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  Discussion on Equioxx (Previcox) - Effectiveness and Length of Use
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New Member:
2chance

Posted on Monday, Jan 7, 2008 - 5:42 pm:

My vet very nicely gave me a prescription for Previcox for my 13 year old gelding who has had severe arthritis in his hocks from an early age. He had been on daily bute (1 gram/day) along with glucosamine, hyaluronic acid, MSM, BL solution for a few years. I started him on the Previcox about a month ago at 57 mgs per day. He is looking better - now trots enthusiastically out of his stall in the morning instead of trudging out to the field. I am thinking the improvement is from the Previcox but am afraid to believe it. I am wondering what the experience of others who have been using Previcox has been.
I am also concerned with the long term use of the drug. Dr. O, I know there isn't a lot of history on this, but would you advise continuing use of Previcox as an ongoing daily therapy for a horse that is uncomfortable without some type of NSAID. Would it be a good idea to skip the Previcox once or twice a week or would that not be a long enough break to have any benefit?
Thanks for your thoughts on this.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Jan 8, 2008 - 7:23 am:

Hello Lucy,
The answer to your questions depends on how lame the horse is without the NSAID's and your specific goals Lucy.

In all cases you should be trying to reduce the dosage of the drug to as little as possible as infrequently as possible yet maintain your goals for soundness of the horse. If your goals can accommodate periods of no treatment, this would help decrease toxicity. How safe this is will depend on what this dosage is. We believe these drugs can be used at low dosages, for a long term, safely in most horses but we do not know how low, how long, and how many. For more on this concept see the long term therapy subtopic in the article "Arthritis Overview".
DrO
Member:
kayfry

Posted on Sunday, Jan 27, 2008 - 2:54 pm:

Dr. O, I, too, have concerns about the long-term safety of Equioxx/Previcox - though I was pretty excited to discover on this board the Previcox alternative, which would bring the price down to a much more reasonable level. My vets just sold me a week's supply of the Equioxx paste for my 20-year-old App who has high ringbone in his left front pastern and who had been on the Surpass topical cream most recently, until it became clear that it wasn't giving him enough relief, especially with the hard, frozen ground in his pasture right now. I'm pretty sure that at this point I'm going to need to think about managing his problems a little more aggressively, and it's going to be a long-term thing for as many years as he has left. I'm concerned, on the basis of the studies cited by the maker of Equioxx, that the risk to his kidneys with long-term use may be worse than the risk of GI problems with long-term use of bute. At least if he develops an ulcer on bute, I know I can treat it with Gastroguard, but if his kidneys go we're pretty much out of options. So while I'm satisfied that the Equioxx is safe for short-term use, up to 14 days, the information on longer-term use isn't very reassuring. Bute works, it's cheap, and I know a lot of horses can be on it for long-term with no problems. He's been on bute or Banamine, off and on, for a long time, as needed mostly rather than daily. But last year he did have a bout of colic that we attributed, possibly, to the bute, and I've been hesitant to use it much since then, unless I also give him Gastroguard as a preventative. But that's too expensive for the long-term, definitely. What's your take on this?
Member:
ekaufman

Posted on Sunday, Jan 27, 2008 - 7:48 pm:

I have an 18yo retired AQHA mare on previcox. 2grams bute/daily and she wouldn't even walk to the gate to greet her food. After a week of previcox, she is trotting, playing, and ornery as can be. For horses that are non-responsive to bute, at least, this may be a wonderful alternative. I will cross the long term bridge soon enough, but am thrilled to know I have something that restores this old girl's joy in life.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Jan 28, 2008 - 7:38 am:

Kay, renal toxicity is a problem with phenylbutazone also and there are reasons to believe that at equal pain relieving dosages it is less of a problem with firocoxib though this remains to be tested.

