Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a class of medications commonly used in horses to manage pain and inflammation. These drugs work by inhibiting enzymes involved in the inflammatory process, specifically cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes, which play a role in the production of prostaglandins. NSAIDs are frequently administered for conditions such as musculoskeletal disorders, colic, and post-surgical pain. Common NSAIDs used in equine medicine include phenylbutazone, flunixin meglumine, and ketoprofen. While effective, the use of NSAIDs in horses requires careful management due to potential side effects, such as gastrointestinal ulceration and renal impairment. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the pharmacology, therapeutic applications, and safety considerations of NSAIDs in equine practice.
Climent F, Carmona JU, Cuenca R, Prades M.Eosinophilic synovitis (ES) is a rare disease described in human and veterinary medicine. Only three cases have been reported in the horse. A case of tarsocrural synovitis in an Hispano-Arabian gelding is presented in this report. The patient presented with severe joint effusion and lameness of the right tarsocrural joint on admission. Synovial fluid analysis revealed an increased WBC of 12800 leukocytes/microliter with 76% of eosinophils. Lavage of the diseased joint and medical treatment with antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs produced remission of the clinical problem.
Little D, Brown SA, Campbell NB, Moeser AJ, Davis JL, Blikslager AT.To determine the effect of meloxicam and flunixin meglumine on recovery of ischemia-injured equine jejunum. Methods: 18 horses. Methods: Horses received butorphanol tartrate; were treated IV with saline (0.9% NaCl) solution (SS; 12 mL; n = 6), flunixin meglumine (1.1 mg/kg; 6), or meloxicam (0.6 mg/kg; 6) 1 hour before ischemia was induced for 2 hours in a portion of jejunum; and were allowed to recover for 18 hours. Flunixin and SS treatments were repeated after 12 hours; all 3 treatments were administered immediately prior to euthanasia. Selected clinical variables, postoperative pain scores...
Villa R, Cagnardi P, Belloli C, Zonca A, Zizzadoro C, Ferro E, Carli S.The selective COX-2-inhibitor nimesulide is used extra-label in equine veterinary practice as an anti-inflammatory agent. However, there are no data on which to base the rational use of the drug in this species. Objective: To determine the effective COX selectivity of nimesulide in the horse, and suggest a suitable dosing schedule. Methods: The pharmacokinetics of nimesulide in the horse after oral administration (1 mg/kg bwt), and oral and i.v. administration (1.5 mg/kg bwt) were investigated, effects of feeding status on bioavailability determined, and plasma protein binding of the drug and ...
Davis JL, Papich MG, Morton AJ, Gayle J, Blikslager AT, Campbell NB.The purpose of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetics of etodolac following oral and intravenous administration to six horses. Additionally, in vitro cyclooxygenase (COX) selectivity assays were performed using equine whole blood. Using a randomized two-way crossover design, horses were administered etodolac (20 mg/kg) orally or intravenously, with a minimum 3-week washout period. Plasma samples were collected after administration for analysis using high pressure liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. Following intravenous administration, etodolac had a mean plasma half-li...
Murphy BA, Vick MM, Sessions DR, Cook RF, Fitzgerald BP.Peripheral clocks receive timing signals from the master mammalian pacemaker in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and function to adaptively anticipate daily changes that influence local physiology. Evidence suggests that peripheral immune activation may act as a resetting signal for circadian clocks in peripheral tissues. We wished to investigate whether acute systemic inflammation could synchronize clock gene expression in equine peripheral blood, a tissue that does not normally oscillate in this species. We report that in vivo administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) results in significan...
Joyce J, Hendrickson DA.To compare pain responses in stallions undergoing standing laparoscopic cryptorchidectomy following intratesticular or mesorchial infiltration of lidocaine. Methods: Clinical trial. Methods: 20 stallions with 1 or 2 undescended testes. Methods: Standing horses were administered a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug and a caudal epidural injection of detomidine hydrochloride and underwent laparoscopic cryptorchidectomy. The undescended testis (1/horse) was grasped to determine the preoperative pain response (present vs absent) and assess severity of pain (by use of a visual analog scale [VAS])....
