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  Discussion on Adequan side effect
Author Message
Member:
suenzoo

Posted on Tuesday, May 26, 2009 - 3:14 pm:

I started my daughter's 14h, 900# pinto (Oreo) on the generic Adequan (Ichon) last Tuesday. The next morning the injection site was swollen. There was some edema present and also hard nodules at the injection site. Oreo was also a bit lethargic and hid in her loafing shed most of the day. Her appetite was fine as was her water consumption. The swelling lasted 4 days. She is due for her second injection today and I am hesitant to give it to her. I did give her 1g of bute on the 3rd day since she was still "not herself".
My questions are:
1. Should I give her the next dose?
2. Is it Ok to premedicate her with bute?
3. Should I wait to see if she has a localized reaction again before giving the bute?
4. Is it even safe to give bute in conjunction with Ichon?

Thanks in advance for any help
Sue
Member:
ekaufman

Posted on Tuesday, May 26, 2009 - 10:19 pm:

Hi Sue,

What were her vitals (temp., pulse, respiration) before and after the injection, and when she was ill later? Is there any possibility that the needle got dirty (DrOpped or touched) prior to injection? Has she had the injection safely before? Did she jump around or act silly when you gave it to her? Are there other horses living with her, and are any of them sick, lethargic, snot-nosed, etc.?

I can't answer your specific questions-- just trying to figure out what may have happened....
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, May 27, 2009 - 8:19 am:

Hello Sue,
Ichon in not a generic Adequan but is the same chemical as Adequan packaged and sold as a sterile wound lavage material. This product is frequently used by equine veterinarians as a substitute however and there appear to be few reactions reported with its use. There are no experimental studies on the use of Ichon as a joint supplement so we will address what we know about Adequan. Taking your questions in order:

1) You may have had a self limiting local infection or an allergic reaction. In the first case better technique will probably result in a reaction free injection. In the second case you will have a repeat or even worse reaction. Only you can decide about the risk vs benefit here. You can read about the efficacy of IM PSGAG in the parent article associated with this discussion.

2) I am not aware of any contraindications for premedication with bute.

3) Again only you can make this decision. I usually wait for two reactions before firmly believing a horse has a unusual sensitivity to a drug.

4) There are no studies on this question so we can only conjecture. There is no reason that I am aware of that Adequan should not be given together with bute given a good indication for both drugs.
DrO
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