# Long Term Equioxx



## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

I would like opinions on keeping a younger horse on daily Equioxx long term.

My 12 year old OTTB has slipping stifles. A couple of years ago I trialed him on Equioxx and saw improvement in his movement. After the prescribed length of two weeks ran out, he gradually worsened again. 

My vet said if he felt better on it, he could take it indefinitely. Xrays showed very minor stifle arthritis on the right, apparently his pain is caused from chronic inflammation from the ligament catching slightly as it slides over the part of the bone that helps horses sleep standing up.

I have had him on one pill daily since then. Recently on the forum someone mentioned it might not be good to keep a horse on Equioxx long term. I've seen no signs of mouth ulcers, and my gelding has gotten fatter and has a good appetite, so I see no signs of abdominal ulcers. 

I wonder if people have had kidney or liver issues.

I'm currently trialing him on a half pill to see how he does. 
His condition has improved in the past two years, so perhaps he does not still need it. He is a lot stronger from not moving as poorly, and it seems to help that he is out 24/7 on stable footing. 
He was on deep sand in his shelter area until a few months ago, and I think that did not help him.

However, I am wanting to know what the risks are if he seems more painful without the Equioxx.


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## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

Equioxx/Previcoxx is generally regarded as well tolerated and safe for long term use. There is the concern for kidney, but I understand it's quite low and generally coupled with preexisting conditions. I've never heard any association with oral ulcers, but gastric are possible but no where near as large of a concern as other NSAIDs. It's a COX2 inhibitor which isn't responsible for gastric secretions, but there's a small amount of crossover to COX1.

I've had my 10yr old on Previcoxx for 1.5yrs now. I pull blood periodically to check his chem, no issues. We did have an issue last year with the Previcoxx aggravating some existing sub-clinical ulcers. After treating those with Omeprazole I put him back on Previcox 4x a week (daily before). Might put him back on daily this summer when he's back on pasture.

IMO, if there's a preexisting condition, then be more conservative, but otherwise it seems to be very well tolerated long term. I also look at it in terms of a trade off; if being on Previcoxx does somehow shorten his lifespan, is it better that he live 15 more painful years or 10 more painfree years?


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

All the vets must learn the same speech as “indefinitely“ rolled off the lips of my vet when Joker foundered pretty bad in 2012.

I kept Joker on Previcox, which is the same as equinox except it is labeled for dogs and is in tablet form. The prescribed dosage for a horse is 1/4 of a 227mg tablet. Joker developed gastric ulcers during that six month continuous feeding of Previcox. He still gets and occasional dose, mostly when the farrier resets him, plus he was on Previcox for a few weeks when he refractured his back during a 2018 hail storm — and his ulcers flared up again.

I have had a CBC and a Chemistry Panel done twice since 2019 and everything was within normal range. I plan on getting them done again this Spring, when I have his insulin and ACTH rechecked.

I can’t speak to a forever kind of dosage but the extended periods Joker was on Previcox did not affect his vital organs but did affect his stomach.

Joker is 25 BTW.

Not sure how much help this is


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## SteadyOn (Mar 5, 2017)

My almost-24-year-old has been on Previcoxx for most of the last four years. She's sound...ish... without it. Not lame, but stiff and there's a noticeable difference in her gaits. On it, she's more limber and comfortable and uses herself a lot better and can still do lateral work, etc -- which allows us to keep her limber and fit. So far so good. She went through a phase last winter of having some stomach troubles, but that's more of a weather-dependent thing with her and has been otherwise completely fine, so I don't think the medication is to blame. The risks to me are worth it to keep her fit and mobile and comfortable for as long as possible, as she's at a use-it-or-lose-it age.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

We've used it for J for several years with the occasional break, it takes the edge of her arthritis, which isn't bad but she tends to get some stiffness until she's warmed up and the medication makes things easier for her.
She's never shown any signs of ulcers or any other problems that could relate to the drug.
She is on a magnesium supplement which seems to control her excessive hormonal behavior so that might reduce ulcer risks, plus some alfalfa which is calcium rich and beet pulp which is calcium rich and pectin rich - pectin is a good buffer


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## SteadyOn (Mar 5, 2017)

jaydee said:


> We've used it for J for several years with the occasional break, it takes the edge of her arthritis, which isn't bad but she tends to get some stiffness until she's warmed up and the medication makes things easier for her.
> She's never shown any signs of ulcers or any other problems that could relate to the drug.
> She is on a magnesium supplement which seems to control her excessive hormonal behavior so that might reduce ulcer risks, plus some alfalfa which is calcium rich and beet pulp which is calcium rich and pectin rich - pectin is a good buffer


My horse is on it for the same reason, and also gets beet pulp and alfalfa pellets.  I have her on Mad Barn Amino Trace+ as her balancer, which has lots of magnesium as well.


