# Previcox dosing



## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

This is a prescription drug - I would hope (and assume) that she had the vet look at the horse before just giving this drug. We have a mare with Navicular. She was on a 1/4 pill maintenance dose for a couple of years. We manage her pain in other ways now so she no longer gets Previcoxx. But our dose is the same as above. The drug is relatively new (less than 20 years) and vets are using it in many different ways now. Just like an Osphos shot is now being used to treat arthritis when it was intended to replace the Previcoxx tablet.


----------



## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

What @carshon said.

One of the farm vets gave a casual wave of the hand and said I could keep my foundered horse on it "practically forever", that it wouldn't cause any stomach damage like Bute does.

That is so NOT true. Previcox takes a whole lot longer to affect the stomach but my foundered horse developed gastric ulcers anyway.

Even though I have had him off daily Previcox for 2-3 years, I keep a stash for emergencies, as he is 22 and also has some arthritis issues from old injuries. The emergencies are usually if the farrier comes before the equine chiropractor.

1/4 dose is also what I have been instructed to give by the lameness vet.

IMO, some people tend to hand out drugs to their horses, in the same manner they tend to use pain killers themselves. We don't all do that, but most of us do tend to believe the vet until we see otherwise, like I did with my horse


----------



## thecolorcoal (Jan 28, 2015)

previcox is interesting, also called equioxx (x?)


My very good friend has it prescribed for her mare eternally to treat arthritis. She says the vet said it would be ok. if it were my horse that isn't the avenue I would go, and i have told her that it reduces but does not remove the potential for ulcers. Alas she says the "vet said it's ok" so she will keep her horse on equioxx. The horse is about 2 or 3 years close to being put down so she also doesn't see the point in joint injections at this time, and taking her lasting years into consideration I agree with her there.


At the same time if you are giving pain meds to keep a horse working at the same level that is degenerating the joints in the first place, that raises red flags. Equioxx, IMO, is ethical if it comes with a change of workload, like a horse who can't jump 3' anymore due to arthritis, but with equioxx can navigate a 2' course. That, in my mind, would be alright.


many people give their horse's pain meds, injections, whatever, to keep them at the same level of work as when they were sounder, though. i think it's a really individual decision and opinion and i usually am someone who keeps their personal judgments to themselves.


----------



## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

my old guy has been on it for a couple years. tried to take him off it and he ended up lame from some arthritis and stiffness (and needed and adjustment because of both and in turn made both worse). he is on 1/4 pill every day with no issues. he acts like he is 5 years old at 33 and is now sound to ride (he stops eating and gets INCREDIBLY depressed if we dont ride him at least once a week or every other week). May not be true with all horses but sometimes the pros outweigh the cons. My guy is 33 so who knows how long he has. he is doing amazing and is feeling amazing so as long as he is happy im happy. I may do neigh lox monthly to maybe help, idk but i have not seen issues of ulcers and he has not been on hay for 6 years. 

a horse like my paint i would be worried about. he CANNOT have even once dose of bute or he gets MASSIVE ulcers and drops 100lbs before i can get them cleared up.
i have had about 5 vets say they can be on it forever with no long term issues. idk maybe it just exasperates issues that already present. when my arab was on it she was fine. she was VERY fat and had no ulcer symptoms either. she is not on it now because 80% of her lameness was ingrown bar anyway so fixing that has helped considerably.


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

It should really only be prescribed to horses now under the Equioxx label. Its the same drug but the Previcox used to be cheaper for no good reason at all other than to rip off horse people.
It is safer for long term use but as Walkinthewalk said it isn't 100% safe or even close.


Its usually used long term for horses with permanent 'wear and tear' ailments and supposed to make their lives more comfortable so I can't say that I agree with using it to keep a horse in anything but light work or retirement because masking pain will only result in more wear and tear on already compromised parts.
Its banned in competition horses


----------

