Firocoxib Dose for Navicular Pain and Osteoarthritis Established

When it comes to pain management in horses, the words “osteoarthritis” and “phenylbutazone” seem to work in tandem. But not all veterinarians are sold on the routine use of this drug in horses. Phenylbutazone is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

When it comes to pain management in horses, the words "osteoarthritis" and "phenylbutazone" seem to work in tandem. But not all veterinarians are sold on the routine use of this drug in horses.

Phenylbutazone is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that has anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and anti-pyretic properties. Unfortunately, it also has known side-effects, including nephrotoxicity (toxic to the kidneys) and intestinal ulceration.

In contrast, newer NSAID firocoxib, designed specifically for horses, has fewer treatment-related adverse events than phenylbutazone and is effective at reducing lameness.

In a new study, "The use of force plate measurements to titrate the dosage of a new COX-2 inhibitor in lame horses," Willem Back, DVM, Cert. Pract. KNMvD (Equine Practice), PhD, Spec. KNMvD (Equine Surgery), Dipl. ECVS, from the Faculty of Veterinary medicine at Utrecht University in The Netherlands, and associate veterinary researchers, described the use of a force plate to determine the optimal dose of firocoxib in horses with osteoarthritis

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Stacey Oke, MSc, DVM, is a practicing veterinarian and freelance medical writer and editor. She is interested in both large and small animals, as well as complementary and alternative medicine. Since 2005, she’s worked as a research consultant for nutritional supplement companies, assisted physicians and veterinarians in publishing research articles and textbooks, and written for a number of educational magazines and websites.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
308 votes · 308 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!