Subscription renewal to send gifts
Authors: Barbara Sheridan, Equine Guelph
When it comes to managing the health, injuries and diseases of horses, conscientious horse owners will never put horses in danger; however, the improper use of some commonly used horse medicines has more impact on the health and safety of our horses than we realize Big. When the media's attention is not focused on the positive drug test in the horse racing industry, rarely a month has passed. The news caused many people in the horse industry to shake their heads, wondering how horse trainers or horse owners could do such things to their animals. But did you know that most of these positive test results involve some of the more commonly used drugs that we use on horses every day, which can produce some disturbing results?
Underdiagnosis and overtreatment
Therapies used to relieve pain, allow or promote healing, and control or cure the disease process may be effective when used correctly, but are very dangerous if abused. Phenylbutazone or "bute" is one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) family. If used properly, NSAIDs can relieve pain and help reduce inflammation and fever. It can be found in many horse owners’ medicine chests, but can be prescribed for a variety of diseases, including foot bruises, hoof abscesses, tendon strains, ligament sprains, and arthritic joints.
Dr. Alison Moore, Chief Veterinarian of Animal Health and Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Ontario, Guelph, Ontario, said that NSAIDS is very valuable as a medicine. "If used properly, they are very safe; however, some horse owners tend to give too many good things," she said. Dr. Moore went on to say that this form of drug (bute) is economical and convenient, and there are injection and oral dosage forms to choose from; but if the administration time is too long or the dosage is improper, it is most likely to cause problems, especially for non-steroids. Horses that are more sensitive to the toxicity of anti-inflammatory drugs.
Phenylbutazone or "bute" is one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in the NSAID family. It can be administered orally or by injection, and if used properly, it can relieve pain and help reduce inflammation and fever. However, if you use it for a long time or in a large dose, or take it at the same time with another non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, you will have health problems. Photo (top): ©Thinkstock.com/Peplow-Photo (bottom): Barbara Sheridan Photography.
"If you look at the long-term use of Bitcoin, it will definitely have known consequences," Dr. Moore said. "There are health problems, including stomach and colon ulcers, and kidney damage. Renal damage is more common in elderly horses with kidney problems or horse athletes who perform strenuous exercise and divert blood flow to the kidneys. Chronic or repeated dehydration is also common. Risk factors for kidney damage. Long-term exposure to butyrate is more likely to cause gastrointestinal symptoms."
Clinical symptoms of toxicity include diarrhea, colic, gastrointestinal ulcers (low protein and/or anemia on blood tests, or ulcers on endoscopy), poor hair, and weight loss. If such symptoms occur, the medication should be stopped and the veterinarian should be required to diagnose and treat. Although a different type of drug flunixin meglumine (brand name Banamine) was found in the same NSAID family, “it is usually not as long-term use as Bitt because it is more expensive and is mainly used in the gastrointestinal and gastrointestinal tract. Muscle or eye pain, but if misused, especially in dehydrated horses, the kidney and digestive tract toxicity may be similar to that of Bit," Dr. Moore pointed out.
Since chronic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may have harmful effects on your horse, it is more important not to "stack" non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. This is the process of giving two NSAIDS at the same time, usually bout and flunixin, or bout and firocoxib (trade name Previcox). Not only does dual administration cause the gastrointestinal and kidney problems listed above, but the combined administration of methyl ethyl ketone and flunixin can cause severe hypoproteinemia, which may affect the interaction with other drugs.
The list of tranquilizers, tranquilizers, and supplements designed to calm horses may be extensive, including some products that can be purchased online or at a local harness store. For example, acepromazine called "Ace" is commonly used as a tranquilizer to keep horses calm and relaxed by suppressing the central nervous system. It can be used in the form of injections or granules without a prescription. If given by mistake, it may put the horse at risk of injury or illness.
Sedatives are used for training purposes, or to keep a troubled horse quiet to recover from an injury. Photo: ©CanStockPhoto/KNewman
"Sedatives can be used to keep horses quiet for training or horses that are stagnant due to injury, but it may be difficult to control the dose when taken by mouth," Dr. Moore said. "The difficulty with long-term administration is that you don’t know how much you injected the horse or how the horse metabolizes it. Because it is highly bound to protein in the blood, horses with low protein content may have side effects more quickly or be affected by lower doses. Respond. Side effects include penile prolapse, which is a bigger problem for stallions, and low hematocrit, a measure of the percentage of red blood cells in the blood. At very high doses, horses will experience co-existence. Disorders (unsteady gait) and sweating profusely."
