Vet just prescribed Equioxx - anything I need to know?

[4LeafCloverFarm]

Now that I’m actually confident I’m getting the pills in my horse (Mr. I’ll eat anything, suddenly decided he was picky about treats - go figure! Gumdrops are working perfectly now), the dose is working well for almost 36 hours. But definitely wears off before the next dose.

Left message for vet to ask if I could give the one pill every 36 hours. Or alternatively, do a full pill 3X a week and 1/2 pill the other days. I saw on another thread that someone found that effective. We’ll see what the vet says.

[BlueDrifter]

@IPEsq : wouldn’t a long half-life mean you could dose every other day?

I am surprised no one mentions using Previcox (for dogs, 1/4 tablet, horse dose is less than dog dose) because of the cheaper cost. Is that no longer advised?

[4LeafCloverFarm]

@BlueDrifter - at Allivet, where I get all my prescription dog/cat/horse meds. the Equioxx is actually cheaper than the Previcox - nearly $12 cheaper for the 60-count bottle. So I ordered the Equioxx, instead of the Previcox for that reason. Might be different at different online vets.

My particular vet doesn’t actually stock either - so had to buy online.

[IPEsq]

@BlueDrifter

@IPEsq : wouldn’t a long half-life mean you could dose every other day?

I am surprised no one mentions using Previcox (for dogs, 1/4 tablet, horse dose is less than dog dose) because of the cheaper cost. Is that no longer advised?

Not if the dosing protocol developed takes that into account (it does) such that the ideal concentration is met after a few days of continuous administration. You could dose less often, but you would not be dosing at the tested therapeutic level.

[keysfins]

@BlueDrifter

@IPEsq : wouldn’t a long half-life mean you could dose every other day?

I am surprised no one mentions using Previcox (for dogs, 1/4 tablet, horse dose is less than dog dose) because of the cheaper cost. Is that no longer advised?

Because the equine formulation is available in the form of Equioxx, vets who prescribe/dispense Previcox meant for dogs could face liability. So vets prescribe/dispense Equioxx. You may want to discuss the dosing (canine tablet vs. equine tablet) with your vet. We used 1/4 of a 227 mg canine tablet (=57 mg) when Previcox was the only form available.

My vet, when prescribing Equioxx, will typically recommend giving two 57 mg tablets on day one, and then a single 57 mg tablet daily. My vets said to be super careful, we could do three weeks on, one week off, to protect liver and kidney function. But in reality, we did daily dosing for years, pulling blood every six months as usual for wellness checks.

I have not had a vet prescribe one tablet three times a week. I’d be interested to know the reasoning for that schedule. Daily dosing maintains the therapeutic dose, as IPSEq said.

[4LeafCloverFarm]

@keysfins

I have not had a vet prescribe one tablet three times a week. I’d be interested to know the reasoning for that schedule. Daily dosing maintains the therapeutic dose, as IPSEq said.

She originally said 3X per week because long term effects of medication (ulcers, kidney, liver damage, etc.) and if the one pill 3X a week worked, there was less chance of adverse effects. Not being familiar with the medication at the time, I agreed to start conservatively.

Did speak with my vet yesterday. We agreed to up the dose to 1 pill every 36 hours. Will pull blood in Sept (at his annual check up) to check liver and kidney function. His blood tests 3 weeks ago were completely normal, so we have a recent baseline for comparison.

We discussed the pros and cons of dosing long-term, and we were both of the mindset that making him more comfortable is primary. I think every 36 hours will suffice for now, but will reassess in another 10 days or so. I’ll continue to watch for any signs of complications from the meds (but so far so good). Hopefully I have one of those horses that this medication doesn’t cause other issues.

The change is his gait is remarkable, I have to say. And now I feel badly that I didn’t do something last winter when I first started to notice changes - but we were dealing with some abscesses (right front & right rear), and I was so sure that was what was causing the off gait . Anyway, his gait is so improved that I’ve had to put him back in bell boots, as he’s clipping his left front with his left rear, as he used to do when he was younger. He’s also using both leads again, when he gallops up to be fed.

So, I am very pleased so far with the results. And now that I have a successful delivery system (gum drops), I can be confident he’s actually getting the meds each time.

[jetsmom]

Had an old mare i was caring for on it for 2 yrs. Used previcox…cheaper. dose is 1/4 of a pill a day. I use a key, and break a carrot up and insert key about a 1/4 inch into carrot making a slit. Put pill in. Feed non pill carrot piece, pill carrot piece then non carrot piece. Horses dont even notice it. Easiest pill in the world to give.
No side effects with old mare. Jet just started it about 2 weeks ago. No side effects with him either.

