Tuesday 29 March 2016

An Introduction To Equine Pain Relief & Anti-inflammatory Remedies

By Anthony Johnson


There is a large number of different remedies which are available for horses. When looking for equine pain relief & anti-inflammatory drugs there is a great deal of choice.

The different methods that are available range from agonist remedies to anti-inflammatory remedies. Over the years there has been a great deal of research carried out with experienced veterinary practitioners. These professionals have a great amount of experience using various different painkillers therefore they have a good idea about which ones will work best in certain circumstances.

In 2011 the University in the state of Colorado was host to the western veterinary conference when presentation was given on pain management for equine animals. This presentation was very informative and lead to a lot of important discussion.

Non steroid anti-inflammatories have been used as painkillers for horse for a number of years. The most common drugs that are used from this category are flunixin meglumie and phenylbutazone. Both of these drugs have been used successfully for a number of years and they are commonly used as treatment for gastrointestinal pains, eye pain and musculoskeletal pain. There is some veterinary professionals who will also use carprofen and ketoprofen.

Recent research shows that topical non-steroid drugs will be effective when it comes to treating local pain and inflammation that has no side effects. The research showed that seventy four per cent of horses that were treated with this type of medication showed a major increase their mobility and a significant decrease in the amount of lameness.

It is common practice for drugs to be clumped together into groups, however all drugs are different. All drugs are produced using a unique composition of chemicals there no drugs are the same even although they may be in the same group. Each drug will have a certain level at which it becomes toxic. Toxicity tends to happen when a horse is administered too much medication or it is given over a long period of time, when not suitable for long term use. Toxicity can lead to a range of problems including live damage, kidney damage and damage to the gastrointestinal tract. Patients who are undergoing neonatal care are more susceptible to the side effects.

Another classification that is used for drugs is opioids and this will may not necessary have any analgesic effect on horses. There is mixed reviews about whether or not these drugs are actually effective. These drugs are often used by veterinary professionals as way to sedate the horse, which can make it easier to work around there legs especially the hind legs, as it reduces the risk of being kicked.

There is some research which shows that these can be used as short terms painkillers but they are not a long term answer. If these drugs are used for a prolonged amount of time they can lead to problems such as gastrointestinal stasis and arousal. These drugs have been found to be more effective when they are administered epidurally. When administrated epidurally these drugs will start to work after about twenty minutes.




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