I would like to keep acetaminophen in my med supplies. It seems like a good alternative to the usually short dated bute that I might use once or twice a year and have to replace that often too.
I have perused the studies but never could find how it was administered. For my horse the dose would be 30 - 500mg tablets or capsules (30mg/kg).
Any tips or tricks?
TIA
Susan
I’ve used it on several horses and they eat it fine in their grain.
If they didn’t, I’d powder it, mix with water, and dose with an oral dosing syringe.
Coffee grinder, with a peppermint (the life savers mints work best because they aren’t sticky like traditional peppermints. Soft peppermints don’t grind well). Throw on feed, works best if your horse eats wet grain.
I’ve also had luck grinding it up and throwing in a container with water and a couple soft peppermints to dissolve overnight. Makes a peppermint flavored suspension. Shake it up and dump on feed. This is how I feed gabapentin/bute/methocarb/anything else that can be handled this way. Super easy!
That dose seems pretty high.
How big/heavy is your horse?
Per my vets advice, 250# mini got 1500mg.
Dose could be given 6h after initial dose of sublingual banamine ( then repeat banamine @ 12h).
I dissolved tablets with a bit of water in a syringe, added maple syrup & dosed orally.
I was going by the study articles Simkie posted like this one.
My horse is 1100 lbs = 500kg x 30 mg/kg = 15,000mg / 500mg/tab = 30 tabs
At 30mg/kg, your mini would get 7 tablets (3500mg).
Other studies have used 20-25mg/kg. If I have to give any, I would probably start at 25mg/kg (25 tabs).
In conjunction with the banamine, the smaller dose did the job.
Maybe if used as the sole NSAID, I’d need more.
Acetaminophen is not an NSAID. It is analgesic and anti-pyretic only. It doesn’t have any anti-inflammatory effects.
Thanks for the correction.
Should have said:
If not used with an NSAID
That dose is in line with what my vet calculated for me.
I take the smallest syringe I can fit the pills into (can’t recall the size off the top of my head but can look if you want), pop he pills in, and top off with hot water. Doesn’t take much water at all. Let set for a few minutes. It turns into a fairly thick paste. I then syringe into the mouth. The paste-like consistency makes it harder for it to drip out or for them to spit it out.
I generally only use acetaminophen with my senior, who is a bit picky. I have never tried putting it in her food but it’s so bitter I have a hard time thinking she would eat it.
This is with the generic, uncoated tablets, btw.
This is exactly the dosage my vet gave me on Friday. I was asking out of curiosity.
Glad to see this thread, I was kinda shaking my head at getting 25, 500 mg tabs down my horse, lol.
I searched quite a bit and couldn’t find any administration instructions. I get tired of paying for bute that expires in 6-12 months. Fingers crossed, I haven’t ever had to use NSAIDs much at all and I always have acetaminophen on hand. That would enable me to get something on board if I needed it…until she gets seen by the vet.
Fwiw, even my difficult, picky horse eats whole tablets in her grain. They seem to be pretty inoffensive.
I do use the 8 hour extended relief version, because that’s what I have on hand for myself. Same total dose, fewer pills.
For those that need a lot of it, ask your vet to write you a prescription for something like 500 pills. The pharmacist might shake their head at you, but it’s way cheaper than even buying generic OTC. Especially if you add in GoodRx.
I got 2 500-tab (500mg) bottles at Costco for $9.99.
If you’re a member, I can’t imagine a script for that quantity would be cheaper than $5.
I’m curious what the indications for Tylenol are for a horse? The duration of treatment? The effect on the liver? Is this common now?
Acetaminophen is over the counter. I guess the pharmacist would have to fill a written prescription but they are just going to go grab it off the OTC shelf and tack on a fee to label it. Most stores have large sized bottles and the generic is very cheap. I am just going to keep a 100 count bottle at the barn (25 tabs/dose) which will get her started if she has a need for it.
In the studies, it was used for musculoskeletal pain. One study I looked at looked at the liver via biopsies and there was no adverse effect with twice daily dosing (I think the dosing was for 10 days).
Pain management. Paired with an nsaid or not, depending on need. There have been several peer reviewed papers published in the past couple years, if you’re interested in the research.
My vet told me they are using it in cases where the horse is in severe pain, such as laminitis pain that isn’t controlled well enough with normal pain control.
Yes, acetaminophen affects the liver, nsaids affect the kidneys, it’s a fine line and you have to be cautious.
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