Huh. Well, I’m not digging too deep into this because the dog version is cheaper!
I did not see where anyone on this thread said they were, or someone should be, feeding whole 227mg pills to horses.
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Champ, I think you’re forgetting that paste Equioxx was available when Previcox was being prescribed for horses. It was expensive, and inconvenient, but it was available.
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Hence my not including them in my Valley Vet comparison.
Thank you for reminding me that I could halve the expense of my horse’s sole med by taking the time to chop it up like I did back in the day.
Also, OP, I’m sorry for the economics tangent.
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I’ve used both Equioxx and the generic firocoxib from Valley Vet. No difference for my three that have been on it. The price is different— E is more per month than generic. As others said, saving $200 per year with two horses on it is not insignificant.
Adding that my vets won’t prescribe the dog version at all. Wish they would…
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This was my experience. My guy had ulcers, and probably already had them before I started him on Equioxx, but I wasn’t really aware that he had them. He was fine for a while on one pill of Equioxx per day, but after a month or so, I started seeing obvious signs of ulcers (sensitive when brushed in flanks, ear-pinning when girthed up, etc). I would stop the Equioxx for a bit and that behavior would also stop. But then he became creaky, so it was kind of a catch-22. Eventually I just started giving him 1/2 a pill a day, and that absolutely works for him. He’s sound and happy. I recently switched to the generic and oddly enough, he seems even better on it. I’ve stopped his oral joint supplement, though I haven’t ridden him enough to know if that has made a difference. He seems fine the couple of times I have ridden him, in fact…pretty darn good.
He does get Adequan when I start seeing him get stiff even with the firocoxib (which is usually once a year). I don’t raise the dosage on the firo because I am protective of his tummy (had to do the full round of Ulcergard treatment eventually for him and I don’t relish the idea of spending that much money again).
All this to say, if horse is acting grumpy, try splitting the dosage in half and see if he still gets the benefits without the negatives to his tummy. It’s worth a shot. And if it works, that’s money saved. 1/2 a pill a day is much more affordable.
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I never said that. My original comment was that there’s a reason there’s no 227mg pill for horses since that’s the argument people have historically used to say Previcox is cheaper than Equioxx. It comes in 57mg doses, period, for a reason.
They legally CANNOT prescribe Previcox for your horses. Wishing they would is wishing they’d risk their license.
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Depressingly accurate, I was anticipating a much larger price difference when they announced the expiration of the patent. Sigh.
Anecdotally, had a bad reaction to a generic BCP - bad acne, mood swings, etc. Funny thing, I had been on a generic, the pharmacy switched a different generic. Switched back, went away, now I’m on a new type but also a generic, still no issues.
FWIW, I notice no difference between the brand name and the generic Equioxx.
Yes, I do not understand where all these horses are getting the dog medication Previcox. A vet can lose their license, so why are we asking them to prescribe this for our horses? Of course, I wish the meds were cheaper, but I wouldn’t ask my vet to do something illegal by prescribing the dog meds for my boy who uses Equioxx. Are vets doing it without worry about any possibly consequences, or are horse owners not being truthful about who the drug is for? I’m curious.
Yep.
And realistically, it’s not likely they’re going to even get their hand slapped for this, there are bigger fish to fry than this. But yes, vets willingly do it knowing (or they should!) it’s illegal.
Huh. Interesting.
Yup-- kind of shocks me sometimes when folks say they are getting off label or dog meds for their horses from their vet. I work with three different practices for my horses, and none will risk this. We all want to save money, but it’s important to acknowledge that vets are also at the mercy of the pharmaceutical industry and need to make a living.
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Adding to this thread…Boehringer Ingelheim still has a $26.00 rebate for the 60 count bottle of brand name Equioxx, as long as you buy it from your vet. My vet will price match Chewy, Valley Vet, ect on Equioxx and I’ve found it to be cheaper than the generic after rebate.
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I didn’t ask - it was just offered. Said “it’s cheaper this way, no need to pay for horse branding”. I was surprised, but wasn’t going to question them.
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Same. I don’t ask for it any which way - sometimes I’m given the large dog pills that need to be quartered. Now that there’s a generic, that’s all my vet carries, but before that it was whatever he could get.
Makes me wonder if he doesn’t even carry the horse version. I don’t know. I haven’t had the need for previcox in many years, so I’ve actually never had the horse version.
Back in the day it was just a tub of bute they gave you 
I have asked for it by name and it arrives from the vet already quartered and labelled to give 1/4. I’m in Canada though, so maybe that makes some difference.
Kind of reminds me of an argument I had with a human pharmacist one time where they had been keep X dose of a med I needed on hand. Doctor doubled the dose. Pharmacist said that there would be a wait because they needed to order the med in the new dosage. Um, no, I need it now - I am smart enough to take 2 pills to get the correct dosage. Eventually I won that argument, but my eyes may still be rolling lol. (yes, I realize it’s not the same as generic versus branded for a different animal, but it strikes me as just as silly)
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