OSPHOS Side Effects?

[awaywego]

The email from the Chronicle today about OSPHOS was kind of timely for me - my horse started it in November for pedal osteitis, and I honestly haven’t given it any thought because he was quite lame at the time, so potential side effects were the last thing on my mind.

The email mentions a potential side effect of “nervousness.” Now my vet explained that for 15 minutes or so following the initial injection, we’d make sure my horse didn’t have a weird reaction, but he didn’t mention anything further. Is that the “nervousness” that’s mentioned in the email or is there a potential longer lasting effect on nerves? I ask bc my horse has become dangerously reactive, waaay worse than usual recently, and wondering if there is a correlation.

Yes, yes, I know it is winter and that makes some horses demonic. But I’ve had this horse for 6 winters now - this is unusually bad.

[halt]

I haven’t dealt with nervousness - IME the vets stay for 15m-1hr because of the colic side-effect.

Sorry to hear about your guy. Is he confined in anyway? I would assume something in management or lack of turnout time, over OSPHOS.

[joiedevie99]

I gave it to two horses yesterday, and that isn’t a side effect we discussed (nor did we discuss it any time we’ve given it previously).

We do take precautions… give it early in the day, walk or graze the horse for 15 minutes immediately after injection, give with Buscopan to prevent cramping.

[danacat]

My vet never mentioned prolonged nervousness either – only the potential for colic-like symptoms which can mean temporary nervousness.

[kcmel]

I haven’t noticed any change in reactivity, but my guy is so super-reactive anyway he may already be maxed out:lol:.

[SonnysMom]

I used it on my 5 year old OTTB. He went to a friend’s for 2.5 months to hang out in Dr. Green. The day he came back and for a few days after he was really wired. He was spinning in his stall when I picked him up, snorting out the window. Friend says he had never down that before. We had to ACE him to turn him out the first night back at his home farm. He kept annoying his turn-out buddy, trotting around, annoying Homer, trotting around. Not running just wound up. He got depo the next day and major changes to his diet.
I don’t think that it was the Osphos. He was on 2 scoops of Triple Crown Complete twice a day, Buckeye Ultimate Finish and my friend feeds a lot of alfalfa and alfalfa mix plus grass turn-out. He had a good 12 hours a day of turn-out, sometimes 20 hours weather permitting. He needed the weight. He looked great when he came back to me. I think his diet was too rich especially considering he was getting no work. He is one of those that does better in work. He needs the mental stimulation.

[awaywego]

Thanks for sharing your experiences! No changes to my horse’s lifestyle otherwise - so just thinking out loud about what has changed (the addition of OSPHOS to his life). Maybe this is just what he’s like when his feet don’t hurt.

[Retired]

Just was doing a search for reactivity after Osphos we have a horse that should be peaking in treatment and has increasingly become ridiculously reactive. Also thinking his feet feel good but still. Did your horse ever change back?

[walktrot]

My gelding got his first shot of Osphos from the lameness specialist after a full exam at a hospital in 2/2021. He didn’t have any reaction or side effects. What it did do was get rid of some lingering swelling on his right hind from a minor cut a few years earlier. He had several shots over the next 15 months. The last one was in May 2022. He had a severaly arthritic knee with significant lameness but was still a bundle of energy and could put full weight on it. . When I hand walked him to graze he was getting stronger and I had to work to keep up with him. I had to put him down in July. He lost what little flexion remained. You could see that the knee was starting to show hints that it couldn’t control the hoof. He was 28.

[sara78]

I only had one with mild colic once but did not know about horses being nervous