As to treating NSAID based ulcers with Gastroguard this is unclear. The only treatment that really works is discontinuing NSAID's. The pathogenesis of ulceration does not involve excess acidity but inhibition of important enzyme systems. As such it is difficult to see how alkalization of the stomach contents would be therapeutic however humans do report it eases symptoms.
DrO
Member:
kayfry

Posted on Monday, Jan 28, 2008 - 8:58 am:

I see, this is very helpful, thanks. Elizabeth, I'm especially interested to hear that your mare is doing better on the Previcox than she did on 2g bute daily. That's the first time I'd heard that firocoxib might actually work BETTER than bute for pain relief. And Dr. O., also thanks so much for clarifying the ulcers/NSAIDS/Gastroguard situation. I wish the testing of firocoxib were more extensive, but of course, I understand that it's a new drug. If I can obtain a prescription for Previcox (which I think I can), thus bringing down the cost of the drug (as opposed to the Equioxx), maybe I should consider keeping him on it for awhile and seeing how he does. Let me ask you: in your experience, with all the NSAIDs, how common is it to see renal toxicity? If it's not very likely, I guess it's worth the gamble to keep him comfortable.
Member:
kayfry

Posted on Monday, Jan 28, 2008 - 9:15 am:

Elizabeth, I forgot to ask: what dosage of Previcox are you giving your mare? I've seen that some people are using the 227 mg. tabs and giving one-quarter tablet daily (which works out to 56.75 mg. - I presume that's close enough to 57 mg.), others using the 57 mg. tabs. I think the 227 mg. tablets are less expensive, is that what you use? Does she eat the pills readily, or do you have to disguise them? My daughter (a small animal vet) tells me that the drug rep for Previcox was touting the fact that the pills are "yummy and delicious" - for dogs. Apparently a "barbecue" flavor? But I've read where others have said their horses love them, think of them as treats. Weird.

Also, Dr. O., could you explain why the dosage of this drug for horses is so much less, mg. per pound, than for dogs? Or is that too complicated for a quick answer?
Member:
ekaufman

Posted on Monday, Jan 28, 2008 - 9:56 am:

Hi Kay,

I am using the equioxx tubes for this trial-- the 1000lb dose for a 1000lb mare.

This horse has too many problems to list. She was my daughter's first horse, and still hobbles to greet her, nickering, and follows her around on a slack lead. My goal is not to get her into work, but to give her some length of comfortable retirement. Years past, occasional bute did the trick. Now she has either developed a tolerance, or her pain has progressed, or both. On my ranch, previcox is currently a miracle drug.

One thing to know is that the paste, according to my mare, is unusually foul tasting. She will wipe her mouth in the dirt after dosing. It's a typical Merial product, IMO-- useful drug in an unpalatable carrier, with a tube so cheap it takes two hands to dislodge the cap.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Jan 28, 2008 - 10:21 am:

What a small world this is. I just came across a study comparing the efficacy of bute and firocoxib in this months AVMA journal. I will publish the summary on the Firocoxib page as soon as I post this. Back up to the article page and you can access the study. Kay I have not seen a reason for the different dosing rates and a quick look at the literature does not reveal how the canine dose was derived. Longer plasma 1/2 life and/or increased sensitivity to the drug are likely.
DrO
Member:
kayfry

Posted on Monday, Jan 28, 2008 - 10:46 am:

Thanks, Dr. O, what a timely article :-) That's interesting, that the firocoxib seems to be more effective than bute over time, which tends to support Elizabeth's experience.

Elizabeth, my 20-year-old gelding App gelding also has several issues - an old diagnosis of navicular disease which seems to be not the main cause of his lameness, as his x-rays have not really changed in that department for about 10 years, much of which time he was functionally sound and in careful work. In the past, he has also had some bruising of his coffin bone on the left front (demonstrated by both x-rays and also a bone scan done when he first developed lameness in that foot at about age 10) - I think this is a chronic problem that has been managed with careful shoeing, etc. He has had foot abscesses that were deep and only showed up months later as tell-tale marks on the hoof wall. Bottom line: his feet are very sensitive and vulnerable to bruising and slight changes in shoeing - and here in PA the ground is currently hard, frozen, and uneven, without a nice soft snow cover to cushion. I think that may be contributing to his current discomfort. But on top of all that, he now has high ringbone in the left front, picked up on x-rays. We are presuming that to be the main source of his unsoundness, but who knows? He also recently got kicked by a pasture-mate in his right knee, but it seems not serious and he still looks lame on the left leg, not the right. My goal with him, like you, is not necessarily to get him sound enough to work - although if he gets better and can tolerate some light work, I think it might be good for him. But if not, I want him to be comfortable in retirement, including comfortable enough to go out in his pasture - he hates to be kept in and will kick the stall, which can't be very good for him, either. BTW, he is also currently on a trial of the Equioxx paste. He doesn't like it, but he doesn't like anything in his mouth (except food, and even that he's picky about). The tube is crappy and awkward, you're right. I'm thinking the Previcox tablets would be altogether easier and also a lot cheaper if I do decide to keep him on this drug long-term.
Member:
ekaufman