Kuemmerle JM, Uhlig H, Kofler J.Hyaluronate (HA) was administered by intra-articular injection to a 13-year-old Haflinger mare for treatment of metacarpophalangeal osteoarthritis. Ten hours after the injection, a severe inflammatory reaction developed in the treated joint. While awaiting results of synovial fluid analysis, treatment for iatrogenic infectious arthritis was initiated, but the analysis did not confirm sepsis. Clinical signs improved significantly following systemic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication and the horse was discharged three days later. Following an intravenous hyaluronate injection, four days ...
Pusterla N, Latson KM, Wilson WD, Whitcomb MB.The history, clinical signs, results of diagnostic imaging, treatment methods and outcome of 16 adult horses with a metallic foreign body in the tongue are reviewed. All the horses had a swollen tongue, they salivated excessively and were partially to completely anorexic. Less common clinical signs were fever, an enlarged and painful intermandibular space, dysphagia, unilateral tongue paralysis and halitosis. Most of the horses had shown clinical signs for less than 24 hours. The foreign bodies were diagnosed by oral examination, radiography and ultrasonography; they were removed from the tong...
Whitcomb MB, le Jeune SS, MacDonald MM, Galuppo LD, Judy CE.3 horses with penetrating wounds to the shoulder area were examined because of forelimb lameness. Results: All horses had physical examination findings (decreased cranial phase of the stride, swelling in the shoulder region, and signs of pain on manipulation of the shoulder) that were suggestive of problems in the upper portion of the forelimb. Injury to the biceps tendon or bursa was the primary differential diagnosis in each instance, but no abnormalities involving those structures were found. Radiographic and ultrasonographic imaging revealed injuries to the caudal eminence of the greater t...
Marttinen PH, Raulo SM, Suominen MM, Tulamo RM.The objective here was to evaluate the acute effects of induced arthritis on synovial fluid (SF) levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) -2, -8 and -9 in horses. To evaluate MMP-2 and -9 activities and the effect of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) bufexamac during remission from acute arthritis. Aseptic arthritis was induced in 24 Standardbred horses using 20 mg of amphotericin B as a single intra-articular (IA) injection in the right intercarpal joint. After 1 week and 2 weeks, horses were treated intra-articularly with 10, 20, or 40 mg of bufexamac suspension or with sterile s...
Popot MA, Donval A, Bonnaire Y, Huau J.Feces are a possible medium to be used for horse doping control. Efficient methods for detecting drugs in feces collected from various animals are routinely applied in institutes of food safety in Belgium. We have already tested whether they are applicable to horse feces. In this report, accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), an efficient method for extracting compounds from solid material, has been tested. ASE has been used to replace the diethyl ether liquid-liquid extraction step present in the method initially set up. This technique has been optimized for detecting several non-steroidal ant...
Sinclair MD, Mealey KL, Matthews NS, Peck KE, Taylor TS, Bennett BS.To determine the disposition of a bolus of meloxicam (administered IV) in horses and donkeys (Equus asinus) and compare the relative pharmacokinetic variables between the species. Methods: 5 clinically normal horses and 5 clinically normal donkeys. Methods: Blood samples were collected before and after IV administration of a bolus of meloxicam (0.6 mg/kg). Serum meloxicam concentrations were determined in triplicate via high-performance liquid chromatography. The serum concentration-time curve for each horse and donkey was analyzed separately to estimate standard noncompartmental pharmacokinet...
Reed SK, Messer NT, Tessman RK, Keegan KG.To assess effects of treatment with phenylbutazone (PBZ) or a combination of PBZ and flunixin meglumine in horses. Methods: 24 adult horses. Methods: 13 horses received nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in a crossover design. Eleven control horses were exposed to similar environmental conditions. Treated horses received PBZ (2.2 mg/kg, PO, q 12 h, for 5 days) and a combination of PBZ and flunixin meglumine (PBZ, 2.2 mg/kg, PO, q 12 h, for 5 days; flunixin meglumine, 1.1 mg/kg, IV, q 12 h, for 5 days). Serum samples were obtained on day 0 (first day of treatment) and day 5, and total...
