Renal papillary necrosis in horses after phenylbutazone and water deprivation.
Abstract: Acute renal papillary necrosis occurred in five horses given normal therapeutic doses of phenylbutazone and deprived of water for 36 to 48 hours prior to euthanasia. Five horses given phenylbutazone alone and four horses subjected to water deprivation alone did not develop papillary necrosis. Urinalyses were normal prior to water deprivation, and also after water deprivation in the horses that did not receive phenylbutazone, but the water-deprived, phenylbutazone-treated horses had many red blood cells, transitional epithelial cells, and large numbers of oxalate crystals in their urine. Ulceration of the alimentary tract was seen in more than 50% of these horses. Tongue ulceration was present in one of five horses given phenylbutazone and one of five horses which had phenylbutazone and water deprivation. Ulceration of the gastric mucosa was seen in two of the five phenylbutazone-treated horses, four of five horses with phenylbutazone treatment and water deprivation, and one of four horses with water deprivation alone. Severe colonic ulceration with perforation and peritonitis was present in one horse given phenylbutazone for three months. No other significant changes in the small or large intestine were seen in the other 13 horses.
Publication Date: 1983-09-01 PubMed ID: 6636467DOI: 10.1177/030098588302000512Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This study investigates the impact of phenylbutazone and water deprivation on kidney health in horses, indicating that horses given both treatments showed signs of kidney damage and other health issues.
Experiment Setup
- The researchers divided a total of 14 horses into three groups for their study. Five horses were given normal doses of phenylbutazone and deprived of water for between 36 to 48 hours. Another five were given phenylbutazone alone, and the last group, consisting of four horses, were only subjected to water deprivation.
- The horses were euthanized after their treatments, allowing for thorough examination of their bodies.
Results
- The five horses given phenylbutazone and deprived of water demonstrated acute renal papillary necrosis, a condition leading to kidney damage. The horses that were only given phenylbutazone or only deprived of water did not develop this condition.
- A review of the urinalysis showed normal results before water deprivation and after it for the horses that did not receive phenylbutazone. However, the urinalysis for the group that was both given phenylbutazone and deprived of water showed numerous red blood cells, transitional epithelial cells, and large numbers of oxalate crystals; these are indications of kidney damage.
- More than half of the horses that were given both phenylbutazone and deprived of water suffered from alimentary tract ulceration. Singular cases of tongue ulceration were recorded both in the phenylbutazone only and the combined treatment groups. Meanwhile, gastric mucosa ulceration was most prevalent in the combined treatment group, compared to the other two groups.
Conclusions
- This study suggests a clear causative link between the combination of phenylbutazone administration and water deprivation in horses and the risk of kidney damage, as well as the risk of other health issues such as ulceration.
- However, the sample size was quite small, and as such, further research with more animals is necessary to fully substantiate these findings and potentially explore the mechanisms underlying these observed effects.
Cite This Article
APA
Gunson DE, Soma LR.
(1983).
Renal papillary necrosis in horses after phenylbutazone and water deprivation.
Vet Pathol, 20(5), 603-610.
https://doi.org/10.1177/030098588302000512 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Kidney / pathology
- Kidney Papillary Necrosis / etiology
- Kidney Papillary Necrosis / pathology
- Kidney Papillary Necrosis / veterinary
- Phenylbutazone / toxicity
- Time Factors
- Water Deprivation / drug effects
- Water Deprivation / physiology
Citations
This article has been cited 10 times.- Flood J, Stewart AJ. Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Associated Toxicities in Horses. Animals (Basel) 2022 Oct 26;12(21).
- Stenger V, Zeiter S, Buchholz T, Arens D, Spadavecchia C, Schüpbach-Regula G, Rohrbach H. Is a Block of the Femoral and Sciatic Nerves an Alternative to Epidural Analgesia in Sheep Undergoing Orthopaedic Hind Limb Surgery? A Prospective, Randomized, Double Blinded Experimental Trial. Animals (Basel) 2021 Aug 31;11(9).
- Siwińska N, Pasławska U, Bąchor R, Szczepankiewicz B, Żak A, Grocholska P, Szewczuk Z. Evaluation of podocin in urine in horses using qualitative and quantitative methods. PLoS One 2020;15(10):e0240586.
- Gold JR, Grubb TL, Green S, Cox S, Villarino NF. Plasma disposition of gabapentin after the intragastric administration of escalating doses to adult horses. J Vet Intern Med 2020 Mar;34(2):933-940.
- Mathews KA, Doherty T, Dyson DH, Wilcock B, Valliant A. Nephrotoxicity in dogs associated with methoxyflurane anesthesia and flunixin meglumine analgesia. Can Vet J 1990 Nov;31(11):766-71.
- Arosalo BM, Raekallio M, Rajamäki M, Holopainen E, Kastevaara T, Salonen H, Sankari S. Detecting early kidney damage in horses with colic by measuring matrix metalloproteinase -9 and -2, other enzymes, urinary glucose and total proteins. Acta Vet Scand 2007 Jan 23;49(1):4.
- Léveillé R, Miyabayashi T, Weisbrode SE, Biller DS, Takiguchi M, Williams JF. Ultrasonographic renal changes associated with phenylbutazone administration in three foals. Can Vet J 1996 Apr;37(4):235-6.
- Carrick JB, Papich MG, Middleton DM, Naylor JM, Townsend HG. Clinical and pathological effects of flunixin meglumine administration to neonatal foals. Can J Vet Res 1989 Apr;53(2):195-201.
- Jodzio D, DeNotta S, Plummer C, Sanchez C. Pain scoring systems in hospitalized horses with ocular disease. J Vet Intern Med 2024 Jan-Feb;38(1):388-397.
- Flood J, Byrne D, Bauquier J, Agne GF, Wise JC, Medina-Torres CE, Wood K, Sullivan O, Stewart AJ. Right dorsal colitis in horses: A multicenter retrospective study of 35 cases. J Vet Intern Med 2023 Nov-Dec;37(6):2535-2543.
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