ANOTHER Adequan Question

[buzul]

this has been asked a few times before and i did read some of the old posts but thought to revive this one more time ~ adequan became available in canada only recently so maybe there are a few more insights .

i started my 34 year old on a round of adequan over the winter to help with arthritis and age related mobility issues.i did stretch the IM injections to 10 days instead of the 4 and she made it through another winter allright.she looks good and seems content and happy.

i am debating whether to go the “maintainance” route ( i know there is some discussion about the value of that ) and do one im injection per month or to wait it out until the fall and do another full round ,provided the mare is doing still fine of course.

any thoughts or experiences appreciated !

[joiedevie99]

The only on-label approved dosage is one shot every 4 days, for 7 shots. This loading dose is repeated as needed. The timing is related to how long it is detectable in the joint. I wouldn’t go changing the timing.

I’ve talked to my vet at length about other options - and her take is that once a month or every 3 weeks should be useless based on the science, but in practice seems to help a few horses. They have a decent number of older high performance horses getting it every two weeks, or every week, as maintenance in between loading doses, and think that makes a measurable difference for some of them.

Based on all of that, I’ve stuck with the tested and approved on-label use. That means my horses get a loading dose twice a year and nothing in between.

[buzul]

thank you

[blob99]

@joiedevie99 is 100% right.

My advice would be to actually do the correct dosage–7 shots, every 4 days rather than doing maintenance next time you do it. Stretching over 10 days probably had some benefit, but not the full benefit and if you’re going to use the thing, may as well use it as it was intended–likely the best bang for your buck!

[buzul]

ok thank you

[Tee]

My experience when I used it was to do the loading dose (every four days for 28 days) and then do once a month after that, and then loading again once a year. It really did seem to help my guy and I could tell when he was due again (he’s not shy about telling you when he’s sore. Just ask for a lead change and see what happens).

That being said, it might not work for all horses. Heck, Adequan itself doesn’t always work for all horses either.

[buzul]

certainly true ,there is no guarantee.i was skeptical about trying adequan but the positive effect it has on my mare is obvious.

[walktrot]

My horse has had a loading dose of Adequan 5 times over the past 20 months. He is 28 and has a knee joint that is slowing destroying itself. The first month for Adequan was 9/2020, not that long after the manufacturer dropped the original plan and introduced the loading dose. It is on their website. They have a form you can print off with room for the dates and names of people who do the shots. It has helped him loosen up. He is also getting previcox. No digestive problems. He had 2 shots of Osphos (IM) which also helped get rid of some old cellulitis in a hind leg. He got a steroid injection in his knee last July which worked through late January. We will see the lameness specialist again in a few weeks.

He is doing well. He is gradually losing the flexion and has some very gimpy days. But he can roll around on the ground, grunting and groaning while he grinds enough dirt into his mostly white winter fuzz and then hops right up. He has an oversize run attached to his stall overlooking the parking lot. Someone dumped a pile of dirty hay raked up after the last delivery. He appropriated it for his afternoon nap. A few people told me they were worried. He was lying stretched out on the ground not moving, of course. They called out his name and he lifted his head up just enough to say “What???” A bit surly, but they did interrupt his REM sleep.

[buzul]

walktrot thanks so much for sharing your story ! your horse sounds like quite the character and he certainly is very well loved and very well cared for ! so wonderful that he is still able to enjoy his rolls so 5 rounds of adequan over the past 20 months …how much time between each round and did you do this because you found each dose helped so much that another one would help even more or because they did not and you wanted to give it another try etc ? what was “the original” plan of the manufacturer ? i’ve been on their website for all the info but my vet said i could stretch the timing of 4 days somewhat.
i realize there is no scientific evidence that doing a maintenance dosage makes any difference.at the end of the day,i have to be my own judge …
my mare is also on bute 1 gr per daysince over 2 years now without any obvious issues ,am going to change to previoxx to see if that works well,too .

[joiedevie99]

@walktrot

The first month for Adequan was 9/2020, not that long after the manufacturer dropped the original plan and introduced the loading dose.

There was never another plan. It’s been the same loading dose since initial approval. Anything else a vet recommended is off-label (which is fine, but needs to be seen for what it is).

[IPEsq]

I typically do the loading dose every 6 months depending on what’s going on with the horse and their activity. But that said, my current horse does seem to show a positive response with single injections (specifically, a 10cc dose was what the vet gave to test this). I can’t say that’s the case for all horses. So, I would consider a shot right before an event like a show or something for extra support as a one-off between loading doses, but the effect of this is brief so once a month doesn’t really make sense. And certainly not for a retired horse. I’d be more inclined to do 2x a year and so maybe when you get to the winter loading dose you can give it the normal way and the horse will still do fine for as many months as needed.

