Steroids

[clairelouisehorses]

My horse is being treated for Folliculitis, after a weeks course of antibiotics and no improvement my vet has now put him on a course of steroids, she gave him an injection of steroids when she came and had given me the rest to syringe into his feeds, my friend who works at a vet can't understand why I have not been given steroids in tablet form as opposed to the liquid they injected into him, is it normal to put liquid steroid into horses feed, I'm concerned now especially as I have just started using a new vet. Any ideas

 

[Cluck]

It is not unusual to put liquid steroid into feed. It probably just means it is the same form that would be injected.

Be careful of the amounts though as steroids will trigger laminitis at high levels.

 

[GreedyGuts]

Using dexamethasone injection orally is quite common practice. It's effective. easy to administer and far cheaper than using prednisolone tablets. The risk of laminitis is very, very small at the correct dose rate, and for chronic inflammatory skin conditions it can work wonders.

 

[MCL]

Just to let you know the liquid sounds easier than the tablets!! One of my horses is on steriods at the moment in tablet form - because they use the human variety (cheaper) I have to give her 100 tablets per dose!! It takes an age to count them all out as they are little and then I have to crush them all up and put them in a little custard to syringe into her mouth to make sure she gets it all!!