Goodrich LR, Nixon AJ.The medical treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) in the horse is one of the most utilized therapeutic regimens in the equine practice. It is important to understand the anatomy of synovial joints and the pathophysiology of the disease process to treat OA adequately. Once a thorough understanding of the disease process is comprehended the proper combination of systemic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), intraarticular steroids, viscosupplementation and chondroprotectants can be used to treat the disease and inhibit further progression of degenerative changes to the cartilage surface. Th...
Trumble TN.In horses, lameness is often attributable to some degree of osteoarthritis (OA), a complex disease process that is highlighted by eventual degradation of articular cartilage. Conventional therapies for OA in horses are designed to relieve pain and discomfort and often include pharmacologic intervention with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or intra-articular steroids. Oral administration of nutraceutical products to the horse is common and easy and is perceived to be a benign treatment for OA in horses. The main goal for use of nutraceuticals is to use them in OA cases to attempt to lower ...
Fortier LA.Systemic therapies for joint disease may be prescribed when a single joint is involved or when multiple sites are affected. The precise therapeutic regimen recommended depends on the duration,cause, and site(s) of injury and is often an adjunct to intra-articular or supportive therapies. If the clinical signs of joint disease are acute and moderate in severity, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are often administered to alleviate pain and inflammation. When aiming for more of a generalized maintenance or chondro-protective regimen, an alternative medication, such as hyaluronan,polysulfated ...
Mills PC, Cross SE.Commercial formulations of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are developed for human use but the extent to which they will pass through equine skin is unknown. Skin was harvested from five Thoroughbred geldings from the thorax, groin and leg (dorsal metacarpal) regions and frozen (-20 degrees C) until required. Two grams of methylsalicylate (MeSa) gel was applied to defrosted full-thickness samples in diffusion cells and the penetration of MeSa and its active metabolite, salicylate (Sa), through skin samples were measured over 24 h. Significantly higher (P < or = 0.02) total sa...
Groves L.An eighteen-month old quarter horse gelding was diagnosed with chip fractures from the distal lateral trochlear ridge of the talus. The horse presented with the symptom of persistent synovitis. The diagnosis was based on radiographic evidence. The horse was treated initially with arthroscopic surgery. He was given a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent, and a chondroprotective agent to prevent further damage to, and aid in the healing of, the damaged joint.
Janett F, Aebi L, Burger D, Imboden I, Hässig M, Kindahl H, Thun R.The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) vedaprofen (Quadrisol) on quality and freezability of stallion semen. Experiments were performed using 22 Franches Montagnes stallions from the National Stud in Avenches (Switzerland) randomly divided into a control and test group. Vedaprofen was given orally to all stallions of the test group at the recommended therapeutic dose (initial dose of 2mg/kg followed by 1mg/kg body weight every 12h) for 14 days. Control animals received the same amount of carrier substance. During treatment, bl...
Beretta C, Garavaglia G, Cavalli M.We report on the inhibitory activity of the NSAIDs meloxicam, carprofen, phenylbutazone and flunixin, on blood cyclooxygenases in the horse using in vitro enzyme-linked assays. As expected, comparison of IC50 indicated that meloxicam and carprofen are more selective inhibitors of COX-2 than phenylbutazone and flunixin; meloxicam was the most advantageous for horses of four NSAIDs examined. However at IC80, phenylbutazone (+134.4%) and flunixin (+29.7%) had greater COX-2 selectivity than at IC50, and meloxicam (-41.2%) and carprofen (-12.9%) had lower COX-2 selectivity than at IC50. We therefor...
Anderson D, Kollias-Baker C, Colahan P, Keene RO, Lynn RC, Hepler DI.The liposomal cream formulation of diclofenac, an NSAID, is an effective, safe, and convenient way to treat localized areas of inflammation in horses. The results of this study reveal urinary and serum concentrations of diclofenac following topical administration of 1% liposomal diclofenac cream for 10 days at the labeled dose and at 2X and 4X the labeled dose. These results demonstrate the slow absorption and elimination of 1% liposomal diclofenac cream and may be useful when estimating the withdrawal time needed before a competition in order to prevent an inadvertent positive drug test.