Posted on Monday, Jan 28, 2008 - 1:27 pm:

Thanks for the study Dr. O. It's going to be interesting to learn more about this drug over time. The study doesn't explain why 12 days of bute at the 2gm/day dosage appeared not to relieve my mare at all, but it also doesn't make me feel bad about the choice to switch.

Kay, I don't know your situation, but wouldn't discount heel pain for your guy. My mare shows only mild navicular changes on x-ray, but analysis with various blocks over several sessions show that, of her many lamenesses, the heel pain is the most troubling to her. While she can adapt her gaits and posture to handle the creaky hocks etc., she can't ever escape that heel pain. She flexes ok with other blocks, but she FEELS ok with her heels blocked. I think heel pain is really depressing to horses.

Next step for mine would be a tenectomy.
Member:
kayfry

Posted on Monday, Jan 28, 2008 - 2:49 pm:

Elizabeth, my husband's a medical doctor, and he points out that humans all respond differently to the various NSAIDs, too. If they didn't, there would only be one of them out there, and we'd all be taking it. So I guess it makes sense that horses would be the same way. 2 gm bute/day for 12 days would make my horse go sound, I'm pretty sure. With regard to heel pain, the picture for my horse is pretty murky. Most recently he showed a much better, more complete response to the higher block, which covered his pastern, than to a block of the heels or even the whole foot. Slight response to the foot block would seem to suggest he has SOME discomfort there, but the much more dramatic response points to the ringbone. He's not that positive to flexion, regardless. And his hocks are great. But since we can't seem to pinpoint, for sure, exactly where-all his pain is coming from, it seems that going to a systemic NSAID makes more sense than the topical, despite whatever increased risk there may be of side effects. I would hate to put him through a surgical procedure at his age.

Also, Dr. O., my husband did find info on the disparate dosage of firocoxib re dogs vs. horses - and evidently it is, indeed, because of the fact that dogs metabolize the drug much more quickly than horses.
New Member:
2chance

Posted on Monday, Jan 28, 2008 - 9:29 pm:

Kay, in response to your question regarding the use of Previcox, I have been giving my gelding 1/4 of the 227 mg. chewable dog tablet each morning for the last 6-7 weeks. I put the piece of the tablet into a quarter of an apple just because it is so small, I want to be sure it doesn't fall out of his mouth when he's eating. He had been on 1 gram of bute daily for the last few years. He is very clearly more comfortable on the Previcox - I'm thrilled, just worried about long term side effects. He has very arthritic hocks, an old tendon injury and some navicular issues. It is worth the risk to me to see him comfortable for the time being - if he develops a problem with the medication, then I'll have a difficult decision to face.

Dr. O - thanks for the new information from the AVMA sturdy comparing bute and firocoxib. It is great to have access to his kind of information.
You and your website are the best!!
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008 - 8:18 am:

Thank you very much Lucy. Kay, I have never had a clinically significant renal toxicity in a horse where I was using and monitoring the NSAID use but the scientific literature would strongly suggest many of the patients that I have had on long term use would have had a subclincal toxicoses with degenerative changes in the kidneys, primarily renal papillary necrosis.

Frankly considering how I have pushed the dosage of phenylbutazone is some chronically painful horses it surprised me that I have not had rises in creatinine/BUN. I think I was lucky in those cases and the treatment regimen entered into with the understanding if the pain was not gotten under control euthanasia was the next step. The most remarkable treatment regimen was 1gm in a 400lb pony daily for 3 years. Eventually the pony was put down at 41 years of age for pain nonresponsive to medication. I know the case well because this was our pony.

