Adequan Vs Legend
Do you raise horses? If you do, perhaps you have already come across some mind troubling conditions that your equines usually experience like the so-called non infectious degenerative joint diseases that contribute to your horses being lame. To counter such, veterinarians are using specialty medications that are said to effectively alleviate the condition. Two of which are Adequan and Legend.
Not to be biased but Adequan has been seen to be the more effective drug choice when it comes to the said condition especially when you are talking about a long-term benefit. There are many reasons why vets came to this conclusion.
Adequan is dubbed as the first choice medication to counter degenerative joint diseases such as arthritis. In technical terms, Adequan is known as polysulfated glycosaminoglycan ‘“ the natural building blocks for the horse’s cartilage make up. Thus, for them to have the healthiest joints possible, then they must all take something that promotes the growth of a healthy cartilage. This is exactly the reason why Adequan has been ahead of the competition.
When injected, this drug penetrates deeply into the joints and mixes itself with the other natural components that normally develop the joints.
Competing drugs to Adequan come with other active components like chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine which are hardly absorbed in the horse’s gut unless they are first combined with a certain complex big molecule ‘“ the polysulfated glycosaminoglycan.
Legend is another drug to manage or prevent the same condition. However, this is different from Adequan because its component is Hyaluronic acid (HA). This acid is the primary component of the horse’s natural joint fluid (the ones in charge of lubricating the two meeting bones at the joint junction). By injecting directly into the joints, Legend achieves the said lubricating effect, as well as, a therapeutic anti-inflammatory reaction.
The anti-inflammatory reaction is achievable in as short as 2 days to a full week’s time. This is why Legend is prescribed for those who want to have a faster desirable change on their equine’s joints (short-term). For Adequan, it is said to serve its primary purpose approximately 8 weeks from the date of injection (long-term). This is enough time for the damaged cartilage to heal and give the joint a healthier room for the upcoming wear and tear.
Unlike other medications, the HA in Legend naturally occurs in the horse’s system hence it cannot be detected as a positive intake of prohibited drugs for the horses that particularly engage in equestrian events.
1. Adequan is composed of polysulfated glycosaminoglycan while Legend has hyaluronic acid.
2. Adequan has longer lasting effects that take some time to work unlike Legend that has a shorter term effect yet heals the condition a lot quicker.