IRAP therapy is a newer treatment for arthritis in horses and in humans. Interleukin 1 is the chemical that is generally responsible for the pain associated with arthritis in joints. IRAP eases joint pain by interfering with the activity of Interleukin 1 and similar compounds.
A unique, large syringe is used in a standard blood draw from your horse. This syringe has hundreds of glass beads that have been exposed to a certain gas that favors the “IRAP” and helps amplify it. Once the blood is obtained, it is incubated,spun in a special centrifuge to separate the serum from the other components, and then frozen. This serum, or "soup" is rich in IRAP and once passed through a filter, is injected directly into the desired joint. Extra serum is frozen for subsequent treatments.
Typically, a series of three injections are performed one week apart to treat one affected joint. Coffin joints and stifles that don’t respond well to steroid injections seem to be the most popular condition to treat. Reactions are uncommon largely due to the fact that it is the patient’s own serum.
