# Daily prevacox for life?



## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

my old horse that had cushings was on pergolide


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Fibrocoxib, aka previcox, is a NSAID, can't say I ever heard of that drug class changing form from continued use. I do know a horse owner that gives their horse a 1/4 tablet, sorry not sure of the dosage, daily and have done so for almost 20 years, horse is sound and old and still ridden.


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## greenhaven (Jun 7, 2014)

My 22 yo mare has been on a daily dose for several years, now, my vet never expressed any concern about it. It does seem to be less effective these days but her arthritic condition is deteriorating rapidly. This will likely be her last summer.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

If the horse has been diagnosed with cushings/IR it should be on Prascend or Pergolide. 

Is it? If not, why not and why is it on an NSAID instead?

At this point, I am more interested in what the horse is receiving to treat cushings and insulin resistance, since Previcox doesn't do one iota to help with either, except lower pain discomfort:-|


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## Draft lover (May 11, 2013)

There is no evidence as of now saying that previcox can't be given daily for life. There are no known side effects. But, it may just not be enough for your horse. You can try the 227 mg dose, or go with something like Adequan.


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## jenkat86 (May 20, 2014)

I agree with draft lover that it may not be enough for your horse. My mare was on Prevacox for about 3 years- 227 mg dose for arthritis. I eventually started taking her off of it in the summer only, and now she is off of it all together, but I also switched her to 24/7 turn out. I give buteless pellets now when she is a little stiff and sore. 

What are you using the prevacox for, specifically?


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

luke4275 said:


> My horse, 24 y/o dutch warmblood with cushings/IR. former jumper.. I put him on prevacox.. daily 57mg a few weeks ago.. No miraculous changes.. Some tell me prevacox should not be given for ever.. One vet.. ( forgot source) says that in the long term.. prevacox becomes pro-inflammatory instead of anti-inflammatory..


The equine version of firocoxib is Equioxx. 

The canine (dog) version of firocoxib is Previcox. And it is WAY cheaper than Equioxx and the exact same medication. While it's skirting the lines of what's legal ... many vets prescribe horse owners Previcox for their horses instead of Equioxx because of the price tag. 

From what I have been told from several well-respected vets, it is safe to give a horse Previcox long term. 

I would also be curious to know for *WHAT* specifically you are treating your horse, and what other options the vet presented for treatment besides Previcox. If it is for cushings/IR that you stated your horse has .... well I've never heard of Previcox being used for that reason. Typically, you are going to use Previcox to manage inflammation due to arthritis. 



luke4275 said:


> is anyone using prevacox daily? or mwf or every other day? any problems noted?


You cannot give Previcox every other day. It does not work that way. You need to understand how it works before using it, because it is not like bute or other medications. The horse must get a loading dose in their system, and then you need to maintain that level. 

Previcox comes as either a 227 mg tablet or a 57 mg tablet. I find the 57 to be much easier because that is a single dose. You can break the 227 into 4 pieces but it doesn't always break perfectly even. 

The loading dose is three 57 mg that you give the first day, and then one 57 mg each day after. It is important not to miss a dose because you need to maintain the same level in the horse, which means you should also give it at a similar time each day, in order for it to work the best. 

To those saying to give 227 mg each day :shock: well I guess I've never heard any vet recommend that high of a dose, and that's not how it was intended to be used.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I used Previcox to ease arthritis stiffness in a horse for several years with no problems and it was effective
Are you wanting to use it to treat something like that?

If your horse has Cushings you might find that using Pergolide will improve its well being - what you're seeing as stiffness might in fact be laminitis which is common in Cushings horses


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## Ktibb (Mar 24, 2010)

My vet has one of his older ponies on it, says hes been getting 1 pill a day for the last 5+ years and without it he would have to be put down. He is planning on keeping him on it for life.