Soraci AL, Tapia O, Garcia J.Flurbirpofen (FBP), a member of the 2-aryl propionate nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug class, has potent anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. The commercial preparation is a racemic mixture of the R(-) and S(+) enantiomers of FBP. In this study, R(-) and S(+) FBP were used to investigate the metabolic chiral inversion. Each enantiomer was administered separately (0.25 mg/kg) and in a racemic mixture (0.5 mg/kg) intravenously to horses. Plasma and synovial concentration of each enantiomer was determined and the disposition of each was analyzed. After intravenous administration of R(-)...
Hu HH, MacAllister CG, Payton ME, Erkert RS.To compare analgesic effects of phenylbutazone administered at a dosage of 4.4 mg/kg/d (2 mg/lb/d) or 8.8 mg/kg/d (4 mg/lb/d) in horses with chronic lameness. Methods: Controlled crossover study. Animals-9 horses with chronic forelimb lameness. Methods: Horses were treated i.v. with phenylbutazone (4.4 mg/kg/d or 8.8 mg/kg/d) or saline (0.9% NaCl) solution once daily for 4 days. All horses received all 3 treatments with a minimum of 14 days between treatments. Mean peak vertical force (mPVF) was measured and clinical lameness scores were assigned before initiation of each treatment and 6, 12, ...
Tomlinson JE, Blikslager AT.Recent studies have shown that flunixin prevented recovery of equine jejunum post ischaemia. However, the use of a purported cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 preferential inhibitor, etodolac, also prevented recovery. These findings may have implications for the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in colic patients. Objective: To compare the effects of deracoxib, a highly selective canine COX-2 inhibitor, with flunixin on in vitro recovery of ischaemic-injured equine jejunum. Methods: Six horses underwent 2 h jejunal ischaemia, after which mucosa was mounted in Ussing chambers and recovered for 2...
Waguespack RW, Cochran A, Belknap JK.To compare the levels of mRNA expression of cycooxygenase (COX)-1 and COX-2 in the digital laminae of normal horses and horses in the developmental stages of laminitis experimentally induced by administration of black walnut extract (BWE). Methods: Samples of mRNA extracted from the digital laminae of 5 control horses and 5 horses at the onset of leukopenia after administration of BWE. Methods: Specimens of laminae were collected from anesthetized horses prior to euthanasia. Expression of COX-1 and COX-2 mRNA in laminae of control and affected horses was evaluated via real-time quantitative po...
Lees P, Landoni MF, Giraudel J, Toutain PL.This review summarises selected aspects of the pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). It is not intended to be comprehensive, in that it covers neither minor species nor several important aspects of NSAID PD. The limited objective of the review is to summarise those aspects of NSAID PK and PD, which are important to an understanding of PK-PD integration and PK-PD modelling (the subject of the next review in this issue). The general features of NSAID PK are: usually good bioavailability from oral, intramuscular and subcutaneous administ...
Toutain PL, Reymond N, Laroute V, Garcia P, Popot MA, Bonnaire Y, Hirsch A, Narbe R.To determine pharmacokinetic parameters for meloxicam, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, in horses. Methods: 8 healthy horses. Methods: In the first phase of the study, horses were administered meloxicam once in accordance with a 2 x 2 crossover design (IV or PO drug administration; horses fed or not fed). The second phase used a multiple-dose regimen (daily oral administration of meloxicam for 14 days), with meloxicam administered at the recommended dosage (0.6 mg/kg). Plasma and urine concentrations of meloxicam were measured by use of validated methods with a limit of quantification of...
Morton AJ, Campbell NB, Gayle JM, Redding WR, Blikslager AT.Synovitis in horses is frequently treated by administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which inhibit cyclooxygenase isoforms (COX-1 and COX-2). Constitutively expressed COX-1 is involved in physiologic functions such as maintenance of gastric mucosal integrity, whereas COX-2 is up-regulated at sites of inflammation. Thus, COX-2 inhibitors reduce inflammation with reduced gastrointestinal side effects as compared to non-selective COX inhibitors. The objective of the present study was to compare the anti-inflammatory effects of the preferential COX-2 inhibitor etodolac wi...
