ACVS, associate professor of Clinical Sciences at Colorado State University.įrisbie commented, "The future brings more choices (for treatment of health problems), and we are always left wondering which to use. 4-8 in Baltimore, Md., a study comparing the two products was presented by David Frisbie, DVM, PhD, Dipl. At the 2010 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention, held Dec. Since that time, a new kid on the block–a similar product sharing many characteristics with the original, and, indeed, named IRAP II–has arrived on the market. Source: combat joint disease or osteoarthritis in horses, many veterinarians have used autologous conditioned serum (ACS), also called by the product name IRAP (for the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist protein it contains), since the first scientific publication appeared on the subject in 2003. The goal is to get your equine athlete back to soundness as quickly as possible and keep them sound for the long haul. Once an accurate diagnosis has been made, your veterinary specialist can discuss the options and provide state of the art treatment options. To know what treatment is best, first a veterinarian specializing in lameness diagnosis needs to perform a thorough evaluation- likely to include an orthopedic examination, diagnostic analgesia (joint or nerve blocks) and imaging such as radiographs, ultrasound or MRI. All injuries are not equal- they have different causes, different treatments and carry different prognoses. Often, this accomplished with ultrasound guidance.Īre one of these treatments right for your horse? The first important step in answering this question is obtaining a diagnosis. The PRP can then be directly injected in to injured tissue, such as a tendon tear. The process concentrates platelets into the plasma, and this platelet rich plasma is then separated from the rest of the blood. Your horse’s blood is again drawn, and spun in a centrifuge. Unlike IRAP that requires 24 hours to process, PRP can be obtained in just a few minutes. The aim is not just fast healing, but good quality repair, so that your horse is less likely to re-injure. When platelets are activated, they release these growth factors, which accelerate healing and improve the quality of healing. In addition to initiating clotting, platelets also act as factories and storage units for a myriad of growth and healing factors. So what is a platelet? Platelets are the component of blood that cause clotting. PRP is loaded with natural healing proteins that accelerate tissue repair. Like IRAP, Platelet Rich Plasma or PRP is another product derived from your horse’s own blood. Again, because IRAP is derived from the horses’ own cells, we are able to avoid certain risks and negative effects of other “traditional” drugs. Early studies and the experience of veterinarians who use IRAP suggests that it is an extremely useful tool to treat injuries in horses. It can then be thawed and injected directly into a damaged or inflamed area (such as a joint) at any time. The IRAP-rich serum is then separated from the blood, harvested, frozen and stored for later use. The blood cells produce large amounts of IRAP as well as other healing factors. The system involves harvesting about 60 mls of your horse’s blood and incubating it with special glass beads for 24 hours. Some very smart scientists figured out how to induce blood cells to increase the natural synthesis of these anti-inflammatory proteins. So IRAP is a protein produced by your horse’s own cells to block inflammation. To prevent inflammation from getting out of control, the body has a natural blocker of inflammation called IL-1 receptor antagonist protein, or IRAP. The “lock” that IL-1 fits into is called IL-1 receptor. Think of IL-1 as a “key” that turns on inflammation. One of the major signals for inflammation is a substance called IL-1. When your horse sustains an injury, the damaged tissues release signals to the body that cause inflammation – you recognize inflammation as heat, swelling and pain. To understand what IRAP is and how it works, we must talk a bit about inflammation. Unlike traditional anti-inflammatory therapies like steroids or bute, IRAP is the horse’s natural anti-inflammatory – made by it’s own cells. IRAP is a treatment that decreases inflammation and promotes healing. These two cutting-edge treatments are similar in certain ways, but very different in others.
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