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Elite Veteran
Posts: 897
  
| Well the vet visit went good, she was very nice and thorough. His diagnosis is moderate/severe pasturn arthritis in his right front. Not exactly what we wanted to hear. We did a general exam and she thought he looked good, did flexion test, blocking, and then front X-rays. The blocking helped her narrow down what area is the problem, then the X-rays confirmed. It's pretty substantial arthritis. She said it was nothing I did, as I've only had him for little over a month. She said he's had this for a decent amount of time 1+ years.
Husband and I are pretty mad at ourselves, as we should have done a prepurchse exam, and we wouldn't have bought him. Vet believes previous owner buted him up. Lesson learned!! But, an expensive lesson! She said our only really treatment options are adequan injections IM once a month (after a loading dose) and inject the pasturn. She did prescribe previcox but said that not all horses respond to it.
Previcox=$36 for 40 days. 1/4 of a tablet once a day
1 bottle adequan=$385
Injections in pasturn=$250-260
She said all horses respond differently to injections, and she said it would be worth it to try. She also said that some people have to inject the pasturn severe 6 months and others can get away with once a year. I'm also going to get a tub of bute from her this week in case he needs it.
I have him started on Actiflex pellets, and am wondering if I should keep him on what previous owner had him on Forefront Forebasics? Am I just wasting my money? What is it really doing? I'm almost out, so I need to decide.
Now that we have a diagnosis, I would appreciate any advice on what to do, maintenance care, supplements that might be beneficial, etc.
Would BOT quick wraps or bell boots be beneficial? I tried to upload his X-rays but it said they were too big. The vet that came out said that she does chiropractic work, also. $85/hr. I want him to be comfortable, but I don't want to throw money at things that won't help the issue he has.
Thanks everyone!
Edited by emricmacy 2017-10-04 8:58 AM
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| I posted on your other thread but to add to it if this was my horse I would inject the pastern and do the adequan series. The adequan may lengthen the time between injections. You can find previcox adequan on line much cheaper but you will need a prescription. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 897
| Thank you! I think husband and I have decided to go ahead with injecting the pastern AND Adequan injections, as well as Previcox. Hopefully we see some results! The vet did not want to inject yesterday, as she had injected with nerve blocking agents, and he was getting fussy. I'm going to try and get her out either Friday or next week.
I have heard that you can't use Bute if you are feeding Previcox? |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 356
| emricmacy - 2017-10-04 9:15 AM
Thank you! I think husband and I have decided to go ahead with injecting the pastern AND Adequan injections, as well as Previcox. Hopefully we see some results! The vet did not want to inject yesterday, as she had injected with nerve blocking agents, and he was getting fussy. I'm going to try and get her out either Friday or next week.
I have heard that you can't use Bute if you are feeding Previcox?
You are correct - bute and Previcox are both NSAIDs and you don't want to stack them together under most circumstances. If you're looking to save a little, ask your vet about Pentosan vs. Adequan. I do a loading dose of Adequan on my gelding in the spring and then Pentosan every 3 weeks. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 897
| Thank you! My question is, if I know I'm going to be hauling to a barrel race on a Sat, I was thinking of giving him Bute, but I can't do that with Previcox..so skip Previcox that day and Bute? |
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Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| emricmacy - 2017-10-04 9:51 AM Thank you! My question is, if I know I'm going to be hauling to a barrel race on a Sat, I was thinking of giving him Bute, but I can't do that with Previcox..so skip Previcox that day and Bute?
My protocol for using bute is I start giving 2 days prior, if I was racing Saturday, I would start on Thursday. I would not give previcox in the same week |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 897
| rodeomom3 - 2017-10-04 9:57 AM
emricmacy - 2017-10-04 9:51 AM Thank you! My question is, if I know I'm going to be hauling to a barrel race on a Sat, I was thinking of giving him Bute, but I can't do that with Previcox..so skip Previcox that day and Bute?
 My protocol for using bute is I start giving 2 days prior, if I was racing Saturday, I would start on Thursday.  I would not give previcox in the same weekÂ
Ok, so with Previcox it's ok to start and stop as needed? No bad reactions to stopping it here and there? |
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Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| emricmacy - 2017-10-04 10:01 AM
rodeomom3 - 2017-10-04 9:57 AM
emricmacy - 2017-10-04 9:51 AM Thank you! My question is, if I know I'm going to be hauling to a barrel race on a Sat, I was thinking of giving him Bute, but I can't do that with Previcox..so skip Previcox that day and Bute?
 My protocol for using bute is I start giving 2 days prior, if I was racing Saturday, I would start on Thursday.  I would not give previcox in the same weekÂ
Ok, so with Previcox it's ok to start and stop as needed? No bad reactions to stopping it here and there?