Matthews NS, Peck KE, Taylor TS, Mealey KL.To describe the pharmacokinetics of phenylbutazone and oxyphenbutazone after IV administration in miniature donkeys. Methods: 6 clinically normal miniature donkeys. Methods: Blood samples were collected before and 5, 10, 20, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, 300, 360, and 480 minutes after IV administration of phenylbutazone (4.4 mg/kg of body weight). Serum was analyzed in triplicate by use of high-performance liquid chromatography for determination of phenylbutazone and oxyphenbutazone concentrations. The serum concentration-time curve for each donkey was analyzed separately to estimate model-i...
Moore CP, Halenda RM, Grevan VL, Collins BK.Traumatic keratouveitis in horses is characterised by a unilateral, aseptic, vascularising keratitis accompanied by moderate to severe anterior uveitis. In a series of 9 cases of post traumatic keratouveitis, topical and systemic nonsteroidal drugs and atropine were used to control the anterior uveitis while allowing spontaneous corneal healing. Among the 9 cases reported, 6 affected eyes previously treated with local corticosteroids took significantly longer to resolve when compared to 3 eyes in which corticosteroids had not been administered. It was concluded that, in cases of equine post tr...
Foreman JH, Grubb TL, Inoue OJ, Banner SE, Ball KT.Objective blinded efficacy data during exercise are lacking on the use of single-dose i.v. nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) before, during and after exercise. Objective: Single i.v. doses of either phenylbutazone (PBZ) or flunixin meglumine (FM) would prove more efficacious than negative saline control (SAL) before, during and after exercise in a reversible model of foot lameness. Methods: Six Quarter Horse mares had lameness induced by tightening a set screw against a heart bar shoe 1 h prior to treatment. Randomised blinded treatments included PBZ (4.4 mg/kg bwt i.v.), FM (1.1 m...
Gitari A, Nguhiu J, Varma V, Mogoa E.The aim of this study was to determine the treatments and their outcomes in horses with colic in Nairobi County, Kenya. Methods: This is a retrospective study to determine the occurrence, treatments, pain management, and outcomes of colic in horses in Nairobi County. Association between pain management protocols and the outcomes of colic with regard to recovery or death was also determined. Data collected from four equine practitioners were organized manually and given numerical codes as appropriate to facilitate entry into the computer. The coded data were entered into Microsoft Excel 2010 an...
Soraci A, Jaussaud P, Benoit E, Delatour P.Fenoprofen (FPF) is a chiral non-steroid antiinflammatory drug, marketed as a racemic mixture of its R(-) and S(+) enantiomers. Its stereoselective disposition in humans and animals is due to a chiral inversion converting R(-)FPF into S(+)FPF. The first step of this reaction, which produces an acyl-CoA thioester, is catalysed by an acyl-CoA ligase. A stereospecific high performance liquid chromatography assay was used to study the disposition of FPF enantiomers in four geldings and three male beagle dogs, following intravenous doses of racemic FPF (1 mg/kg in horses), R(-)FPF (0.5 mg/kg in hor...
Baller LS, Hendrickson DA.Pain management is an extremely vital part of equine orthopedic surgery. Providing optimum analgesia for the patient will decrease recovery time, decrease physiologic stress on the animal, and provide maximum comfort during the post-operative period. The major analgesic drug categories and routes covered are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, local anesthetics, intra-articular drugs, and epidurals.
Lohmann KL, Sieg M, Landmann M, Ganzenberg S, Arnold C, Vahlenkamp T, Ulrich RG.The presenting complaints, clinical signs, diagnostic evaluation, therapy, and outcome of 12 horses with clinically apparent West-Nile-Virus (WNV) infection are described. Methods: Case series RESULTS: The adult horses (age 6-18 years, 7 mares, 5 geldings) from Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt were presented with various clinical histories between September 2018 and September 2020. All horses were presented in August or September and no horse was vaccinated against WNV. Fever as the most common general clinical sign was present in 8/12 horses. The most common neurological signs were muscle fascicula...
Düsterdieck-Zellmer KF.Systemic administration of tiludronate or clodronate decreases lameness in some horses suffering from navicular syndrome within 2-6 months of treatment. In horses that fail to respond to the first treatment, a follow-up treatment may still improve the lameness. Horses with a lameness duration of less than 6 months have better odds of experiencing improvement in lameness. Bisphosphonate (BP) treatment can result in renal damage, and it is recommended to assess renal function prior to and after treatment. Horses with pre-existing renal compromise should not be treated with BP, as this may promot...