Thanks for the dog update: where did your husband find the information? Searching PubMed I was surprised I could not find the pharmacokinetic data in dogs.
DrO
Member:
kayfry

Posted on Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008 - 9:07 am:

Lucy, thanks so much for clarifying and sharing your experience with the Previcox. It's wonderful that it's working so well for you. Are the 227 mg. tablets scored so that it's easier to divide them into accurate quarters? I haven't seen them, but I know I can get a prescription from my daughter, and I'm thinking I'll probably do that if my gelding looks good on the Equioxx paste after a week.

And thanks to you, Dr. O., for this reassuring info re renal toxicity. You know, I've used bute and Banamine (not at the same time, of course) on this horse quite a lot over the years, and he never really seemed to have a problem with it. He did have a colic episode this past year, though, and as there had been other horses in the barn in the past with ulcers that responded well to Gastroguard, my trainer and I just made an assumption that was probably unwarranted. Perhaps his symptoms were unrelated to the bute altogether, and he just had a belly ache for whatever reason, which responded to treatment by my vet. With the price of Gastroguard, giving it on a regular basis "just in case" is kind of out of the question for me, especially for a 20-year-old horse - so I'm actually relieved to learn this isn't the answer to NSAID risks.

I wish I knew for sure that his current lameness IS, in fact, the ringbone, but at this point I'm not sure I want to start with another round of nerve blocks when all signs point to the fact that it is. Up until just a few months ago this guy was still able to be ridden lightly - he's a wonderful horse who loves his job, is kind of a pain when he's not in work, actually. After the ringbone was diagnosed, I did have his pastern injected last August, and he had a very good response to that initially - was sounder than I'd seen him in a long time, which kind of confirmed that the pastern is (or was then) the main issue. Unfortunately, the effects of the injection only lasted about 3-4 months, and my vets are reluctant to repeat the procedure more frequently than 6-month intervals - and even then, they don't seem to want to do it more than one more time. So in February, if I decide to go that route, I could have it done again. But really, just to get him pasture-sound and comfortable, I think I'm going to have to resign myself to keeping him on some bute or Previcox.

I will ask my husband where he found the info on the dogs tonight when he gets home and let you know. Thanks again for all your help.
Member:
kayfry

Posted on Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008 - 9:20 pm:

Dr. O, my husband got that information from the US government Pharmacopaiea web site - I'll try to copy the link here, hope it works:

https://www.usp.org//Users/kathrynfrydenborg/Desktop/firocoxib.pdf

If not, it's www. usp.org
New Member:
digger89

Posted on Wednesday, Jan 30, 2008 - 7:35 pm:

I have been using Previcox 1/4 tab daily for my horse with severe navicular disease for 3 months. He had an MRI showing that the nav bursa was obliterated in both feet. There is deep digital flexor tendon inflammation with adhesion of the tendon to the navicular bone in both feet, inflammation in the medullary cavity of both nav bones, and the navicular suspensory ligament is hypertrophied with inflamation and adhesion to the deep digital flexor tendon in both feet. Despite bilateral neurectomies (nerving) and 2 grams of bute per day he was lame at the walk 80% of the time. We switched to higher wedged eggbar shoes and Previcox with amazing results. He looks sound almost all the time now even on the concrete aisle. We are going to try to decrease the dose to every other day but will go back to daily if necessary. Sarah
Member:
kayfry

Posted on Wednesday, Jan 30, 2008 - 9:47 pm:

Thanks, Sarah. That's pretty impressive that you've had such a good result with your horse, given how severe his problem is. My guy is very lame today, but we think it's unrelated to his known problem with the ringbone or even to his feet - he seems to have been kicked up high on his leg, just below the elbow, and is very tender there with swelling. My vet did nerve blocks and flexion tests, all negative, and then we looked higher. . .she thinks it's just muscular, and should resolve in a few days. I'm getting a prescription for Previcox and will see how things look in a few days. I really appreciate everyone's sharing their experiences with Previcox. I asked my vet if she'd heard of people using the canine formula for horses, and she had, but had no actual experience with it. When I told her the difference in cost, she asked me to let her know how it works, so she can pass this along to other clients. The Equioxx costs $10/day at the recommended dose.
New Member:
2chance

Posted on Thursday, Jan 31, 2008 - 12:23 pm:

Kay, The Previcox 227mg. pills are scored in half. The halves cut very easily into quarters.
Hope it helps your guy.
Member:
dres

Posted on Thursday, Jan 31, 2008 - 12:37 pm:

Lucy, 1/4 pill of the 227 mg is all it takes? No bute now.. ? How long did this take effect? I guess all tho a much larger animal then a dog , the horse reacts differently to the mg's ? I wonder to at this dosage if it does have a bad long term effect .. it seems such a small dose..
They are expensive I got the pills for my over weight lab last year to help her thru the winter.. well I put her on a diet and give her human form of Glucosamine and MSM daily and she has been fine.. I still tho, have the pills ..

