Bute for Old Bones

My vet wants my 38-year-old on phenylbutazone forever. Is there anything else that could help him, with no side effects?
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Bute for Old Bones
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are sometimes necessary in aged horses to keep them comfortable. | Photo: iStock
Q. I have a 38-year-old grade gelding with huge, arthritic knees. He fell three weeks ago. Radiographs show nothing broken or fractured. My veterinarian wants him on Bute forever. Is there anything else that could help him with no side effects?

—via e-mail


A. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs are sometimes necessary in aged horses to keep them comfortable, and many horses do not have any problem being on daily NSAIDs, including phenylbutazone (also known as Bute).

There are many joint supplements commercially available that can help the horse with mild arthritis, or help in combination with NSAIDs. But if the arthritis is severe you might, as your veterinarian suggested, need to use drugs to alleviate the chronic pain

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Written by:

Dianne McFarlane, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, is professor and chair of large animal clinical sciences at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine, in Gainesville.

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