Q: My horse was diagnosed with navicular syndrome about five years ago. He was put on isoxsuprine and half a gram of Bute twice a day, and we changed his shoeing regimen. He has been sound since, and he remains sound, as long as he gets the Bute and is trimmed on a regular basis. He is now 19 years old. He occasionally becomes lame when the ground is hard–like during the summer when it hasn’t rained for quite some time and the flies are bad.

I recently changed barns and veterinarians. The new veterinarian said that the Bute will give my horse ulcers and eventually kill him and recommended injections of steroids and hyaluronic acid (Legend) in the foot. She said the injections should last three months to a year, and if I want to give him Bute, I can do it a few hours before I ride.

I am totally confused, as the original veterinarian felt that the low dose of Bute was okay as long as my horse stayed sound on it. He also felt that keeping a low dose of Bute in his system to keep inflammation down was better than giving a larger dose four to five times a week before I ride. Although I know that Legend shots give good results for joint problems, I thought that hyaluronic acid was for joints and that navicular pain is found in the feet and heels.

Can you help me sort through the pros and cons of Bute vs