My gelding is on one gram of bute when I exercise him , otherwise he is fine without for now..

great discussion..

On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots..
Member:
ekaufman

Posted on Thursday, Jan 31, 2008 - 2:10 pm:

At my vet supply here, the 57mg firocoxib (previcox) runs about $1/pill, vs. $7/tube for 56.85mg of firocoxib (equioxx). I assume the bigger pills are slightly cheaper, but at $1/day, I'll treat myself to the small pills.
Member:
kayfry

Posted on Thursday, Jan 31, 2008 - 6:36 pm:

Thanks, Lucy.

Ann, I know it seems crazy, but evidently this drug is metabolized much faster by dogs than by horses - I have no idea why. The recommended dosage for dogs is 2.27 mg/lb, while the dosage for horses is much lower - 0.045 mg/lb. So one-quarter of the 227 mg. tablet is roughly equivalent to one of the 57 mg. tablets, and also roughly equivalent to one tube of the Equioxx paste. You give this dose once daily.

Elizabeth, the pricing on this stuff also seems to vary a great deal. You're lucky to be getting the Equioxx for $7/tube - my vet is charging me $10/tube. After getting a prescription from my daughter, who is a small animal vet, I've just ordered a bottle of 60 of the 227 mg. Previcox tablets from an online source for $90. Since I'll be dividing each of these 60 tablets into 4, this will be 240 doses for $90 (even get free shipping!) That works out to just cents a day - I don't have my calculator handy right now, but I think it was, like, 37 cents. But you're right, it will be slightly less convenient than the 57 mg. tablets, as I'll have to quarter them. Either way, it beats $10/day for the Equioxx. I'm not even sure I can buy bute for any less than that. And on the plus side, if I don't use it all for my horse, I guess I could still use the Previcox for my large (105 lb. and 115 lb.) dogs!
Member:
kayfry

Posted on Thursday, Jan 31, 2008 - 6:42 pm:

I forgot to say that I, too, have some concerns over the long-term side effects of this drug. If we get to a point where my horse doesn't seem to need it every day, I'll cut back, and I'll carefully monitor his health. But if, as Dr. O points out, every NSAID carries similar yet fairly unlikely risks of serious side effects, then I'm no more concerned about the firocoxib than anything else. For an older horse with chronic problems, it comes down to balancing risk vs. benefit.
New Member:
digger89

Posted on Thursday, Jan 31, 2008 - 6:55 pm:

Isn't the difference between dogs and horses amazing? My 20 lb beagle gets the same dose as my 1000 lb horse! My horse had his feet done today, and he has had to be sedated to tolerate standing on only one front foot long enough to be shod. After 3 months of Previcox he is able to stand much longer, up to a full minute. I am hope to not need sedation next time. He only started having this issue after the navicular disease progressed so I know this isn't a behavioral issue. Sarah
Member:
ekaufman

Posted on Thursday, Jan 31, 2008 - 7:12 pm:

Hi Kay,

For what it's worth, my local vet supply ships nationally, and they are known to be very fair in their pricing. I get a bulk price on gastroguard of $27/tube (and they give it to me now even for a few tubes). So depending on shipping costs, you might want to explore FAXing them your script. They are Mountain Vet Supply in Fort Collins, Colorado. I have never been able to beat one of their prices (nice people, too).
New Member:
2chance

Posted on Thursday, Jan 31, 2008 - 10:20 pm:

Hi Ann,
It amazes me too every time I give my horses that tiny piece of a pill that I am seeing such results. I buy the 60 tablet bottle of 227 mg. tablets and it works out to about .43 cents per day - about the same as the flavored Bute powder I was using previously.
Hope everyone will continue giving progress reports on their use of Previcox and if any side effects show up.
Member:
andiesue