O'Banion MP, Sundman E, Edmonds M, Davis J.Dipyrone is a non-opioid, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug with antipyretic and analgesic properties commonly used in horses. Dipyrone is rapidly hydrolyzed to the primary active metabolite 4-methylaminoantipyrine (4-MAA). The purpose of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetic profile of 4-MAA following repeated and escalating doses of intravenously administered dipyrone. Twenty-six horses were randomly allocated to five treatment groups (one placebo group and four dipyrone groups [30 mg/kg q8h, 30 mg/kg q12h, 60 mg/kg q8h, and 90 mg/kg q12h]) and treated for nine consecutive da...
Giorgi M, Cuniberti B, Ye G, Barbero R, Sgorbini M, Vercelli C, Corazza M, Re G.Tepoxalin is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic properties and has been recently introduced into veterinary medicine. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) profile of tepoxalin to assess whether it would be suitable for clinical use in horses. Six female fasting/fed horses were given 10mg/kg tepoxalin orally in a cross-over study. After administration, tepoxalin underwent rapid and extensive hydrolytic conversion to its carboxylic acid metabolite RWJ-20142. In animals that had been fed, the plasm...
Johansson M, Anlér EL.A quantitative method for the analysis of flunixin, 2-(2-methyl-3-trifluoromethylanilino) nicotinic acid, in equine urine by gas chromatography with nitrogen-phosphorus detection has been developed. Flunixin and the internal standard, mefenamic acid, N-(2,3-xylyl) anthranilic acid, were analysed after extractive methylation of the carboxylic acid group using methyl iodide. The extraction and alkylation conditions of flunixin and mefenamic acid have been studied. The detection limit of the method was 0.25 mumol/l flunixin in urine (74 ng/ml). Flunixin was found to be conjugated to 96.5% in equi...
Davis JL, Marshall JF, Papich MG, Blikslager AT, Campbell NB.The purpose of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetics of deracoxib following oral administration to horses. In addition, in vitro equine whole blood cyclooxygenase (COX) selectivity assays were performed. Six healthy adult horses were administered deracoxib (2 mg/kg) orally. Plasma samples were collected prior to drug administration (time 0), and 10, 20, 40 min and 1, 1.5, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, and 48 h after administration for analysis with high pressure liquid chromatography using ultraviolet detection. Following PO administration, deracoxib had a long elimination half-life (t(...
Yu NH, Ho EN, Tang FP, Wan TS, Wong AS.A multi-target high-throughput liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) method for the detection of low ppt to low ppb levels of anabolic steroids, corticosteroids, anti-diabetics, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in equine plasma was developed for the purpose of doping control. Plasma samples were first deproteinated by addition of trichloroacetic acid. Drugs were then extracted by solid-phase extraction (SPE) using Bond Elut Certify cartridges, and the extracts were analysed by a triple-quadrupole/linear ion trap LC-MS-MS instrument in positive electrospray...
Grady SE, Lescun TB, Moore GE, Cooper BR, Davern AJ, Brunner TJ, Taylor SD.The objective was to compare the analgesic efficacy of ketorolac tromethamine (KT) and two other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including flunixin meglumine (FM) and phenylbutazone (PB), using a heart bar shoe (HBS) model of reversible foot lameness in horses. Nine adult horses were used in a blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study. After induction of left front limb lameness using a modified HBS model, one of three NSAIDs (KT, 2.0 mg/kg IV; FM, 1.1 mg/kg IV; PB, 4.4 mg/kg IV) or saline (placebo) was administered IV as a single dose. Lameness was assessed eve...
Brunner TJ, Lescun TB, Moore GE, Grady SE, Davern AJ, Taylor SD.The mechanism by which nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs mitigate pain caused by a heart bar shoe (HBS) model of lameness is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine if this HBS model of lameness induces inflammation in horses. Five healthy adult horses from a university teaching herd were enrolled. A custom HBS was applied to the left front foot of each horse, followed by induction of the American Association of Equine Practitioners Lameness Score of 4. Inflammatory markers including serum amyloid A (SAA) concentration, local venous tumor necrosis factor alpha and prostaglandin ...
