BEST NO BUTE PAIN RELIEF

[madhorsechelsea]

Hi my old 22 year old hackney mare has now been diagnosed with degenerative suspensory ligament disease in her off hind with hyper extension of both fetlocks - she is still being ridden as she is sound in walk and trot but is becoming more and more uncomfortable on this leg when she is resting - the vet has said to give her one bute a day but i dont want to go down this route - i am a fan of global herbs and use their skratch plus for her sweet itch and immuplus for her immune system but have not tried their alphabute - has anyone tried this and if so has it helped or can someone recommend another make - ive heard devils claw is not too good for horses and i really dont want to give up riding her as she enjoys it so much still (she wears premier equine sports medicine boots to help when ridden) but think i need to go down a buteless supplement - which are the best please - thank you in advance

 

[Goldenstar]

A horse with a condition like yours needs proper pain relief I would not consider not giving medication .
I would not use Bute though I would give Danilon .
I would also consider cartofen injections once a week for four weeks then monthly .

 

[Sandstone1]

Its not fair on your horse not to give pain relief.

 

[madhorsechelsea]

Its not fair on your horse not to give pain relief.

she isnt in pain just slightly uncomfortable - i have owned this horse for 20 years and therefore i know her and she is sound in walk, trot and canter, just slightly uncomfortable when she stands on it so dont start saying things like its not fair on my horse - you dont know her - I DO

 

[madhorsechelsea]

A horse with a condition like yours needs proper pain relief I would not consider not giving medication .
I would not use Bute though I would give Danilon .
I would also consider cartofen injections once a week for four weeks then monthly .

she isnt in pain just slightly uncomfortable the vet has checked her leg and say maybe one bute a day will help - i dont want to give her bute or danilon long term due to side effects its only when she stands on it for a period of time that she becomes uncomfortable
- i have owned this horse for 20 years and therefore i know her and she is sound in walk, trot and canter, just slightly uncomfortable when she stands on it so dont start saying things like its not fair on my horse - you dont know her - I DO
Read more at https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/threads/best-no-bute-pain-relief.770465/#Az1qfFOdfvSZAxzY.99

 

[Goldenstar]

just crack on then feed the horse some untested herbs if it gives you a warm feeling .

 

[Sandstone1]

Hi my old 22 year old hackney mare has now been diagnosed with degenerative suspensory ligament disease in her off hind with hyper extension of both fetlocks - she is still being ridden as she is sound in walk and trot but is becoming more and more uncomfortable on this leg when she is resting - the vet has said to give her one bute a day but i dont want to go down this route - i am a fan of global herbs and use their skratch plus for her sweet itch and immuplus for her immune system but have not tried their alphabute - has anyone tried this and if so has it helped or can someone recommend another make - ive heard devils claw is not too good for horses and i really dont want to give up riding her as she enjoys it so much still (she wears premier equine sports medicine boots to help when ridden) but think i need to go down a buteless supplement - which are the best please - thank you in advance

if a horse is" uncomfortable " and needs pain relief on the recommendation of a vet then give it pain relief. The horse is 20 and you want to keep riding it? Give it pain relief then!
Not to give pain relief to a animal that needs it is a welfare issue.

 

[Tiddlypom]

If the suspensory is starting to giving way then tbh she does not have long left. I had to pts a 10yo as his hind fetlock joint continued to collapse despite him being fully retired.

I wouldn't worry about the long term effects of bute/danilon, the main thing is to keep her comfortable, and no herbal alternative will be sufficiently effective.

 

[Micky]

My horse is 21 and if he needed pain relief at this grand age, I wouldn’t hesitate to give it either Bute or danilon, the side effects take a while to show themselves from what I gather, and I would rather my horse was comfortable in the last years of being ridden. The natural options don’t last long or do as good a job. Why not try your choice and see what happens, then you can go down the Bute/danilon route afterwards.

 

[ester]

My liver compromised old horse is on bute, I'd much rather quality of life over quantity.

Prior to bute he had boswellia (the main ingredient in alphabute) with some success when the issues were more minor, however that is also processed in the liver anyway.

Fwiw the boots aren't going to be doing anything to help DSLD

 

[Ouch05]

I would agree with the vet, he said bute/dan a day so that is what I would do. The side effects of bute/dan takes a long time. My old boy was on bute from 18 years old. more to 1 a day from age 20 and was pts in oct this year a grand 27. Full bloods taken that summer showed no damage at all

 

[KautoStar1]

are you sure she is sound ?

And to answer your question, there isn't anything I would give for pain relief other than a NSAID if recommended by my vet.

 

[hopscotch bandit]

I'm afraid I agree. Mine is on one sachet of bute a day and has been for a fair time now, she's exhausted all treatments but the vet looks at her on a regular basis as they have to when they prescribe bute and are very happy with her.

However that said if we had to increase the dose just in order to ride I would consider whether I would wish carry on riding (hacking only) as I feel that would be slightly unfair, but that's just me. I would however retire on however many bute she needed. I've been told that a horse as active as she has been throughout her life would soon go down hill if she were not kept 'ticking over' with her hacking and horse walker. Maybe the end would come sooner than expected but at least she would reach that end in comfort. Recently when she went into the clinic for her tooth the vets and grooms were amazed she was as old as she is, she doesn't look or behave like an old gal! I think this is partly because she is kept comfortable on her one sachet of bute which does the trick. OP Herbs take ages to work, there is very little likelihood of your horse having damage through long term bute. Just go for it is my advice as it's never fair to keep a horse in pain. Maybe look at decreasing her workload a little and only school once a week and hack other days.

 

[hopscotch bandit]

Fwiw the boots aren't going to be doing anything to help DSLD

Agree. I know someone who went to a veterinary lecture about tendons and was told that the only thing that would stop a tendon strain/rupture at the time of the injury is a plaster cast on the horses leg!! Boots/bandages will not prevent an injury getting worse although I do believe that bandages are more supportive than boots for certain problems if they are applied correctly.

 

[Calvados]

Bute is best. I’ve known horses on long term but that have led a good life light hacking without side effects.

You could try willow bark if you want to go down the “natural” route. Might make your horse a bit more comfortable.