if you can find a supplement that contains good quality ingredients.  Use a company that has been in the animal health business for years as these companies are more likely to have quality products.  Join us next time for information on how to choose a joint supplement for your horse.

Hear the audio of this program at the Texas Farm Bureau Network.

Date Published: 4/27/2009 10:11:00 AM