Do You Adequan?

Keeping our horses healthy, happy and sound are most owner’s top priorities. Joint health can make up a huge component of that. A horse’s joints go through mild to moderate repetitive trauma in most sports, and often need to be supported with medical therapies in order to prevent or decrease the rate of degenerative joint disease. Supplements can only go so far in preventing and/or treating osteoarthritis, which is very common in pretty much all show horses. One of my favorite therapies that we have used to great success for many years in all of our show horses is Adequan.

Adequan is an injectable joint therapy composed of polysulfated glycosaminoglycan (PSGAG). PSGAG’s are molecules which exert many effects, the most important being the inhibition of the catabolic (destructive) enzymes that attack and damage the joint fluid and cartilage. This process decreases the inflammation and pain associated with arthritis, resulting in a more comfortable horse. Adequan has also been shown to help aid in the production of new cartilage. I love that Adequan works in multiple ways to maintain joint function thus making your horse more comfortable.

Adequan recommends dosing 1 500mg dose every 4 days for 7 times (so 7 500mg shots given very 4 days). However, in consultation with my vet, we do the above loading dose and then give one shot a month to keep them healthy and in good condition. As always, consult with your vet and go with their recommendation.

The only downsides to Adequan are that it is a shot and some horses don’t like getting shots and that it is expensive. A 7 shot supply is about $329 and a 50ml multiple dose vial is $449 and a single dose is $48.49. If your horse is struggling with any arthritis soundness issues or you need to keep them in peak shape during show season it is definitely worth giving it a try. Remember, every ride or event creates 'wear and tear' on the joints and we owe it to our horses to keep them healthy and comfortable.

You can read more about Adequan as well as some of the studies and results in regards to it’s performance at Adequan’s website.

Dreamer is a 10 year old (recently retired) reining horse who now competes in ranch riding classes and definitely benefits from using Adequan.