So they’re just making it up, really. There’s nothing to support doing that.
Right but when we are not dosing based on manufacturer’s directions…
The manufacturer only studied the effects of Equioxx based on 14-day dosing and that’s what the FDA and EMA approved. There is no formal research that I can find for dosing horses with Equioxx >14 days, which means there has been no review of side-effects after longer dosing.
“Repeat dose studies in the rat demonstrated that the target organs for toxicity were the liver, thyroid gland and kidney.” This was in a 90-day study and of course, comparison of effects on rats to those in horse are not guaranteed to be equivalent.
Because we are dosing off-label and based on the half-life of the drug, my vet practice recommends at least 5 days withdrawal occasionally.
There’s likely no harm in taking the horse off for 5 days, but equally, likely no benefit either. It’s sort of like an alcoholic stopping drinking for 5 days. It probably isn’t going to do much to unstress the liver, or the kidneys in the case of Equioxx.
I used Equioxx on my late gelding from about age 14 to when he passed at 21. The last two years he had pretty bad fecal water issues so that was the main issue I contributed to daily use of nsaids. Still, they are very beneficial for most aged horses.
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There’s no doubt that there’s some kind of low-level toxicity, it’s an NSAID. A 5-day sabbatical doesn’t negate that, nor is there any evidence of horses building a tolerance to the meds.
I’m still not understanding what your vets are getting at - it truly seems like a made-up instruction. Do they suggest the same for horses on long-term bute, or other meds being used off-label?
I’ve heard from multiple vets that horses should be given a break from Equioxx periodically. I don’t think there’s a consensus on how often or how long that break should be.
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Do they have an idea as to why they want you to do it, specifically?
I’d love to see some actual research on this, rather than vets just doing a little hand waving about it all.
Me, too!
His hocks haven’t finished fusing - they’re still in the process. So there is still space to inject.
I’ve been using PEMF therapy on my older mare who’s been dealing with arthritis, and I’ve seen good results! As an older athlete, I use a pemf device for recovery treatments and it works great. I also have a website with pemf information at https://discoverpemf.com. I ended up buying a smaller pemf device (The Assi loop) that I can wrap around my mare’s joints, and I’m seen some improvement. She used to be stiff, especially on colder mornings, but after a few weeks of regular sessions, she seems to be moving much more freely. The swelling in her joints has noticeably decreased, and she seems to be more comfortable overall. I definitely recommend trying PEMF for older horses! Wishing you and your horse the best. It’s so hard when they age.
4o
Alright, Cushings test came back negative (yay!) so I’m inquiring with my vet about Adequan for him.
I did take a jump lesson the other day for the first time in a while, and my trainer just noted he doesn’t seem like he’s jumping as well as he used to, especially through his neck. It’s not surprising and she said she thinks it’s still fine to jump him (just keep them small, which I’ve been doing anyways, and stop & reevaluate if he ever starts to feel worse) but it still makes me sad. I think I’ll get new neck rads to see how his bone spur is doing-when I took the initial films, it was very very small but I do wonder if things have changed.
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Glad you can still do some riding and small jumps with him.
It definitely can be hard to see them grow older and not do the things they used to. You’re on top of things just keep it up and keep riding him whatever his capability.
Well, I’m a little bummed and extra lost about what to do.
I started lightly jumping my guy more frequent and flatting him less. The thing is, he’s always been a bucker in the wintertime-we’ve been there, done that with the vet stuff and could never resolve it. He’ll typically buck a time or two in the canter, and then carry along fine. It’s always a buck and kick out with his right hind, the same leg he also strikes out with when he’s being a demon while eating his meals. This horse could throw a buck a stride out from a fence, and still jump it beautifully. In fact, his jumping in the winter has always been better than in the summertime (I think getting a little “hotter” helps him in this case).
But, the past few days either jumping or flatting, the bucking is pretty bad. If it were his usual one or two I wouldn’t stress, but now he’s bucking and both hind legs are flailing. On top of that he doesn’t feel like he’s going to catch himself anymore in the front end. Tonight while jumping he bucked going around a fence, and stumbled with his front leg and nearly didn’t recover. He almost hit the jump standard too-so I pulled him up and called it a day there.
I’m going to have our vet come and check him out, but I fear I might have to stop riding him altogether, at least for the winter. If he’s going to buck and risk tripping while doing so, it’s not safe for either of us. I’m just so worried he’s going to get really stiff 
Try a Back-On-Track liner or blanket.
Keeps the muscles and ligaments/tendons warmer and looser than a regular blanket or liner.
I wear BoT shirts and shorts as my pajamas, and if I don’t wear them for more than 2 nights in a row getting out of bed is hard on the 2nd morning and I can barely move on the 3rd day, so I can vouch for their effectiveness.
I’m sorry to hear that! I think a vet work up is probably best. I know it’s easier said than done, but try not to worry too much until he’s been checked out. It might be something easily managed. Fingers crossed!
I’m going to look into this, thanks!
I do have a back on track mesh sheet-I know they’re not meant for turnout (at least I assume they’re not since they’re mesh) but I wonder if I used it as a base layer for him and had the barn staff just swap out the top layer for him when they change his blanketing in the winter…
It’s just that, as was discussed in the “Neck” thread, the mesh sheets often shift, or at least, pull back on the neck and dig into the wither. I suppose the sheet could be used temporarily or as a layer overnight if he’s stalled, but if he can move around a lot it may not work long-term
You could experiment with the BOT 100g liner or the shoulder guard. I have both of those and a sheet, and I find they don’t pull back like the mesh sheet does. They will shift backwards like everything generally does, but it’s much less.
I’ll just add that I found the BOT mesh sheets shift and rub when used underneath anything else. I’ve also stopped using most of their products in general after trying a few myself and not getting any appreciable effects. But what works for one person (or horse) may not work for another, so if you see a difference, great. I’d just caution about using the mesh sheet as a liner, as I had two geldings get nice bald patches on their shoulders from trying it.
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Does he buck on the lunge too? Anywhere you can free lunge to keep him from getting stiff? Maybe set up a baby jump chute if that’s what lights his fire?
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he does buck on the lunge too, lol. Not consistently - he’s just a sassy thing in the winter. Specifically when you make him move a little more forward on the lunge, he’ll throw a buck or two.
It’s not the end of the world if he bucks on the lunge so far since he doesn’t seem to trip or anything on his own (I think he probably just can’t handle the human on his back’s balance changing as he’s bucking, which never used to be a problem since he’s quite athletic when he wants to be). But, I don’t want to lunge him on circles too much and I don’t think my barn allows just general free lunging in case they rip around and screw up the footing 
I could certainly try a jump chute from time to time but it’s a lot of work to put it up and then put it all back for my trainer right after.
I could try maybe something like ground driving-I have no personal experience with that, so I’d need someone to teach me.
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