Aspirin?

[poniesforammies]

Hi! Just got a new guy for the summer. He’s perfect - fun, safe, handsome, all the things. He’s 14, was a big hunter and eq horse previously. Now just having fun, showing occasionally at 2’6 or 3’.

He came to me on aspirin - a small scoop 2x a day with no end date. I guess this has been the long term solution. I have thoughts about an NSAID long term, but would love to see any studies or hear any thoughts about it.

To my knowledge he’s not foundered or had any history that would warrant aspirin instead of equioxx or some other drug.

(Obviously concerned about his stomach and would be shocked if it hadn’t given him ulcers. Starting a course of ulcerguard.)

Please, enlighten me!

[beau159]

@poniesforammies

Hi! Just got a new guy for the summer. He’s perfect - fun, safe, handsome, all the things. He’s 14, was a big hunter and eq horse previously. Now just having fun, showing occasionally at 2’6 or 3’.

He came to me on aspirin - a small scoop 2x a day with no end date. I guess this has been the long term solution. I have thoughts about an NSAID long term, but would love to see any studies or hear any thoughts about it.

To my knowledge he’s not foundered or had any history that would warrant aspirin instead of equioxx or some other drug.

(Obviously concerned about his stomach and would be shocked if it hadn’t given him ulcers. Starting a course of ulcerguard.)

Please, enlighten me!

My big question is WHY is he on aspirin?
What pain does he has that’s being treated by the aspirin?

Do you own him? Lease him?
Did you do a lameness evaluation?

Sorry, I’ve got more questions than answers.

[RedHorses]

Something like 19-20 years ago I used aspirin when we switched to pain management for my second horse (fixed bone chip in his hock). Surpass worked really well, but at the time it wasn’t available in Canada (I don’t know how my vet got the tube given me).

Memory is fuzzy, but I gave him either 10 or 20 regular strength pills once a day in his feed. He had that for the last 2-3 years of his life without any complications.

[horsepoor]

Horses with uveitis are often put on aspirin. I have one and vet basically prescribed it as something he’ll be on for the rest of his life. That’s the only time I’ve had aspirin suggested by a vet in recent memory.

[Willesdon]

If aspirin was developed as a new drug today it is unlikely it would be passed as “safe” for humans to use. Talk to your vet and learn more about the thinking behind the treatment

[SusanO]

Back in the day it was prescribed for navicular besides founder as it was thought to aid in circulation in the foot. Maybe as a blood thinner to move blood through the foot better? Did it work? I don’t know.

[cayuse]

I’ve used low dose aspirin on pony with uveitis and she did well on it. Currently, I occasionally (twice a week on average) use it on an old pony who foundered 4 years ago and also has some age related aches and pains. It works great on him to keep him comfortable when he needs it. For him it works better than the equioxx he was taking daily and I can give it only when he needs it.

[OutsidersOpinion]

We use aspirin for FEI horses that may be showing national one week (and jumping 1.50 GP) then FEI the following as it has only a 48hr withdrawal time for FEI compared to bute/banamine being 6 days. It can also be used with bute/banamine at USEF shows as it is not classified as an NSAID.

Elemental equine also makes a sole paint with turpentine, aspirin and a few other ingredients for hoof soreness.

[Ghazzu]

Aspirin has a relatively short half-life in the horse, so if using for musculoskeletal anti-inflammatory effects needs to be given more freqently than some other NSAIDs.
It is most commonly used, as mentioned above, for horses with chronic uveitis and also for its ability to decrease platelet aggregation and therefore decrease clotting.

[Demerara_Stables]

@Ghazzu

ability to decrease platelet aggregation and therefore decrease clotting.

A little side track here, but do horses get blood clots like people do in a way that you would want to keep them on aspirin for it? I’ve never heard of that.

[Ghazzu]

Typically secondary to something else that’s going on–septicemia, colitis, etc.
aspirin is sometimes given to horses at high risk in hopes that it might prevent laminitis by stopping the formation of microthrombi in the vasculature of the hoof, but I can’t recall if there’s good data on it or if it’s more of a throw everything you can at it approach.