[jetsmom]

@4LeafCloverFarm

@BlueDrifter - at Allivet, where I get all my prescription dog/cat/horse meds. the Equioxx is actually cheaper than the Previcox - nearly $12 cheaper for the 60-count bottle. So I ordered the Equioxx, instead of the Previcox for that reason. Might be different at different online vets.

My particular vet doesn’t actually stock either - so had to buy online.

Check dosage and size of pills. The previcox pills were the larger ones split into quarters. So even if the equioxx was cheaper for small pills, the previcox may be cheaper when you order the larger pills since 1 pill is 4 doses.

[4LeafCloverFarm]

@jetsmom

Check dosage and size of pills. The previcox pills were the larger ones split into quarters. So even if the equioxx was cheaper for small pills, the previcox may be cheaper when you order the larger pills since 1 pill is 4 doses.

I was speaking of the 57mg pill of both Previcox and Equioxx. I did not buy the 227mg Previcox because they only have a score mark for 1/2, not quarters (at least its shown that way on Allivet). Even though I have a pill splitter, I have horrible luck at splitting pills - ending up with little pieces and dust, and ugh… so decided to just get the pill that was the right dosage to start with, and the Equioxx was cheaper when buying it that way.

[newhorsemommy]

Sounds like it’s working out for your guy which is good! I’ve had better luck with meloxicam for my gelding. He was up to a half tab of previcox, and not only was it not very effective, but it was really, really hard to get him to eat it (liver flavored and all ). He’s on meloxicam now and he gobbles up the pills in his feed and it seems to be working better.

I also had my mare on previcox for a while and couldn’t tell the difference when I stopped. Although her issue is hocks so it’s possible they’ve finally fused.

[Dunkhead]

I have a 13 yr old and 16 yr old horse on it daily. I was told by my vet that they can be on it the rest of their lives. I was glad to read the poster who wrote about her 20+ year old horses having been on it since 2008 with no problems. Yay!!

[atl_hunter]

@4LeafCloverFarm

Vet was out on Monday to see my 28 yr old draft cross gelding who was starting to show some discomfort in his left hock. After her exam (where she concurred it was his hock - likely arthritic changes), she pulled blood for several blood tests (which came back spectacularly normal) to ensure he had no underlying issues and prescribed 1 57mg tab of Equioxx 3X a week.

So, this is venturing into new territory for me. I’m not familiar at all with this medicine, what to watch for (if anything), whether there are long term effects (like Bute can cause gastric issues in some horses), or anything else I should know?

I’ve placed the order through my online pharmacy Allivet and should have meds the first of next week. So I’m not giving it yet. My horse gets his meals soaked - I’m assuming there is no issue with just tossing the tab into the mush? He’ll literally eat anything, so I could probably just feed it as a treat if need be.

Anyway, any info on this (new to me) medication much appreciated!

We had great success with a 36 hour dose. My horse did have some questionable bloodwork so we knew we needed to cut back. Changing from 24 hour dose to 36 at the vet’s recommendation restored his bloodwork to normal. The 36 hour dose was effective for us and kept my horse comfortable while sparing his renal system. I was surprised it was so effective.

[4LeafCloverFarm]

@atl_hunter

We had great success with a 36 hour dose. My horse did have some questionable bloodwork so we knew we needed to cut back. Changing from 24 hour dose to 36 at the vet’s recommendation restored his bloodwork to normal. The 36 hour dose was effective for us and kept my horse comfortable while sparing his renal system. I was surprised it was so effective.

The 36 hour dose I’m finding is definitely working better than just one pill 3X a week. But its seems to be wearing off (at times) before the next dose.

I’ve been trying to figure out why the 36 hour dose is not consistent (weather, temperature, etc.), but so far, I’ve not come up with anything. I’ve been trying to avoid bumping up to a daily pill (but obviously want to do whatever to keep my horse comfortable), because of concerns over ulcers and other issues. But it may be that I’m seeing things as my horses’ primary caregiver that aren’t really there or I’ve become so honed in on this issue (and stressed about it), that I’m not seeing the forest for the trees…

So right now I’m on the fence about bumping it up to a pill every 24 hours.

[AllHorse]

My old arthritic horse has been on half a tablet per day, every day, for several years now with no negative side effects at all. It keeps her mobile and comfortable, she canters up to get her food. I hide it in a cookie and hand feed so I know she’s eaten it.
If you’re worried about ulcers then use a supplement like U Gard as an acid buffer