Bute long term

BucksFizz

BucksFizz

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Hi, just wondered if anyone keeps their horse on 1 bute a day long term? I'm waiting on a call back from my vet and want to discuss if this will be an option for my mare. She has had 2 leg injuries, 2 operations, been through so much box rest and re-hab (my last post explains all) over the last 15 months but unfortunately as soon as I take her off painkillers she's back lame within a few days. My vets have run out of options for treatments, she had steroids injected into one leg but it didn't seem to do anything, the only thing that has made her comfortable is mixing paracetamol with bute and then slowly reducing it. So I'm wondering if keeping her on one sachet a day could be an option if that means she's happy in the field?
 
If one a day is enough to keep her field sound and comfortable it makes sense to keep her on it, it is possible that she will strengthen up and be able to come off at some point as it is still relatively early days in the overall scheme of things but while she is in pain she requires help and if that means bute I see no harm, the possible side effects will take a long while to be an issue and if she has a better life while on it that is a sensible option.
 
be positive said:
If one a day is enough to keep her field sound and comfortable it makes sense to keep her on it, it is possible that she will strengthen up and be able to come off at some point as it is still relatively early days in the overall scheme of things but while she is in pain she requires help and if that means bute I see no harm, the possible side effects will take a long while to be an issue and if she has a better life while on it that is a sensible option.
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Thanks that makes me feel better, I've just heard bad things about keeping them on it long term and was worried how much harm it could cause. Hopefully 1 is enough to help her, will see how it goes once the fields are wet and muddy.
 
BucksFizz said:
Hi, just wondered if anyone keeps their horse on 1 bute a day long term? I'm waiting on a call back from my vet and want to discuss if this will be an option for my mare. She has had 2 leg injuries, 2 operations, been through so much box rest and re-hab (my last post explains all) over the last 15 months but unfortunately as soon as I take her off painkillers she's back lame within a few days. My vets have run out of options for treatments, she had steroids injected into one leg but it didn't seem to do anything, the only thing that has made her comfortable is mixing paracetamol with bute and then slowly reducing it. So I'm wondering if keeping her on one sachet a day could be an option if that means she's happy in the field?
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I would switch to Danilon, and 1 sachet a day is a low dose - and usually old age ends their life before the danilon would.
 
ILuvCowparsely said:
I would switch to Danilon, and 1 sachet a day is a low dose - and usually old age ends their life before the danilon would.
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Danilon is sugar coated, but once active in stomach it is the same drug. It is twice the price of bute, and no less ulcer or other side effect risk. It is myth that Danilon is kinder on stomach than bute.

Danilon is easier to get horses to eat though than bute.
 
BucksFizz said:
Thanks that makes me feel better, I've just heard bad things about keeping them on it long term and was worried how much harm it could cause. Hopefully 1 is enough to help her, will see how it goes once the fields are wet and muddy.
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I think there is an increased liver damage risk, and an increased ulcer risk, but both a pretty low. It depends if horse already high risk in these areas. It is evaluating quality of life, many older horses are happier on long term low dose of bute.
 
Kept my old pony on one bute a day for 5 years. Gave him an extra 5 comfortable years. He was well into his 30's possibly older when he finally died of colic .
 
flying_high said:
Danilon is sugar coated, but once active in stomach it is the same drug. It is twice the price of bute, and no less ulcer or other side effect risk. It is myth that Danilon is kinder on stomach than bute.

Danilon is easier to get horses to eat though than bute.
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this. Also there are also doubts from people about long term bute however often there is no choice. For some horses what are you going to do, use bute to relieve it's pain so it has a good life or shoot it. Sorry to be blunt but in that context long term bute wins for me.
I've had horses on it long term and also put horses on with the expectation of long term. After a while they have been fine with either reduced bute or no bute. The bute was a short term "many months or perhaps longer" measure to get over the problem and they come right again.
 
My horse is on a bute a day. She has 6 month check ups with the vet. She’s 23 and the vets don’t think there’s any issue with her taking Bute for the rest of her life.
 
We had a mare on 1 bute per day for 5 (?) years. We gave her a break from it if she seemed a bit tired but otherwise she had no ill effects and certainly no digestive issues.
 
My horse was on one Danilon a day for years, once I had realised joint supplements are an ineffective waste of money and a false hope. Danilon gave her a comfortable retirement before she succumbed to her first acute attack of laminitis aged 22, which as far as I am aware is not a side effect of Danilon.
 
My old man is just back on one a day recently.
Previously he’d been on a sachet a day but then I was able to stop for a year or more.
I hope this won’t be forever but if it is it is. I know it’s not great for him but he’s not going to be around forever and if I can help out in any way to keep his remaining time comfier so be it.
 
My horse has been on Bute since he was 9, he is now 20. I would much rather he had a shorter comfortable life, then a long pain filled one. He has his check up and has done well on it. Don’t buy it off the vets. Get a prescription, much cheaper.
 
my first arab was on regular bute from 21 until I lost her at 32 (not bute related!).

I started off at one every other day over winter, and it gradually increased as she needed it, she generally had one a day in her later years occasionally 2.
 
Normally we have three choices when in the position of having a horse in pain.
1) Don't give pain relief to avoid small chance of liver damage, horse is in pain
2) PTS to avoid horse being in pain
3) Give low dose of painkiller with small chance of liver/stomach damage, horse is pain free

Option 1 isn't acceptable to me, the other two are. Obviously if you choose option 3, I wouldn't recommend a career in eventing, but if that is what makes a horse field sound/sound enough for gentle hacking that improves their quality of life, then to me it is a perfectly acceptable option. Yes there is a chance of damage, but given that your other realistic option is number 2, then to me it is a chance worth taking.
 
My horse has arthritis in his hocks and front coffin joints (mild/moderate) is on 1 Danilon every other day, sometimes I raise it to 1 a day if the ground is bad. This summer he's been on one a day consistently for example. It keeps him happy and active- he's just a happy hacker and a bit of not that intensive schooling. WIthout it I wouldn't say he was in pain but certainly he's brighter on it. I don't have a problem with it myself, if it was being used to mask pain (if that is possible) so the horse could do something it really should no longer be doing that is a different matter.
 
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