“Equine pain management is one of the most challenging issues veterinarians face on a daily basis,” said Melissa King, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, ACVSMR.

Not only can it be difficult to suppress the pain associated with conditions such as osteoarthritis (OA), but the extended use of conventional therapies (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, corticosteroids, and opioids) can have negative systemic side effects.

King, an assistant professor of equine sports medicine at Colorado State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital, in Fort Collins, has been studying a new tool to manage joint pain in horses: anti-nerve growth factor (anti-NGF mAb), which has been shown to have significant analgesic effects in other species. She presented her findings at the 2016 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 3-7 in Orlando, Florida.

In the presence of tissue injury, the body produces neurotrophins, or nerve grow factors (NFG). When a damaged joint, for instance, releases NGF, a cascade of events occur that enhance the sensation of noxious stimuli. The result? Pain. Researchers have developed antibodies against NGF—the aforementioned anti-NGF mAb—to try to stem this pain response