[buzul]

joiedevie99 right,i never heard of anything else but then again,i am new to this.i do wonder though why it is called “loading dose” as with other supplements, this means you start off with a high amount initially but then lower it ( the maintenance idea)

[buzul]

IPEsq i am tending toward that approach ( 2times per year) but might consider just trying a single shot in between in case i see her condition suddenly worsen over time.i understand there are no side effects ( other than loosing money ) and i also hear that i can skip the rather expensive supplements like cosequin or omega alpha gls ,they apparently don’t get absorbed as well via stomach as compared to IM
DO correct me though i might be wrong

[JB]

There’s nothing that proves OR disproves the value of a monthly shot of Adequan. The FDA-approved/labeled protocol of 1/4/7 is because that’s what was studied to have a positive effect on joint health

Anecdotes aren’t studies, but they can’t always be discounted either. There are more than a few people who really do find that a monthly shot after the loading dose does help their horse.

and yes, 1x4x7 has been the protocol for…ever.

[buzul]

JB GLAD TO HEAR THIS ! thank you

[walktrot]

@JB

There’s nothing that proves OR disproves the value of a monthly shot of Adequan. The FDA-approved/labeled protocol of 1/4/7 is because that’s what was studied to have a positive effect on joint health

Anecdotes aren’t studies, but they can’t always be discounted either. There are more than a few people who really do find that a monthly shot after the loading dose does help their horse.

and yes, 1x4x7 has been the protocol for…ever.

Interesting! When the vet prescribed our first dose the loading dose was on their website. We moved to a new barn. One afternoon a few people were discussing Adequan with another boarder. The “expert” said it was the monthly shot. Someone else piped in no-no-no and described the loading dose from the website. Turns out the “expert” they all listen to should be handed over to the state vet’s office: practicing veterinary medicine without a license. She convinced them that she knows enough to be a vet because of her job, she just needs the piece of paper.

The prior BO locked him up for the first month of the pandemic (April 2020). In September he had a very positive response to the first round of Adequan. It probably cleaned out months of inflammation from arthritis, an injury and standing around for 30 days. After we moved our new lameness specialist said that degree of confinement allowed the joint to stiffen up and lose more flexion. The right thing to do was retire him from riding. I see little signs when he needs to loosen up so I call the vet.

He is the funniest horse you will ever meet. He has an extensive list of people who love him. The UPS driver dumps the packages by the stall and they chat for a few minutes.

[buzul]

that is awesome ! hope he will be around for a long time and bring a smile to people’s faces

[walktrot]

Thanks buzul! I want him to be around forever but I will lose him to his knee, in the vet’s words. It’s a long story about the prior BO who took care of him for most of the 19 years we lived there. She had a medical condition developing that complicated my horse’s care. That’s why we moved to another barn.

It is so difficult to find a balance with so many options available now. He doesn’t show signs of discomfort or pain. He is a bundle of energy. He doesn’t look or act his age. When he stayed overnight at the lameness vet the barn person looked at him and his paperwork that said he was 27. It didn’t make sense. Someone screwed up the computation so she went
up to the office. He was 27.

A few years ago I read a book called My Guy Barbaro: A Jockey’s Journey Through Love, Triumph, and Heartbreak, by his jockey Edgar Prado. I remember when he won the Derby [in 2006] but had a catastrophic breakdown at the Preakness that shattered a rear leg. He was not put down on the track. They tried to repair the leg with reconstructive surgery but he developed laminitis in the other leg and was euthanized. Without a doubt he was a great horse. While I was reading that section, though, I started wondering if they asked too much of Barbaro. Would we question the intensity of the treatment he received for so many months? I think so.

[Leather]

@buzul

i do wonder though why it is called “loading dose” as with other supplements, this means you start off with a high amount initially but then lower it ( the maintenance idea)

It’s not actually called a “loading dose” by the manufacturer - it’s a series. Loading dose is term often thrown around but it’s not applicable.

https://www.adequan.com/Dosing-and-Administration

At early signs of degenerative joint disease, veterinarians can administer Adequan® i.m. at the approved label dose (500 mg) to help achieve improvement shown in studies.

After the initial series, veterinarians and owners alike should keep monitoring the horse’s joint health and mobility. Veterinarians may repeat the 1•4•7 series as needed upon recurrence of the clinical signs of DJD.

[JB]

Yeah, “loading dose” is a common term with Adequan (guilty!) but it’s really not appropriate

MSM can have a loading dose of 20gm for 7-10 days and then back to the maintenance of 10gm daily.
Bute can have a loading dose of 2gm twice a day for a couple days, then backing down to a maintenance of 1-2gm a day (just examples, don’t nit-pick)

That gets the chemicals into the system faster to get blood levels up more quickly, then you back down to maintaining.

That’s not how Adequan works. It’s singular dosing protocol is 1x4x7. Some people use that as a “loading dose” and then “maintain” with monthly shots or whatever