Andreeva D.V.
“The best cases for NOLTREX™ application are when the pathology is accompanied by a narrowing of the joint space with the existing cartilage damage and bone changes. Due to its physical properties, NOLTREX™ allows you to achieve maximum effect."
Russia, Moscow, Veterinary service of the equestrian center Bitsa.
Experience in the use of viscoprosthesis NOLTREX™ 2019.
www.kskbitsa.ru
My colleagues and I have been working with the NOLTREX™ viscoprosthesis for over 5 years.
We have used it many times in different situations when horse lameness is a consequence of articular pathology. This made it possible to gain experience and determine the patterns when the greatest efficiency should be expected from its application.
It must be said right away that in the treatment of lameness in horses, accompanied by degenerative joint pathologies, we use an integrated approach. The use of NOLTREX™ is usually the final stage of treatment, which is preceded by anti-inflammatory therapy and the use of intra-articular chondroprotectors.
The treatment regimen for horses with acute lameness is as follows: first, we inject a chondroprotective preparation with hyaluronic acid and an anti-inflammatory component (a repository steroid), which has the goal of extinguishing the inflammatory process. After 10-20 days, we inject NOLTREX™, preliminarily injecting a little anesthetic and short-acting steroids into the joint cavity, which should prevent possible pain syndrome, which the manufacturer warns about.
By the way, in no case of using NOLTREX™ according to this scheme we received any pain syndrome, or other anxiety of the animal, or a nonspecific reaction from the joint.
For planned prophylactic interventions on a horse that has chronic degenerative changes in the joint, but is not lame at the moment, the treatment regimen is similar, but without the use of repository steroids.
For one longtime patient of mine, a horse with severe degenerative osteoarthritis of the carpal joint, I use NOLTREX™ twice a year, giving her 10-14 days of light work after injection, and the horse is able to endure sports activities without long interruptions for treatment and without lameness!
In our experience, the best cases for using NOLTREX™ are when articular pathology is accompanied by a narrowing of the joint space, including, with the existing cartilage damage and bone changes, the presence of arthrolitis. In this case, NOLTREX™, due to its physical properties, allows you to
achieve the maximum effect of "separating" from each other the articular surfaces that are in the stage of cartilage damage. NOLTREX™ mechanically protects the joint in this way. This removes the persistent irritant, breaking the trauma-inflammation-trauma cycle, which is very beneficial to the treatment outcome.
We injected NOLTREX™ into different joints: hoof, coronary, hock, carpal, knee. A larger amount of the product was applied to large joints. In some cases, the administration was repeated. The maximum amount of material injected is 4 times, for a horse with large arthrolitis of the hoof joint, the owners of which did not have the opportunity to undergo surgical treatment. Still, a positive effect was achieved, the horse worked and returned to sports load.