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## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

Very helpful replies, thanks. I've been giving my gelding magnesium for some time now, so perhaps that has been helping prevent ulcers. I'm thinking about quality vs quantity of life, that was a great point. If my horse seems more sore I'll keep him on it.


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## livelovelaughride (Sep 13, 2011)

Anyone here know with certainty the usual dose lasts 36 hours? That is why my vet advised every other day for long term.


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## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

It takes about 3 hours to peak in serum and has a half life of about 30-40 hours.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Harley was on Previcox for about 2 years. The vet who diagnosed his arthritis said that she might not recommend it for a younger horse, but given his age (20 at the time), it was ok to keep him on it for the rest of his life. She is a vet who travels to our area from the nearest veterinary college in PEI (5 hours away from me) for whatever that's worth. 

Since then, I have been using an equine vet who runs a private clinic 2.5 hours away from me. He wanted me to try 4Cyte instead because he didn't love the idea of keeping a horse on Previcox indefinitely. It isn't cheap, but helps rebuild cartilage as well as providing some pain relief, and Harley has shown a lot more improvement on this than on the Previcox. He is now doing 2nd level dressage movements (he's almost 22) that we never thought he'd be able to do because of his hocks. My understanding is that the Previcox is an anti-inflammatory, but the 4Cyte actually improves the joint and increases mobility. Since his hocks are fused, that will obviously not change, but he is certainly less stiff and a lot more flexible. My daughter and I, and her dressage coach, all noticed a difference within two weeks. It's plant-based, and there is no reason he can't be on it forever, though I don't know enough about it to say what side-effects it may have, just that we haven't seen any. To me, it was a good solution because I can just add to his food. It does taste gross (we use the gel and I got it on my fingers), so takes some getting used to, but he gobbles it right down with his hay cubes and beet pulp now. Cost is about 100$ a month. The next step would be injections, but I like this option better and the results are hard to argue with - my daughter is thrilled and went from thinking she'd be lucky to get one more show season with him to thinking about moving to the next level.


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## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

Acadianartist said:


> Harley was on Previcox for about 2 years. The vet who diagnosed his arthritis said that she might not recommend it for a younger horse, but given his age (20 at the time), it was ok to keep him on it for the rest of his life. She is a vet who travels to our area from the nearest veterinary college in PEI (5 hours away from me) for whatever that's worth.
> 
> Since then, I have been using an equine vet who runs a private clinic 2.5 hours away from me. He wanted me to try 4Cyte instead because he didn't love the idea of keeping a horse on Previcox indefinitely. It isn't cheap, but helps rebuild cartilage as well as providing some pain relief, and Harley has shown a lot more improvement on this than on the Previcox. He is now doing 2nd level dressage movements (he's almost 22) that we never thought he'd be able to do because of his hocks. My understanding is that the Previcox is an anti-inflammatory, but the 4Cyte actually improves the joint and increases mobility. Since his hocks are fused, that will obviously not change, but he is certainly less stiff and a lot more flexible. My daughter and I, and her dressage coach, all noticed a difference within two weeks. It's plant-based, and there is no reason he can't be on it forever, though I don't know enough about it to say what side-effects it may have, just that we haven't seen any. To me, it was a good solution because I can just add to his food. It does taste gross (we use the gel and I got it on my fingers), so takes some getting used to, but he gobbles it right down with his hay cubes and beet pulp now. Cost is about 100$ a month. The next step would be injections, but I like this option better and the results are hard to argue with - my daughter is thrilled and went from thinking she'd be lucky to get one more show season with him to thinking about moving to the next level.


Very interesting, I will look into 4cyte.


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## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

Apparently 4cyte is not available in the US so I just ordered some from Canada. If it works well, it could be cheaper in US$ than the Equioxx. I'm game to try.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

gottatrot said:


> Apparently 4cyte is not available in the US so I just ordered some from Canada. If it works well, it could be cheaper in US$ than the Equioxx. I'm game to try.


Weird because it's made in Australia! Usually it's the reverse - I can't get stuff here that is only available in the US. Good that you were able to get some from Canada. Here, it is slightly more expensive than the Previcox (my vet sells me the big tablets that I would break up into four pieces), but not by that much so I'm happy to pay the difference given how well it's working for Harley. Through my vet, a 59 day supply of 4Cyte costs me 173$ taxes and shipping in.

Let us know how you like it!


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