Diagnose and treat problems with your horse
A joint injection is a routine procedure that we use to diagnose and treat problems in horses. Although common, joint injections can carry some risks so it is important to discuss these with your vet and closely monitor your horse afterwards.
We inject into joints to anaesthetise a joint when investigating lameness, treat a joint with medication or take a sample of fluid from a joint for diagnosis.
Useful Information
For more information, download our joint injections leaflet here.
Discover More About Joint Injections
To prepare your horse, we may clip the hair around the injection site and gently scrub the skin to ensure a sterile environment. Then, under aseptic conditions, we carefully inject into the joint.
It is likely that we will need to use sedation but will only do so if necessary.
Your horse should be able to return to its usual routine after 24 hours.
If we’ve injected medication into the joint, we recommend your horse stands on box rest for 24 hours – followed by 48 hours of controlled exercise which may include turnout in a small paddock. The horse can then be returned to a normal regime.
Sometimes we recommend a slightly different exercise programme, depending on the problem being treated.
As with any invasive procedure, joint injections can carry some risks. Your vet will discuss these risks with you, before any treatment:
- Infection
- Laminitis (after a corticosteroid injection)
- Flare reaction
It’s really important to monitor your horse carefully after its procedure. If you notice any of the following symptoms, please call your vet.
- Lameness
- Unwillingness to move
- Heat in the feet
- Heat or swelling around the joint
- Increased digital pulse
A leading equine veterinary practice based in North Yorkshire.
