Considering longer term pain relief

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DD265

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I have a 23yo with arthritis and he's also had a few knocks in recent years.

I am considering whether we look at some long term pain management - potentially to ease him into winter, maybe all winter, maybe through spring and summer too. He's really well, even doing some light ridden work, it's just that on his most recent SCENAR treatment yesterday the joints were reading quite strongly again. Hard to know exactly what caused it and I'm aware it could be the ridden work, but he's just had two weeks off so we aren't convinced. Could be the colder/damp weather, who knows.

In the past we have used Global Herbs Alpha Bute, mostly to help him transition to barefoot if I recall correctly, it has been a while. He has had Bute as well but I am under the impression that long term use can cause side effects in some horses and I hope to have my boy for many more years. I am not adverse to asking the vet but I don't want to be sidelined into Bute now if there's something better suited at the moment.

Any recommendations or experiences? How did you know when the right time was to start pain management?
 
Long term use of bute in high quantities. My 17.1hh 680KG horse was on half a sachet of bute a day for many months and got by fine, and I know of a Shire who is on a daily amount of 1/4 sachet a day so your horse may well be able to start on a smaller dose.

I've also used Buteless which is good but takes a while to work and not as effective as bute.
 
There are lots of other drugs for pain relief in horses danilon and metacam are two to consider .
You need to talk it with a good vet but long term pain relief best started before the horse gets too sore so it's a good time to get it sorted .
 
Worth discussing the pros and cons of low-level pain relief with your vet. I had an old arthritic-y mare who we kept on a low daily level of bute when she was in her 20s. Quality of life issues were discussed as well as the chemistry.
Doesn't help all of them but my old girl liked magnetic boots and we kept her legs wrapped if she was stood in the stable during cold/damp weather - the warmth helped a lot .
 
Thanks all. Yard owner discussed it with the vet on the yard visit yesterday and we'll do 2 bute a day for a week, then down to 1, and then see where we go from there.

Funnily enough Catkin I decided earlier to find some wraps for the stable, and the Equilibrium magnetic ones were the cheapest good ones I could find!
 
Move-Ease from mybesthorse.com. It is IR safe and goes after the inflammation aspect. It worked so well, (on two different horses with different problems) that I threw my Bute in the garbage and have never looked back. I'm too busy looking forward and raising my eyebrows at its effect on inflammation and pain. Great stuff and definitely worth a try.
$50/month.
 
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