title: Musculoskeletal Disease in Aged Horses and Its Management.
abstract: Musculoskeletal disorders are the most prevalent health problem in aging horses. They are not life threatening, but are painful and an important welfare issue. Chronic joint disease (osteoarthritis) and chronic laminitis are the most prevalent. Treating osteoarthritis in the elderly horse is similar to treating performance horses, but aims at providing a stable situation with optimal comfort. Immediate medical treatment of flare-ups, long-term pain management, and adaptation of exercise and living conditions are the mainstays of treatment. Laminitis in the geriatric horse is related often to pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, which may be treated with additional pergolide.
authors.affiliation: Department of Equine Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 112, 3584CM Utrecht, the Netherlands. Electronic address: R.VANWEEREN@UU.NL.
authors.forename: Paul René
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: van Weeren
authors.affiliation: Department of Equine Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 112, 3584CM Utrecht, the Netherlands; Department of Surgery and Anaesthesiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9280 Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: Willem
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Back
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D005534:Foot Diseases / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary; D006724:Hoof and Claw; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D006736:Horses; D007794:Lameness, Animal; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D014730:Veterinary Medicine
keywords: Degenerative joint disease; Geriatric horse; Laminitis; Osteoarthritis; Pain management