Equioxx and Osphos

[TatteredDaydreamer]

Hi! I have an 18 y/o Trakehner mare that evented up to preliminary level in her hayday. She’s now retired from that and I school at a much lower level. Had the mare on a free lease and she was gifted to me as her owner is selling her farm and wanted a good place for the mare to land. Mare needs some maintenance, which is fine. We injected her coffin joints this spring(regularly done in the past) and it didn’t have the effect it has in the past. Mare had an injury to her left front years ago but (supposedly) came back sound and evented again. Can’t get her sound this spring, she does have a boney lesion by the left front coffin bone from the injury, and two very different front feet. She responds very well to bute, and is about 80/90% sound on it. Osphos has been recommended and I will likely try that but am going to try Equioxx first due to the way she reacts to the bute.

Looking for success stories on both Equioxx and of course Osphos! On the Equioxx, what type of work level have you been able to maintain with your ponies? I’d like to keep her going and jumping (I’m a weenie, so 2’6" max MAYBE once a week, with anything bigger then that limited to maybe 5 times a year) as long as I can as she loves to work, and I can’t afford to retire her and buy something else. She’s got a great work ethic and is a big (17hh) old style mare so keeping her moving is in her best interest.

Thanks in advance!

[Natalie]

Equioxx can be great–my horse has been on it daily for over a year now with no ill effects, and it definitely keeps him happier and more comfortable for work. That said, it’s not super strong–bute has a strong effect. My horse is on it for mild ringbone in both fronts, and he’s about 90% sound (some day more or less 100%, some days still a bit off under certain circumstances). He’s in light work and probably wouldn’t stay sound for much more, though I haven’t pressed it. He could very well hold up to more intense flat work, but jumping is extremely limited–18" or so every once in a while and he’s fine, can even jump a little course with no ill effects, but I know he wouldn’t hold up to more than that, nor would it be fair to ask it of him at this point.

Osphos is a bit controversial–some people love it, I personally wouldn’t use it.

[TatteredDaydreamer]

Thanks! I’ve heard great things about Osphos but know its controversial.

[Outyougo]

These are two very different pharmaceuticals. Os pho’s is like fosimax or Bonita for osteoporosis. Aids in bone structure. Equioxx is a “Cox 2 inhibitor”. A type of NSAID. Depending on the horse and prescribing vet both may well be applicable. Osphos is given by injeection. Takes a bit of time to work. Not a daily of weekly med at all. Equioxx(prexicoxx In dogs) works well on inflammation and much better for horse tummy. I have used both. My guys best with judicious equicoixx and scheduled Pentosan. Horses in mid teens. No foot issues. (Hocks)

[Emerson]

Equioxx/previcox has been a lifesaver for my training level eventing schoolmaster. He has navicular and arthritis. Previcox, along with injections, kept him going solidly for me at beg novice/novice for a few years into his soundness issues. Sadly I had to retire him a few years ago as the injections stopped helping and he developed other issues too, but he still lives on a daily dose of previcox and although he is not sound now, it keeps him comfortable enough to enjoy the retired life. I tried Osphos with him and it sent him into kidney failure, and did nothing to improve his soundness. Interestingly enough, he is more comfortable on previcox than equioxx. Same dose, same drug, both in pill form, but he responds better to previcox for some reason, which vets have not been able to explain to me! I would say he responds equally as well to previcox as he does to bute. Hope it helps your horse just as much!

[Natalie]

The other thing you could explore is IRAP or ProStride for her coffin joints. It’s often the next “go to” when traditional injections stop working. It’s significantly more expensive, but could be an option to look into.

100% agree that keeping them moving and in some level of fitness is best for their overall long term wellness. Not completely sure about your mare’s issues, but I know with my horse, since we know it’s arthritis–there’s a bit of room to try different therapies and workloads to see how he responds. It’s not a condition I can worsen in a handful or rides (the way you could a soft tissue injury) so you can always assess and see if doing certain things results in soreness the next day.

Good luck with everything!

[beau159]

^^I was also going to mention trying ProStride (or PRP or IRAP) if you can get it in your area, since your horse has stopped responding to typical steroid injections.

I did ProStride on my gelding about 4 weeks ago. He has no bony changes on the x-rays on his front feet but he does have heel pain and has for quite some time. Typical steroid injections into the coffin bone never worked much for him. I do feel the ProStride has helped. While he never is head-bobbing lame, I feel it is helping him move a bit more free and even in his trot.

Now one of my other horses just got diagnosed with navicular changes (and he DOES have mild bony changes on the x-rays). My vet suggested we could try Osphos but I do know there can be a ton of side effects. For now, I put him in a wedge and have been giving him Equioxx and he’s doing okay. If my pocketbook can handle it, I wouldn’t mind trying ProSTride for him too.