31st Jan 2005
Dr. Joe McDermott has been visiting Malaysia for over 30 years and visits us more now that he is semi-retired. He ran one of the most successful equine veterinary practices in Western Australia but now prefers to take life easier. He has worked with all types of horses, and in this part of the world has treated polo ponies at Royal Pahang Polo Club, Singapore Polo Club and of course at our own Royal Selangor Polo Club. It is with great pleasure that we ask Dr Joe McDermott to contribute some of his thoughts to our club’s new website and newsletter.
It is with great pleasure that I have been invited to share with you our mutual interest in the well being and understanding of our wonderful horses.
It is my intention in the coming newsletters to hopefully provide you with some interesting topics on horse ‘news’ and to learn from you from your experiences, observations and questions. The latter will be answered and discussed in a manner that all may understand, i.e. no rushing to the dictionary of horses. Each issue will be discussed without too much elaboration.
Having been a visiting Veterinarian to Malaysia for over 30 years and having experienced many of your horse’s local problems. A lot of the latter are similar world wide, yet some of them are unique to your region.
The future of your horse industry, in competition or pleasure, has to be progressive to keep up with modern technology and trends, otherwise you will become ‘ left behind’. These issues will be addressed.
What’s new for you, but is becoming routine and expected veterinary equipment in more progressive parts of the world? The good old days of diagnosis is now expected to be confirmed with laboratory testing, X-rays, fiber-optic equipment for internal examination of the lungs and stomach, ultrasound of limbs and internal organs, etc.
To start the ball rolling Joint Supplements, do they really help arthritis?
Every joint requires the aid of ‘oil’, joint fluid, along with very fragile cartilage (the shock absorber) at the end of each bone. The cartilage is very prone to damage from the wear and tear of work, but unfortunately it is of such a nature that repair is very slow and does not keep up with the ‘insult’ of more work. What happens next is that the cartilage erodes and exposes the raw bone underneath. This then starts a chain reaction, which causes more bone to be deposited in the joint and with bone grinding on bone causes arthritis, and if not attended to promptly results in fused joints.
The fetlock joint is the first joint to be observed, as this is the first joint to hit the ground in a jarring manner.
Some joint supplement, especially herbal ones, can reduce pain without treating the arthritis, so more damage is done without one knowing.
Research, and my own experiences, now has shown that with Veterinary attention to the individual affected joint, adjusting normal feeding supplements to correct any nutritional imbalances. Then the addition of a ‘joint supplement’ containing chondrotin , glucosamine , shark cartilage, MSM, magnesium and ascorbic acid, there have been many dramatic and unexpected ‘cures’ sometimes within three months. Instead of very long periods of spelling and treatment, this can be cut short with modern treatments and your horse can return to work quicker and remain sound. Some horses require maintenance medication for the rest of their working lives.
It would take many pages to explain how these medications work and you may still not be any the wiser.
By the purchase of a horse with good confirmation and from day one feeding ‘correctly’ one can insure that the chances of future problems can be minimised. Naturally accidents resulting in structural damage do happen to the ‘perfect’ horse.
Enjoy your horse.
Please ask your questions by e-mailing the club at sprc@tm.net.my