Not that I know of, but I think you may need to pick which one you want to use. Previcox daily may be enough and you won't need bute. I think bute is stronger but I would not be continually switching from previcox to bute. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 897
| Ok, got it! I have no experience with Previcox..so I'm not sure what to expect? I am very familiar with Bute, so now I'm not sure what to try. |
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 A Barrel Of Monkeys
Posts: 12972
Location: Texas | Try using DMSO on the joint.
I had a horse with a high ringbone and I mixed 10cc of Dexamethazone into a bottle of DMSO, painted it on the joint, wrapped with saran wrap, then cotton, then vet wrap, left it on for a day or two. It kept him sound for 2 weeks at a time.
You can get a bottle of Dex from your vet. It's a cheap bandaid and worth trying, IMO |
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Veteran
Posts: 277
| You are going to be giving NSAIDS and ActiFlex, watch out for ulcers!! Sounds like this horse is a nice one and I bet he is worth the maintenance. Was hoping it would be something simpler, but should be able to be maintained. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 897
| Oh boy, now I'm feeling overwhelmed..  I don't want to mess him up! He is a great horse, nice personality, and loves to work... |
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Veteran
Posts: 277
| emricmacy - 2017-10-04 10:55 AM
Oh boy, now I'm feeling overwhelmed.. I don't want to mess him up! He is a great horse, nice personality, and loves to work...
I would skip the ActiFlex. Just give the injectable and NSAIDS and put him on a probiotic |
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Expert
Posts: 2678
Location: Mi | Meep.Meep - 2017-10-04 12:02 PM emricmacy - 2017-10-04 10:55 AM Oh boy, now I'm feeling overwhelmed.. I don't want to mess him up! He is a great horse, nice personality, and loves to work... I would skip the ActiFlex. Just give the injectable and NSAIDS and put him on a probiotic
This is what I would do also! If you're going to do the adequan I don't see any sense in doing the other. If you're going to keep him on the previcox daily I wouldn't switch back and forth with the bute. If you're only going to give the previcox a few days before and during a race you're probably fine doing bute if you're not going real often. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 516
| Ahmac - 2017-10-04 11:41 AM
Meep.Meep - 2017-10-04 12:02 PM emricmacy - 2017-10-04 10:55 AM Oh boy, now I'm feeling overwhelmed.. I don't want to mess him up! He is a great horse, nice personality, and loves to work... I would skip the ActiFlex. Just give the injectable and NSAIDS and put him on a probiotic
I wouldn't switch back and forth with bute either. Obviously talk to your vet about this, but if it were me, I'd have him on a quarter tab daily and then a couple days before a race bump him up to a half tab. I've used previcox pretty extensively for my navicular horse I had and other random injuries and this has worked for me. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 897
| Thank you! I will take him off the ActiFlex. Vet just e-mailed me, saying to not use Bute and Previcox together. He started Previcox this AM, she has him on 1/4tab. She said the Previcox is a bit better for long term use. I will buy a tub of Bute from her when she comes next, just in case I ever need it in the future. So, I will stick to Adequan, pasturn injections, and Previcox for now. I'm overwhelming myself already. I'm the type that just wants to do more and more, but one step at a time.
Should I stop using the ForeBasics supplement that the previous owner had him on? It's a bit expensive, but if you all think it's worth it for him, I will continue, if not then I will put that money towards injections.
Edited by emricmacy 2017-10-04 11:59 AM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 897
| What is everyone's thoughts on the BOT quick wraps for him or bell boots? Would this help him? Ice wraps? |
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 The One
Posts: 7998
Location: South Georgia | emricmacy - 2017-10-04 1:06 PM What is everyone's thoughts on the BOT quick wraps for him or bell boots? Would this help him? Ice wraps?
I'd switch him to pasture board and do injections before I tried anything else. That way, you'll know what helps, rather than throwing other things into the mix right from the start. |
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Veteran
Posts: 277
| emricmacy - 2017-10-04 11:57 AM
Thank you! I will take him off the ActiFlex. Vet just e-mailed me, saying to not use Bute and Previcox together. He started Previcox this AM, she has him on 1/4tab. She said the Previcox is a bit better for long term use. I will buy a tub of Bute from her when she comes next, just in case I ever need it in the future. So, I will stick to Adequan, pasturn injections, and Previcox for now. I'm overwhelming myself already. I'm the type that just wants to do more and more, but one step at a time.
Should I stop using the ForeBasics supplement that the previous owner had him on? It's a bit expensive, but if you all think it's worth it for him, I will continue, if not then I will put that money towards injections.
I wouldn't bother with any joint supplements, the injections, adequan and previcox should be enough. The only supplement I would feed would be a good probiotic. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 897
| Ok, any brands I should look for? |
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