Clegg PD, Dyson SJ, Summerhays GE, Schramme MC.This paper describes the clinical and diagnostic features of 20 cases of scapulohumeral osteoarthritis in Shetland ponies, miniature horses and falabella ponies. The history and clinical signs were similar in all the cases Radiographically they all had consistent changes which consisted predominantly of articular osteophytes and periarticular enthesiophytes. Six of the cases had radiographic evidence of dysplasia of the scapulohumeral joint, although it was uncertain whether this was a primary or a secondary finding. No specific treatment appeared to be advantageous. At follow up, six of the p...
Maldonado-Cabrera B, Sánchez-Machado DI, López-Cervantes J, Osuna-Chávez RF, Ibarra-Zazueta C, Robles-Zepeda RE.Consultation was requested for a 7-year-old Gypsy Vanner male horse with a 2-year history of foreskin injury. Upon revision, an ulcer, 153 cm2 in size, with yellowish granules was observed; a RESVECH 2.0 evaluation revealed a score of 32/35 points. Medical history confirmed multiple failed deworming, anti-inflammatory, and antibiotic treatments with different topical therapies and recurrence in summer. Laboratory results confirmed elevated total proteins (8.8 g/dL) and globulins (5.5 g/dL), negative bacterial and fungal cultures, as well as negative coproparasitoscopic findings, and finally, i...
Hardee MM, Moore JN, Hardee GE.The efficacy of three agents which alter the metabolism of arachidonic acid was investigated in normal, conscious horses. A dose response evaluation was made of flunixin meglumine and phenylbutazone, two cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors, and of a selective thromboxane synthetase inhibitor, UK-38,485. Radioimmunoassay of thromboxane B2 (TxB2) and 6-keto prostaglandin F1 alpha (PGF1 alpha) was used to assess the concentrations of thromboxane A2 (TxA2) and prostacyclin (PGI2) respectively, in serum. Flunixin was the most potent inhibitor of serum TxB2 and 6-keto PGF1 alpha production. UK-38,485 also de...
González G, Ventura R, Smith AK, de la Torre R, Segura J.A gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) procedure for the detection of seventeen non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in equine plasma and urine samples is described. The extraction of the compounds from the biological matrix was performed at acidic pH (2-3) with diethyl ether. Ethereal extracts were washed with a saturated solution of sodium hydrogencarbonate (urine) or treated with a solid mixture of sodium carbonate and sodium hydrogencarbonate (plasma). The ethereal extracts were dried and derivatized by incubation at 60 degrees C with methyl iodide in acetone in the pre...
Bonilla AG, Bertone AL, Brokken MT, Santschi EM.CASE DESCRIPTION 4 horses were examined because of signs of chronic hind limb lameness. CLINICAL FINDINGS 3 horses had a history of lameness for > 6 months; specific duration was unknown for 1 horse. On initial evaluation, grade 3 to 4 (on a scale from 1 to 5) hind limb lameness was present in all 4 horses. Radiography of the stifle joint of the affected limb revealed medial femoral condyle subchondral lucencies or subchondral cystic lesions (SCLs) in all 4 horses, medial femorotibial osteoarthritis in 3 horses, and medial tibial condyle SCLs in 3 horses. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME 2 horses were...
Dawson J, Lees P, Sedgwick AD.The direct effects of four non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on equine polymorphonuclear (PMN) and mononuclear (MN) leucocyte movement were investigated using two in vitro assay systems. The Boyden chamber microfilter technique measures both chemokinetic and chemotactic locomotion, and the agarose microdroplet assay measures solely chemokinesis. Zymosan-activated plasma (ZAP) and the synthetic peptide N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP) were used as standard chemoattractants for PMN and MN leucocytes, respectively. The actions of six concentrations of each NSAID, indome...
