Tylenol for Old Horse Arthritis & Ringbone Maintenance?

[BarnField]

Has anyone had luck with long term use of Tylenol only for maintenance of pain in a senior horse?
Specifically, for ringbone and general arthritis?
Just Tylenol alone and not in conjunction with NSAIDs. I have a retired lawn ornament senior that gets loose manure with Equiox, so I am looking for alternative to NSAIDs.
No riding, just want to try to keep him pasture sound and joint supplements don’t cut it.

EDIT: I am working with my vet’s recommendations, and I have their dosage instructions, I am just curious on how effective/useful it has been for others with this prognosis.

thank you

[olim2005]

I’m interested in this too

[NaturallyHappy]

We’ve used Tylenol with a couple of horses successfully. Our dosage was 20 500 mg caplets 2x a day. One ate it fine; the other required it syringed, but did not protest. Please ask your vet what dosage would be recommended for your horse.

[BarnField]

Thank you for the feedback, and yes, I have specific dosage info from vet, sorry I should have stated that initially

[2DogsFarm]

I’ve only used it in conjunction with banamine P.O.
6h after oral banamine, I dose with Tylenol - also by oral syringe - then 6h after that, another dose of banamine.
Seemed to help & not hard on systems like the banamine.

[Simkie]

I’ve used it several times for pain, both paired with an NSAID or not, depending on circumstance, and think it’s a really useful addition to the toolbox.

For a chronic, ongoing issue, I’d discuss regular liver labs with the vet. Not sure there’s any data out there in long term use in equines, but we know in people that it’s hard on the liver.

[Jackie_amp_Starlette]

When I saw another thread I did some googling and have my mini on it now. It was his last chance before euth. He had been hit by a car when with a previous owner, and his hips are shot. What a difference!

I did find this research paper showing some interesting information regarding bloods/liver, etc.

Adding Acetaminophen to Lameness Management Plan for Horses - Kentucky Equine Research (ker.com)

[EmilyM]

They used it for my horse in the hospital when he had laminitis so I imagine it would be effective. I think you have to be careful not to cause liver damage.

[Jackie_amp_Starlette]

They do have to cover themselves with the last statement. Imagine being able to get pain relief for your horse without a prescription.

[SMF11]

Tylenol worked better than bute or equioxx for my old donkey with laminitic changes.

(A different vet has her on 2 different chinese herbs which seem to be working the best of all. However the cost is something like $200/month vs $20/month)

[RhythmNCruise]

I’ve not done Tylenol, but I wanted to say that my gelding gets a bit ulcery (sensitive/grumpy when flanks brushed and girth tightened) when on a full pill of Equioxx daily for an extended amount of time, but if I do 1/2 a pill a day he seems much better in the tummy department and it still seems to help his creaky hocks. I also pull him off of it occasionally and let him go as long as possible without it before starting it again (from a month to several months).

[Kirikou]

@BarnField

Has anyone had luck with long term use of Tylenol only for maintenance of pain in a senior horse?
Specifically, for ringbone and general arthritis?
Just Tylenol alone and not in conjunction with NSAIDs. I have a retired lawn ornament senior that gets loose manure with Equiox, so I am looking for alternative to NSAIDs.
No riding, just want to try to keep him pasture sound and joint supplements don’t cut it.

EDIT: I am working with my vet’s recommendations, and I have their dosage instructions, I am just curious on how effective/useful it has been for others with this prognosis.

thank you

Hi there,

I’m really curious—did you end up trying Tylenol for your senior with ringbone? If so, have you noticed any changes or improvements? I’d love to hear how it’s working out for you since I’m exploring similar options for one of mine.

Thanks!

[BarnField]

Sadly, in my case it did not help, I saw no noticeable improvement after several weeks
But ymmv, and I am glad I tried it
good luck!

[Kirikou]

Thanks for sharing your experience, @BarnField! Best of luck to you as well!

[Jackie_amp_Starlette]

My boy that I put on it this spring is doing amazing! It was going to be his last fall, and between the acetaminophen, devil’s claw, j-herb, changing to a non-soy feed (Unbeetable Complete), and low NSC hay, he’s actually trotting around in the cold! I think the acetaminophen helps his hips not hurt, so he’s not putting his weight on his front feet as much, and he’s (so far) got another journey around the sun coming.

Pic of Cooper (the pinto) and his 35-year-old this year buddy, Rocket hanging in the barn.

[george]

Gabapentin and meloxicam worked best for me

[Pico_Banana]

What is j-herb?

[Kirikou]

Thanks all for sharing your experience—it’s so helpful to hear what’s worked for you!
And oh my goodness, @Jackie_amp_Starlette, Cooper and Rocket are absolutely adorable!! It’s so good to see them enjoying life together. Here’s to another journey around the sun for your sweet boy!

[Jackie_amp_Starlette]

Recommended by the ECIR group for laminitis. MadBarn is where I get mine.

Equine Cushings & Insulin Resistance Group | ECIR Group, Inc.

[Pico_Banana]

Ah, jiaogulan. I use that with my mare who had a laminitic episode 5 years ago. I use it as it’s supposed to improve circulation to the hooves. I’ll have to read up on its uses for arthritis.