Symptoms and Types. 1  Stiffness that a horse can usually warm out of. 2  Joint swelling (can be one or more joints). 3  Common joints to see arthritis are the fetlock, carpus (knee), and hock. Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD). Arthritis, often called degenerative joint disease (DJD), is a condition that afflicts many horses. Arthritis is not only painful, but makes it difficult for a horse to move about. stifle arthritis. Since the stifle is not a true joint, such as a ball and socket, arthritis as we understand it, does not normally occur. The kind of movement problems you are seeing is more related to leaky gut syndrome, especially when it affects the right hind. The stifle IS a joint, and arthritis, OCD, and other joint issues are fairly common. To the OP, I responded on your other thread in eventing, but wanted to also say to make sure you have a good diagnostic vet to figure out exactly what part of the RH is bothering your horse. The main conditions that affect the femorotibial joints are arthirits, bone cysts, meniscal tears and ligament injuries. Arthritis. Arthritis in the stifle is most commonly seen in the femorotibial joints, but can also affect the femoropatellar joint. It is frequently secondary to other conditions, particularly damage to the cranial cruciate ligament or severe trauma. The stifle is a high motion joint which is prone to injury at high speed or when jumping. The list of injuries and conditions that can affect the stifle is extensive but we will concentrate on some examples of common problems that may affect your horse. Click the above table to enlarge. Arthritis is recognized by inflammation of one or more bone joints, and septic arthritis is the inflammation of the joint(s) together with the presence of a disease causing microorganism, usually bacterial, within the fluid of the affected joint(s).  Management of stifle synovitis and arthritis is similar to therapies suggested for hock lameness--IA steroids, IA hyaluronic acid, systemic anti-inflammatory medications, systemic joint therapy, arthroscopy, shock wave therapy, and acupuncture. 1 Swelling, heat, and/or pain may be associated with one or both stifle joints. 2  Upward patellar fixation causes patellar instability which in turn may result in femoropatellar synovitis. 3  The horse drags his hind toes during exercise. Figure 1. Radiograph of a normal canine stifle (knee joint) with no arthritis. Figure 2. Radiograph of a canine stifle (knee joint) with advanced arthritis. Same dog as in figure 1, opposite stifle. Symptoms of arthritis: The primary symptom of arthritis is pain. Dogs will limp, become less active, or are sometimes slow to rise or slow to lay down. Some may be restless with sleeping, or be reluctant to go for walks. Cats usually show few specific symptoms of arthritis. Arthritis is more common in dogs than in cats. There are two main types of arthritis: rheumatoid arthritis which is an autoimmune disease and osteoarthritis which is degeneration of the joints. This page looks at the symptoms, causes, prevention, and treatment of canine arthritis.  The stifle joint includes the kneecap and its ligaments and is the most complex joint in the horse. The stifle is similar to the human knee and is found on the hind limbs of the horse. A thin capsule surrounds the entire stifle joint that has a specialized fluid to help with shock absorption and lubrication. Causes. Stifle injuries may be caused by direct trauma to the joint or by stress to the joint area from performance activities that include quick changes in direction, rapid deceleration, and repeated jumps. Such trauma may occur during roping, cutting, reining, barrel racing, and, of course, jumping. X-ray of a horse's stifle with significant degenerative changes and a large, irregularly shaped bone fragment. Another x-ray of the horse from the left with an arrow drawn to the bone fragment this was taken from the side. Joint inflammation is another common reason for stifle lameness.  Stifle joint problems (OCD, arthritis, cruciate ligament) are also a main source of stifle problems. The stifle is a complex joint that carries a lot of weight. There are two thick pieces of C-shaped fibro cartilage that act as shock absorbers. They are located between the femur and the tibia. 1 Swelling, heat, and/or pain may be associated with one or both stifle joints. 2  Upward patellar fixation causes patellar instability which in turn may result in femoropatellar synovitis. 3  The horse drags his hind toes during exercise.
http://www.petmd.com/horse/conditions/musculoskeletal/c_hr_arthritis http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?183643-experience-with-stifle-arthritis http://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2011/09/knees-up-stifle-lameness-in-horses/ http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/musculoskeletal/c_dg_arthritis_septic http://horsehints.org/Stifle.htm http://dfwvetsurgeons.com/library/arthritis/ http://www.natural-dog-health-remedies.com/dog-arthritis.html http://equimed.com/diseases-and-conditions/reference/stifle-injuries http://bevet.com/news_and_articles/clinical_case_-_stifle_disease/ http://horsehints.org/Stifle.htm
what are the symptoms of stifle arthritis?