Ross MW, Martin BB, Donawick WJ.The case records of 23 horses with cecal perforation (CP) were reviewed. The horses averaged 4.5 years of age (6 weeks to 13 years) and included 9 intact males, 12 mares, and 2 geldings. Twelve of the horses were Standardbreds, 9 were Thoroughbreds, and 1 each, a Belgian and Morgan. The horses were allotted to 2 groups: group I-13 hospitalized horses in which CP occurred unexpectedly, and group II-10 horses with CP at the time of admission. The horses characteristically had been sick or affected with disease unrelated to the cecum. Sixteen horses had been given nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory d...
Marsh MV, Caldwell J, Sloan TP, Smith RL, Horner M, Moss MS.14C-Fenclofenac (2-(2'-4'-dichlorophenoxy)-phenylacetic acid) was administered orally to horses, and urinary metabolites investigated by chromatography. Fenclofenac was rapidly absorbed and eliminated, with a plasma half-life (t1/2) of 2.3 h, with 83.2 and 85.8% of the dose being recovered in the urine in 0-24 h. The major urinary metabolite was the ester glucuronide (58.8, 70.0% dose), and evidence is presented that this metabolite undergoes a structural rearrangement to give beta-glucuronidase-resistant isomers. The other 14C-labelled components in horse urine were unchanged fenclofenac (13....
Hawkins JF, Tulleners EP.Epiglottitis was diagnosed and treated in 20 horses (13 Thoroughbreds and 7 Standardbreds) over a 5-year period. Eighteen horses were used for racing, and 2 Standardbreds were broodmares. Primary clinical signs were exercise intolerance, respiratory noise, and coughing. The most common endoscopic diagnosis made by referring veterinarians was epiglottic entrapment (11 horses). In 19 horses, endoscopic evaluation at admission revealed mucosal ulceration and thickening of the lingual surface of the epiglottis. Other endoscopic findings included dorsal displacement of the soft palate (14 horses), ...
Harman J, Ward M.Equine Cushing's syndrome, a relatively common and complex condition, is difficult to treat with conventional medicine. Cushing's syndrome involves a hyperplasia or adenoma of the anterior pituitary gland. Biochemical alterations include increased endogenous cortisol, insulin resistance, elevated adrenocorticotrophic hormone, and decreased thyroid hormone levels. Symptoms include hirsutism with no loss of the winter coat in summer, refractory laminitis, weight problems (over- or underweight), polyuria/polydipsia (Pu/Pd), frequent infections, lowered immunity to intestinal parasites, decreased ...
Eyre P, Hanna CJ, Wells PW, McBeath DG.This article reviews anti-inflammatory and antihypersensitivity drugs under these 4 headings: Functional or physiological antagonists; Selective pharmacological inhibitors; Broad spectrum anti-inflammatory drugs; Miscellaneous inhibitors. The compounds considered include sympathomimetic amines, anticholinergic drugs, antihistamine drugs, tryptamine antagonists and dopamine antagonists, glucocorticosteroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, disodium cromoglycate and diethylcarbamazine citrate. The relationship of the pharmacological actions of these compounds is considered in the conte...
Mouncey R, Arango-Sabogal JC, de Mestre A, Verheyen K.The study aimed to (1) describe the use of reproductive therapeutics; (2) estimate the incidence of disease and injury; and (3) describe non-reproductive medications administered during pregnancy in Thoroughbred broodmares. A prospective birth cohort was established on seven farms across the UK and Ireland. Details of dams' signalment, breeding history, reproductive management during the breeding season(s) and veterinary-attended episodes of illness or injury and medication usage during gestation were retrieved retrospectively for 275 pregnancies in 235 mares over two breeding seasons. Results...
Higgins AJ, Lees P, Sedgwick AD, Buick AR, Churchus R.In a two-part cross-over experiment in six ponies, an acute inflammatory reaction was generated by injecting carrageenin solution into subcutaneously-implanted tissue-cages lined with fibrovascular granulation tissue. In each part of the cross-over, half of the ponies received a novel phenylpyrazoline anti-inflammatory agent (BW540C) orally and half received a placebo treatment. BW540C inhibited platelet cyclo-oxygenase for 24 h but the reductions in exudate eicosanoid concentrations were less pronounced. A significant suppression in the rise of surface skin temperature in BW540C-treated ponie...