Since every horse is different, the correct dosage needs to be calculated based on the horse's weight and other effects. Dr. Moore emphasized the importance of having the veterinarian supervise the use of any tranquilizers. It is also important to inform the veterinarian of any acepromazine used for your horse, as it can affect the outcome of veterinary procedures, such as dentistry that requires sedation.
In equine medicine, compounding is the manipulation of a drug beyond its original approved form in order to provide different doses to a specific patient, whether it is mixing two drugs together or adding flavoring to a commercially available drug. However, mathematical errors may occur. In July last year, the Canadian Equestrian Association issued a notice requiring its members to use compound drugs with caution, on the grounds that these drugs are not licensed products and their concentrations may be different compared to licensed products. There are a few cases where the drug contains too little active ingredient to make it ineffective, or too much may lead to death.
In 2009, at the US Open Polo Championships in Wellington, Florida, 21 polo ponies died tragically, and compound drugs and related risks were exposed. After injecting the wrongly mixed multivitamin supplement, all 21 ponies fell and died.
Dr. Moore explained that the biggest problem with compound drugs is that many horse owners do not understand them. "They think it's a generic form of medicine, but it's not the case. It's mixing the active pharmaceutical ingredient (no matter where it comes from in the world) with any flavored powder or product mixed in a pharmacy or veterinarian. When taken from a jar In the next tank, the concentration may be different. It may be twice the strength, which is harmful, or half the strength, which has almost no effect."
Since this process is not regulated in terms of quality, safety, and effectiveness, there may be risks associated with compound drugs. "Technically speaking, if there are already commercially available products, such as butyl benzene [bute], veterinarians should not dispense compound drugs," Dr. Moore said. "If your veterinarian thinks that the combination of butyl ester and vitamin E is therapeutic, then this is a reasonable reason to mix them. But many people want to use combination drugs because they are cheaper. But cheaper does not necessarily mean more good."
Dr. Moore explained that if you do not pay careful attention to the proper dosage and method of administration, such as properly shaking the bottle so that there is no residue at the bottom (or the last few doses will be very concentrated), health problems may occur. Compound medicines provide many benefits to horse health by providing products or product forms that are otherwise difficult to obtain. However, due to concerns about quality control, horse owners should fully understand the potential risks of using compound products and discuss these issues with their veterinarian. .
In the past, traditional deworming programs did not treat each horse as an individual, because it was common practice to deworm the entire stable on a fixed and regular schedule. However, in the past ten years, studies have shown that parasites are increasingly resistant to insect repellents. Veterinarians now recommend that horses be screened for parasites through fecal egg testing, rather than deworming with products that may be ineffective against the burden of parasites. Stool examination is much safer than taking unwanted deworming drugs. It is safe to use insect repellents correctly, including testing first and using weight belts to get an accurate dosage. Dr. Moore recommends contacting your veterinarian to develop a deworming plan suitable for your horse and your specific area.
The traditional deworming plan requires all horses to be dewormed regularly. In recent years, studies have shown that using fecal egg testing to screen for parasites is safer and more effective. Photo: ©Thinkstock.com/Michelsun
Horse owners should understand their horses’ more frequent reactions to drug use and consider short-term and long-term effects before use. The welfare of the horse must be considered now and in the future.
When using drugs on horses, it is important to:
Dr. Moore said that it is important to understand the correct use of our daily medications. No matter how good a drug is, when it is abused, it will have a negative impact.
“It’s more important to understand the overall health of horses. It’s best to have a good basis first, because the kidney and liver are the two main organs that process drugs, so it’s important to know whether these organs are working properly. That’s why those years The reason why veterinary health checks are so important."
Reprinted with permission from Equine Guelph.
Main picture: Horse owners should be familiar with the correct use of commonly used drugs and should be taken under the guidance of a veterinarian. Horses should be closely monitored during treatment. Image source: ©CanStockPhoto/Jarih
Rehabilitation and recovery performance of horses after colic surgery
Competitive mountain trails offer new challenges
Are you riding your head and neck?
Let's have a good time with Jonathan Field
Arenus Animal Health brings colic guarantee program to Canada
Equestrianism: Explore leg yielding with Jec Ballou
Dust management in horse facilities
How to load a horse into a trailer
The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair will return in 2022
The spread of infectious diseases in the horse show environment
The impact of pollution on horse health
Dr. Tracy Chenier-Prepare mares and stallions for breeding
Dr. John Prescott-Rhodococcus equi
Busy buddy halter and reins
In the past 2 years, has your home/business been affected by climate change (wildfires, droughts, floods)?