A couple of weeks back I was chastised for being a bit abrasive in a post where a lady asked of she should give her heavily preganant mare flunixin for swollen back legs. In my urgency to prevent her from doing so, I propbably didnt pad my replies with flowers and kisses, but I dont think people realise the risks and side effects of this particular drug. In the US it is called Banamine, here in SA it is Fynadine or Pyroflam. While Pyroflam is very clear that is must ONLY be given via IV route, the package insert for Fynadine says for IV or IM route. But this is what happens when you give it IM. Huge abscesses form deep in the muscle. I have personally seen a case where the owners had given *eight* IM injections all over the body. The horse had to be PTS. The oral form of flunixin is no less dangerous. It normally comes in 3 doses. But by that 3rd dose you are pushing your horse VERY close to acute renal failure. And now because of the banning of bute, vets are prescribing this in its absence, far more than they should be. It is a COX 2 pain inhibitor. It does some some limited anti-inflammatory relief. But thatbis not its primary action. The BEST anti-inflammatory available at the moment is Metacam, and injectable and oral form of meloxicam that is *registered for use in horses* (go and read the fine print in your insurance policy for your horse). It is 3 times more expensive. But it had VERY FEW side effects and does NOT irritate the GI tract or cause ulceration. It is safe. And I have used it extensively so I can attest to the fact that it is exceptionally effective, and in my experience, mich more effective than bute. But it is expensive. At this stage I am willing to accept that for the sake of my horses wellbeing. Please do not overuse flunixin in your horses because you do not understand how serious the consequences really are.
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 04:50:40 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015