Does anyone give one vial monthly after the initial 7 for maintenance? Do you notice a difference? I’ve had one vet recommend this, and then a different vet tell me it’s useless to do one vial a month as it won’t help since it won’t last - or something to that extent. Not sure who to believe.
Adequan is designed as a treatment. The treatment is 7 doses every four days for 28 days. This is the protocol that has been developed and tested. It allows enough time for inflammation to be resolved. I would not use Adequan unless I was going to do the protocol. IMO, all day turnout is also effective!
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I think you meant a total of seven doses = one every four days, over a period of 28 days. Not seven doses every four days for 28 days?
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Agree with Cowgirl. One dose every 4 days (over 28 days) allows the Adequan to build up and accumulate in the joints until a therapeutic level is reached and maintained long enough for the joints to benefit with results that will last for a while.
Giving a dose every four weeks never lets the enough build up to do much.
There was a while when the monthly protocol was recommended until additional studies found that the bi-annual series was much more effective.
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I do a once a year loading dose (1 shot every 4 days for 28 days; 7 shots total) as a preventative. I read alot of the studies on it (I have a chemistry background) and decided this was the best approach.
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My vet recommended a shorter loading dose period and then monthly injections after that. It seems to be working well for my horse but I know it’s not what is normally recommended.
I do notice a difference in my FEI horse when I do monthly shots plus 1-2 loading doses a year. He’s pretty wimpy and will start compensating for any discomfort immediately. This schedule seems to allow the lower hock injections to last twice as long as when only doing 1 loading dose/year and no monthly shots-- it may not be saving me $, but it feels less risky than doing joint injections every 9-12 months.
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Yes! That’s what I meant. All that said, you can repeat the protocol as often as you want.
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Actually, the recommendation is to wait 90 days between series to allow the body to “reset” and be able to process the shots again. That’s why a monthly shot after the series is pretty much a waste, because the body can’t do anything with it for 90 days.
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I used to alternate 2 series a year with 2 series a year of Legend, so I guess it was 90 days for each, but I did not know the 90 day recommendation.
I have the same experience - loading dose then monthly shots has allowed me to reduce hock injections from twice a year to once. My vet actually suggested trying the monthly shots after we did the loading dose and didn’t see much in the way of results. Once we added the monthly shot, there was a clear difference. I believe he mentioned that there is some “unofficial” evidence of this protocol working well with racehorses in Australia (as in, no formal study but reports of better results).
FWIW, it’s (still) very difficult to get Adequan in Canada, plus it’s expensive, so I’ve been using Kinetics Labs Ichon for years. It’s the same ingredient (PS-GAG) and we’ve been seeing the results.
The old recommendation was a loading dosage THEN a monthly shot after. Both methods, the monthly then loading dose and the shot every 4 days, work so you can choose either method that works for your horse with vet’s approval/thoughts, of course. 
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I do monthly shots after a loading dose (I don’t remember the exact loading dose protocol other than my pony was NOT happy with being stuck). I do definitely notice a difference and definitely notice if I’m “late”. One of the most obvious indicators is randomly switching leads in back then breaking into a trot when at the canter, especially on dressage days. So I know it isn’t just me thinking she feels less stiff.
I give 1 shot every 4-5 days until the 50ml vial is gone.
I see the difference when I go the distance, rather than stopping after 7 shots.
Last two high caliber dressage farms I worked at used adequan monthly on several of their horses. Definitely noticed a big difference in one mare who had some issues with soundness.
Reviving this older thread. I have a 17 year old ex grand prix jumper who came to me with significant wind puffs. They became less noticeable when I had had him 6 moths due to reduced work load but he would stock up when stalled more than 2-3 days. When I started this regimen on advice from a vet who I wasn’t purchasing the Adequan from , I noticed he quit stocking up, even if in for a week due to weather. I do twice a year 28 day cycles and then once a month .
