Lameness improvement in horses with distal tarsal pain after intra-articular injection of botulinum neurotoxin type A.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of IA injections of botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) in horses with chronic, naturally occurring distal tarsal osteoarthritis.

Methods: 9 horses were selected after physical and radiographic assessments. Horses also underwent an objective lameness examination and were included if they had a hindlimb impact lameness (Pmin ≥ 3 mm), which positively responded (≥ 50%) to the tarsometatarsal and centrodistal joints' anesthetic block.

Safety and Synovial Inflammatory Response After Intra-articular Injection of Botulinum Toxin Type A in Healthy Horses.

Botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) is a promising alternative for patients suffering from chronic joint pain. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a single injection of BoNT-A would produce adverse effects on clinical parameters and synovial parameters as well as lameness. One randomly selected radiocarpal joint was treated with 50 U of BoNT-A in eight horses, and the contralateral joint received saline solution.