Horses and aspirin?

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hendrabonnie

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Dad asked me yesterday why we don't use aspirin on horses!

I said i have no idea, but i may no some people that might!
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lol

So any ideas?
 
aspirin is derived from willow, which given the choice horses will actually eat readily. It contains a banned substance though, salicylic acid, so no good for competition horses.

Presumably it isnt used because for the size of a horse you would need quite alot and other drugs are more effective.
 
Some people DO use aspirin on horses. I read an article on it being used on some laminitics, to improve the blood flow in the hooves (it works on the same principle as DVT patients, thinning the blood and reducing the pressure). I don't know if it's actually licenced for horses, but I'm willing to bet there's a branded equivalent in the veterinary pharmacopeia.
 
yep, my laminitic was on 8 aspirin twice a day at one point, not sure whether it made a huge difference or not but we certainly used it!
 
I had a horse years ago who was on salacylic acid (asprin) for navicular as bute didn't work for him, unfortunately he had an accident and got a nosebleed and because of the salacylic acid his blood wouldn't clot properly and after two weeks of having a nose bleed we had to have him PTS.
 
I know that in other countries it is readily available for horses like feed supplements here in uk.

Dad was wondering if there was a reason why it wasn't used or if vets were just trying to make more money as everyone would just go to supermarket and buy some (not a good thing) instead of having the vet callout and then the price of bute!

Maybe there is a problem with long term effects ,but humans use it for blood thinning over a long period so i dont no!

The use in laminitics like Avenger said would make a lot of sense as to lessen damage to feet you need to get circulation going and the thinning of the blood would help this as acp does, also its pain relieving and anti infammatory effects would save you having to use bute! aswell!

I feel some research coming on now! lol
 
I asked the vet if I could give my cat Calpol, she had a burst abcess which had gone in rather than coming out with a visible lump, and it was a couple of hours until they could fit her in. Vet said no, it wasn't a good idea! Surely a little bit would have been ok?
 
Bute is actually part of the same family of drugs as aspirin. But bute is safe, approved and licenced for use in horses. Aspirin is not or it would be widely and commonly used.
 
I know a highland that has 6 aspirin every day as he is arthritic....the vet agreed as it's a lot cheaper and has less side effects than bute.

BTW, if you decide to do this, don't tell the chemist that it is for an animal when buying it as they may refuse to sell it to you! There are about 6 people who now automatically throw a pack of aspirin in their basket everytime they are in the supermarket so this pony has enough stockpiled
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Horses frequently cut themselves and if the blood is not clotting, you can have serious problems.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I asked the vet if I could give my cat Calpol, she had a burst abcess which had gone in rather than coming out with a visible lump, and it was a couple of hours until they could fit her in. Vet said no, it wasn't a good idea! Surely a little bit would have been ok?

[/ QUOTE ]

.nope even a small amount of paracetamol can kill same goes for ibuprofen, acetameniphen, noproxen, etc.
Cats do not have the liver enzymes to breakdown and metabolize these chemicals like humans do, so it simply poisons them and often kills them....
Some cats are actually allergic to aspirin or can have bleeding disorders that are exacerbated by this drug.
In larger doses as Aspirin has a long half life in cats, at least 24 to 48 hours, so it will reach toxic levels pretty quickly.... aspirin cannot be broken down quickly as cats are deficient in a liver enzyme called UDP-glucuronyl transferase. This causes toxic metabolites of aspirin to accumulate in the body and make your cat very sick or even cause death.
Basicly dont give a cat any human medicine unless you vet ok's it first....



As for aspirin not being licensed in horses as there have been no food residue tests done on it in horsemeat...it can still be used because of a loophole in the law called a cascade(sp?)

mind you our lecturer reckons with the amount of side effects aspirin has in humans it would be banned if it was coming onto the market now....

side effects like stomach ulcers and blood thinning effects..which incidentally lasts much longer than the painkilling effect...usually make it unsuitable for horses.
plus it cant be used in horses that compete because it contains salicylic acid,
The doses required for horses are also fairly hard on the stomach lining...
..it is however a faster acting drug then bute 20 mins versus almost 2 hours but the effects dont last as long...
 
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