Bute trial, would it highlight KS?

J

js1006

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I'm struggling with what might be causing my boy's issues and am worrying about potential KS. I've had him 3 years, 2.5 of which he has been a giant softy. Lives out 24/7 in summer, now in overnight. Ad lib soaked hay and 3 tiny feeds of pink mash/limestone flour and supplements a day.
He started showing resistance to being saddled in Sept '17. Subsequently scoped, found grade 2/3 pyloric ulcers which were treated with GG and sulfracrate. He scoped clear after 1 month and was weaned off the drugs over another month.

His symptoms didn't change throughout the treatment or clear scope, it was suggested it was remembered pain. I started light work load at vets recommendation, had his back treated (tight but not bad enough to cause ulcers), saddle checked (3 times by different saddlers, all said it was fine) and put him on gut supplement from vet, all with no changes.

He's ok with me but has started baring his teeth at others when they pass his stable. He is still reactive to being saddled, but not so much the girth being done up. Unwilling to go to mounting block but fine once ridden. Only in light work ~3*20 minutes W&T per week.
Obviously something is not right, so vet had him on a 5 day bute trial in full work to see any changes in his behaviour due to pain. No change from on or off bute.

Would 15g bute per day for a 540kg horse mask KS or back pain?
I know his hind gut needs support, he is currently getting supplements for this. Could hind gut alone cause these issues even if he is fine with girth?

Running out of ideas and hating to see him so unhappy :(
 
5 days bute and kissing spines wouldn’t be sufficient to give you a definitive yes/no.

Just X-ray the back. Sounds like there are sufficient clinical/behavioural signs to warrant it
 
Bute is an anti inflammatory so will only work if there is inflammation somewhere which is why a trial can confuse the issue and it is known to be unlikely to help with KS although it sounds as if your horse has not had a thorough check/ work up which would make more sense at this stage as so much can be checked or ruled out as the cause of slight pain/ discomfort, I would at least expect a basic check trot up, flexion tests and lunging on the hard to see if anything obvious comes to light.

As for the dose I guess you mean 1.5g a day which is not much, 15g is a huge amount, I would expect to give 2 sachets morning and evening to have a really good trial.
 
Thanks both for your replies.

Be Positive: I may have got the sachet size wrong, he had 3 sachets a day split between 2 feeds which assuming all sachets are the same size is more like what you were expecting. I've never used bute before so it's all new to me.
He had a work up on initial vet call out, no signs of lameness at all which is why we went down the ulcer route at first. No soreness in/over back was felt by the vet at this point.
 
I do think a bute trial can be helpful, but it is often used the wrong way.

If the horse has 4 bute a day and symptoms decrease then it is probable that the symptoms were caused by inflammation/pain. Only probable though, as it may be that the initial issue was causing compensations that caused pain, so the compensations can be improved even if the initial issue is still there.

If the horse has 4 bute a day and symptoms do not decrease, then it is still possible that symptoms are caused by inflammation and pain, and the bute was not sufficient to lose that. It could also be a mechanical issue.

So, bute may be an aid to a diagnosis, but cannot give a diagnosis.

If only they could talk!
 
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