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 22, 2009 - 2:43 pm:

Hello there Dr. O and all, my horse had his first treatment of tildren two weeks ago and while it didn't help his lameness (at all) I did notice a frequency of urination after treatment. I just started him on Previcox two days ago and I'm concerned after the talk about kidney problems arising. Should I withhold Previcox and use bute until some time after his second treatment of tildren? Or do you think his frequency of urination is a fluke?
Thanking you in advance,
Andrea
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Jul 23, 2009 - 9:01 am:

Hello Andrea,
Let me help you get started off right with your question as there are several advantages to you if different discussions are kept separate:
  • there is no confusion about which question is being discussed
  • it will help keep Horseadvice more organized
  • you review the Article and "ALL" the existing discussions
  • more folks are likely to see your post and so you will receive quicker and more responses

You will find the "Start New Discussion" button at the bottom of the "List of Discussions ". This list is on the parent page to this discussion along with an "Article". Getting there is easy, for example on this page:
  • Scroll to the top of this frame where you will find a navigation bar.
  • Click on the "parent page" link. The parent page is the page immediately preceding the title for this discussion.


Before posting you should review the article as you will find helpful information. If it does not answer your question and you don't see a related discussion that answers your question you should "Start a New Discussion" with your question. For more on this and other important information see Help & Information on Using This Site » Welcome to The Horseman's Advisor.

Thanks for helping us stay organized.
DrO
PS, by copying your post you can easily paste it into a new discussion.
PPS, many members prefer not to display there full name in their posts. You can edit this in your profile to display your chosen moniker.
New Member:
bcdoc

Posted on Wednesday, Sep 30, 2009 - 10:38 am:

I am concerned about the prescribed dosage of Previcox for a Friesan that weighs approximately 1340 lbs. He was initially given a load dose of (2), 227 mg. tabs for 2 days. That dosage was reduced to (1), 227 mg. tab daily. He is to continue on the 227 mg. tab indefinitely. It seems to be quite a large dose, despite the weight of the horse. Any feedback you can provide will be greatly appreciated! Bonnie}
Member:
digger89

Posted on Wednesday, Sep 30, 2009 - 11:03 am:

Bonnie - that is a large dose! The recommended dosage of EQUIOXX (firocoxib) for oral administration in horses is 0.045 mg/lb (0.1 mg/kg) of body weight once daily. That works out to 60.3 mg. Translating that drug dosage to the canine version of firocoxib - Previcox - would be only very slightly more than 1/4 of the 227mg tablet. The 1/4 tab is 57mg. I would check back with your vet on the dosage. Perhaps it was calculated using the small tablets instead since they are 57 mg. Sarah
Member:
paul303

Posted on Thursday, Oct 1, 2009 - 12:48 am:

The dose does seem large. My horse is on 57mg. once a day.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Oct 1, 2009 - 10:21 am:

Wow those are high doses and a recent study did not find a improved benefit in relieving lameness (using a force plate analysis) when doubling the recommended dosages. This strongly suggests that the dosage in the article on EQUIOXX should be about optimum.
DrO
Bonita,
Let me help you with your future postings. There are several advantages to you if discussions are kept separate:
  • there is no confusion about which question is being discussed
  • it will help keep Horseadvice more organized
  • you review the Article and "ALL" the existing discussions
  • more folks are likely to see your post and so you will receive quicker and more responses

You will find the "Start New Discussion" button at the bottom of the "List of Discussions ". This list is on the parent page to this discussion along with an "Article".

Getting there is easy, for example on this page:
  • Scroll to the top of this frame where you will find a navigation bar.
  • Click on the "parent page" link to this page. The parent page is the page immediately preceding the title for this discussion.


Before posting you should review the article as you will find helpful information. If it does not answer your question and you don't see a related discussion that answers your question you should "Start a New Discussion" with your question. For more on this and other important information see Help & Information on Using This Site » Welcome to The Horseman's Advisor.

