SARAH: "I was wondering what you thought
about using bone health supplements
on a horse with navicular.
Horse in question was first X-rayed in 2011.
Since then has had a regular Osphos and has stayed
sound for normal work.
Would a bone supplement help keep the horse sound
as she gets older?
Will one even help with a horse with navicular?"
DR LYDIA GRAY: This was a great question.
Obviously, this person has done a lot of their homework,
their research on navicular.
We have answered a navicular question in general on this.
So I would encourage you to look that one up.
Because it delves more into the difference between navicular
syndrome and navicular disease, and the diagnosing,
and treating, and managing and farrier work and all that.
I think it's important to say here today that navicular now,
with our enhanced imaging modalities,
it used to be thought of as just a degenerative bone disease,
there's a navicular bone.
And now we know that, with MRI and other techniques,
that the navicular apparatus or all
of the soft tissue in the bursas and joints that
surround that bone, they can be affected too.
So it doesn't have to be bone that's the problem.
It can be the deep digital flexor tendon.
It can be the navicular bursa, the impar ligaments.
There's a lot of other structures there.
SARAH: Which is why I think more people are
starting to refer to it as caudal heel pain syndrome.
Because it just generally describes back of the heel
is what we're dealing with.
DR LYDIA GRAY: Yep, yep.
So in her case, it does sound like maybe they
have either identified it as the bone itself--
at least it's working.
SARAH: And she talks about the X-rays in 2011.
DR LYDIA GRAY: And the Osphos is working.
SARAH: Right.
DR LYDIA GRAY: Yeah.
SARAH: And so it seems like they've identified
and are monitoring bony changes.
DR LYDIA GRAY: Yeah, so the Osphos
is a bisphosphonate, which is a bone--
it keeps the bone from remodeling and turning over.
And the osteoclast, which tear down bone,
it slows down that process.
And so the bone doesn't sort of dissolve, disintegrate away.
In that case, I think a bone health supplement
might be appropriate.
Because that's-- having those ingredients on board,
if this process is really going on, might be beneficial.
Because there's a couple of things.
The category of ingredients in bone health supplements
are big macrominerals like calcium and phosphorus
and magnesium that actually go into building
the matrix of the bone, the mineralization phase of it.
But then there's microminerals and vitamins and other factors
that are important in the actual construction
of this scaffolding, you know, if you
think of it, things like boron and silicone
and strontium and manganese, copper, zinc,
there's lots of little things that
are important in the reactions and the actual building
and construction of bone.
So I think it's a great question to ask your veterinarian
because you're on a prescription medication
and you have a diagnosed disease.
That's a good question to ask your vet.
I think it does make sense.
Now for the ones that are navicular syndrome because
of the soft tissue, it might not.
Because they probably wouldn't positively
affect like a deep digital flexor tendon or an impar
ligament or something, so.
SARAH: Right, but there certainly
are supplements that can help with soft tissue health
and normal function.
DR LYDIA GRAY: Yeah, yeah, and medications
too so once you've diagnosed it and you
know what the tissue is that's the problem, bone,
joint, soft tissue, then you can go down
the path of, what does that particular tissue need
for support?
SARAH: Yeah.
If you are in the market for a bone health supplement,
we do have a subcategory within our joint supplements category.
And you can find some of these products that I have behind me.
And you can always, of course, call our supplement experts
for help, getting a list of options
that you can then go over with your veterinarian,
look at the ingredient list and figure out,
is this going to be right for what we think the diagnosis
and what your horse's situation is?
DR LYDIA GRAY: Right, exactly.