Can a bute trial show NO improvement if it is pain related?

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Hutchlou

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Last Thursday I had the vet out to do annual vacs & asked her to have a look at my mare as she has seemed 'not forward' on & off for quite a while. Lunged her & vet agreed that she was very shuffley behind & suggested possibly bilateral arthritic hocks. :( Started on 1.5 bute twice a day for 6 days. Have hacked her for the last 3 days & to be honest there was little difference. I attempted to school her today & -she was awful, totally unwilling to go forward even in walk. This was the worst she has felt in the 4 years I have owned her! So....should there have been SOME improvement if it is pain that is the problem? Trying to decide whether to speak to vet tomorrow about xrays/nerve blocks or whether I just have a chestnut mare with an extreme lazy behavioural issue! :(
 
Pain from ulcers would make her worse on bute.
Doesn't sound like laziness. I would have another word with your vet.
 
If she is in a lot if pain, maybe the Bute just isn't helping her enough.
Also if she has been in pain for a while she could be anticipating the pain.
Or she could have adjusted her way or going ans made her self sore in other places too.

Keep on with the trial but more nerve blocks and further investigation may be needed.
 
smellsofhorse said:
If she is in a lot if pain, maybe the Bute just isn't helping her enough.
Also if she has been in pain for a while she could be anticipating the pain.
Or she could have adjusted her way or going ans made her self sore in other places too.

Keep on with the trial but more nerve blocks and further investigation may be needed.
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That, pretty much. Bute is like ibuprofen - it will help some things and not others and it won't help serious pain much. Also, not all horses have the same tolerance. And, yes, if a horse has been uncomfortable for some time it may have all sorts of knock on effects that don't just go away immediately.
 
My mare was recently on a bute trial, she was obviously in a lot of pain but it made no difference to her. As others have said, it doesn't work for all of them, sometimes it isn't enough, especially for more sensitive horses. x
 
Mine was on a week's Bute once, vet said if it was joint pain that was causing his trouble it would help, but if the pain was from muscles the bute would make no difference.
As it turned out it was a muscle problem so the Bute made no difference to him at all.
 
Yes. We had a big mare with many issues and in a lot of pain. She waa AWFUL on bute trial. Her behaviour was frankly dangerous within 2 days. She didn't have ulcers (was scoped). She then had a flunixin and morphine injection and was ridden an hour later. She went from shuffly shetland pony length strides to powering round like a warmblood. Further investigation found various problems with her neck and spine.
 
Took Orla to the vets today. Boxed & travelled like a pro! Lunged thoroughly over-excited pony in the windy arena & funnily enough she went so much better than last Thursday when the vet saw her ! ;) She was still short behind, couldn't get the right canter lead & kept going disunited behind. Lovely vet still wanted to see her ridden to see if she was as bad as I had said! Cue unwilling pony , managed some trot but couldn't even get her to canter!
Sedated & xrayed hocks & back. She has some arthritic changes to both hocks, worse on the left. Her back xray revealed unusual shaped vertebrae (?) & a suspected section that although not touching is possibly kissing spines. I need to take her back in next week for nerve blocking. Not great really. :(
 
Couldn't read and run, I just wanted to encourage you to stay positive, I'm at an earlier stage than you, we are starting the danillon trial this week. At least you are being proactive, the vets will find out what's going on, and then there is so much they can do these days. It must feel very overwhelming at the moment but you are doing the best for your horse and once you know what's going on fully you can come up with a plan. Fingers crossed for you. All the best.
 
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