Thanks for helping us stay organized.
DrO
PS, by copying your post you can easily paste it into a new discussion.
PPS, many members prefer not to display there full name in their posts. You can edit this in your profile to display your chosen moniker.
Member:
bcdoc

Posted on Thursday, Oct 1, 2009 - 4:29 pm:

Many thanks for the helpful replies!
Bonnie
New Member:
rgwromeo

Posted on Monday, Aug 23, 2010 - 10:25 pm:

Dr. O,

I posted a message to you a few days ago about the overlap when switching from Butte to Previcox and you brought up the possibility of toxicity. Therefore we have stopped the Butte and have just given Previcox. After 4 days we have seen little improvement in his stiffle. It is about the same as when we used just Butte.

What also concerns me more is he is alert when given the Previcox and then becomes almost as if slightly sedated about 1/2 hour after. He chews slower and seems to not feel good. Is that a normal response? He also does not want to eat all his grain towards the end as the drug kicks in. He is smart and knows Bute was in his grain.

Any ideas?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 24, 2010 - 7:38 am:

Debby, back up one link to the article page using the navigation bar at the top of this page and post this as a new discussion using the Start New Discussion at the bottom. You should review the article on firocoxib which lists common reactions and compares it to phenylbutazone.
DrO
Member:
rdewitt

Posted on Saturday, Aug 4, 2012 - 2:15 pm:

I had posted several months ago about my husbands 13 year old jumper. He suddenly went from fabulous to bizarre. We had some saddle issues that bloodied his withers (too long a tale to tell), fixed that, but suddenly everything went out of whack. We have great vets, great holistic vets (acupunture, chiro, etc) we use them all, but the weirdness continues. When worked, no matter how lightly (he has been out of work for 3 plus months now) he begins to shake his head. NOT from "head shaking synDrOme", NOT from light, it is pain, period. We took him to Gainesville, and spent the day doing xrays, ultra sound, you name it they did it. No arthritis, no broken bones in his neck (the issue is in his neck), teeth are beautiful (we do them every 6 months with an equine dentist), etc. etc. And nobody knows what is wrong with his neck. I've been told from the cranial person that his nuchal ligament wasn't staying put, it was going from side to side. But after 3 months she said it was great, no more issues. But the gelding disagrees....or else after a light lunging for 10 minutes he wouldn't be reacting by appearing to be in pain with his neck.
So, he is completely sound, zero issues with any body part, except his neck, and that is pretty doggone important.
The vet says "put him back to work", the holistic people say "start him back lightly but he needs to be ridden", but our boy says his neck hurts! We just don't know where and we don't know why.
Oh yes, the hocks. Forgot about the hocks. They did need injecting, and so we injected them. He went yippee skippy for 3 days like a 2 year old, but then his neck started hurting him, and once again the weirdness started. He will turn his neck happily left, but doesn't like the right side.
At the lounge line cantering left or right may or may not be okay, he may be great one day, then break away the next day, then swap leads the 3rd day, then be okay the 4th day.
We have tested and ruled out Lymes Disease and EPM. We haven't ruled out whatever that disease is where one takes a chunk of the nugal ligament and sends it to the Univ. of GA.
The vet wants our boy on previcox because he says he is healthy and years in front of him and shouldn't be retired.
I still want to know what is wrong with him, but I also hate to see him looking fabulous in the pasture, running and playing with his friends, but I am frightened that if the Previcox works and we ride him again, what if we are actually really hurting him?
Member:
rdewitt

Posted on Saturday, Aug 4, 2012 - 2:31 pm:

The disease I was talking about is called DSLD
Member:
rdewitt

Posted on Saturday, Aug 4, 2012 - 2:38 pm:

And yes, he had his gutteral pouches, skull, etc. analyzed. I watched it on the screen at Gainesville. No problems there either.
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Saturday, Aug 4, 2012 - 3:17 pm:

So weird.

Maybe if you use the Previcox and get him going enough to use him he will quit tightening up his neck and make some progress toward healing?

It doesn't seem like it could hurt anything to give that a try.

Seems like you need to find a way to get him flexing his neck again.

You could try some neck stretches with treats as a reward.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Aug 5, 2012 - 7:50 pm:

Hello Oldjumpergal,
I believe we can help you with your question but let me get you started off right so you can get the best answer as quick as possible.

You will get more responses if you start your own discussion rather than post at the bottom on another member's discussion. Each discussion is "owned" by the original poster and all replies in that discussion should either directly or indirectly address the concerns of the original poster.

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DrO
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