I used it when getting my mare through her (first) hock fusing with WONDERFUL results (though that was only about a year of use). She was dead lame without it but sound for moderate riding (walk trot, trails, hills) with it. Her other hock is begining to fuse and I'm about to start her on a course of Previcox again,


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## Ktibb (Mar 24, 2010)

beau159 said:


> The equine version of firocoxib is Equioxx.
> 
> The canine (dog) version of firocoxib is Previcox. And it is WAY cheaper than Equioxx and the exact same medication. While it's skirting the lines of what's legal ... many vets prescribe horse owners Previcox for their horses instead of Equioxx because of the price tag.
> 
> ...


Yes! Yes yes to all of this.


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## Dapples123 (Jan 9, 2015)

I have had more discussions about this drug with more vets and everyone has a different answer - it's quite incredible.

I have an older guy who has taken 1/4 tab for years - has really helped him. Is it affecting his kidneys/liver in the long run - yes. Has it made him happy and happy in his light work? yes. We are keeping it.

I run a boarding stable so, have asked four vets about it. I'm in Canada so, we are all giving the "illegal" Previcox up here because neither Equioxx nor Previcox is licensed to use in horses up here.

One vet said it can be used for a couple of days to help inflammation - one of the horses gets it for two days before a jumping lesson. One vet (mine) said it's a long term use drug. One vet gives it to a horse for one week a month - and it seems to help the horse be a lot less stiff. The other said depending on the horse's condition - it can be used everyday or only a couple of times a week on an ongoing basis.

What they all agree on up here though: that no horse should be getting the big 227mg pill as a dose. The max the four vets have all said was the 57mg dose per day. All of them have a CAUTION DO NOT EXCEED 57MG PER DAY warning on the boxes when we get them - from four different vets.

It would be great to have a straight answer on the drug. But, all the horses on it seem to be helped by how they are taking it so......we ride on.


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## Draft lover (May 11, 2013)

Dapples123 said:


> I have had more discussions about this drug with more vets and everyone has a different answer - it's quite incredible.
> 
> I have an older guy who has taken 1/4 tab for years - has really helped him. Is it affecting his kidneys/liver in the long run - yes. Has it made him happy and happy in his light work? yes. We are keeping it.
> 
> ...


It takes two or three days for previcox to kick in, so giving it off and on a couple times a week isn't going to help. It needs to be given steadily.

The 227 mg isn't given as a whole pill. It's broken into quarters, being a higher dose.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Where is the research that says it takes 2 to 3 days to have effect?
It's not something I've ever read before and when I have used it on horses and a dog relief seemed fairly immediate
If it allows a horse to move more freely then improvement from increased mobility will be noticeable over time. In a series of tests on arthritic horse that were exercised on a tread mill daily they all showed significant improvement just from that alone


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

jaydee said:


> Where is the research that says it takes 2 to 3 days to have effect?
> It's not something I've ever read before


I can't say that I have read it anywhere either, but the 3 vets I use (all very good equine vets) all recommend to use it the way I have described above. 

And of course, you need to remember that Previcox has not and will not ever be studied in horses .... because it's a medication for dogs. :wink: And Equioxx is either injected or given as an oral paste ; not a pill like the Previcox. So there are some differences. 

I will trust my vet (all 3 of them) when they tell me this is how Previcox should be used in horses.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Why should the paste be any different to the tablet?
Same drug, same dosage, same route through the digestive system
The paste claims to be effective in 2 hours in most horses and one daily dose gives 24 hour relief


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## Draft lover (May 11, 2013)

jaydee said:


> Where is the research that says it takes 2 to 3 days to have effect?
> It's not something I've ever read before and when I have used it on horses and a dog relief seemed fairly immediate
> If it allows a horse to move more freely then improvement from increased mobility will be noticeable over time. In a series of tests on arthritic horse that were exercised on a tread mill daily they all showed significant improvement just from that alone


I don't think there is any reasearch on horses with previcox. I am going on the patients we have at the clinic who are on it. Their feedback, and the vet I work who has been a vet for 42 years. Other than our clients who tell us their results, not sure what else the vet has studied on it.


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## Dapples123 (Jan 9, 2015)

This is exactly what I was talking about. The confusion is quite amazing.

One of the vets I asked is a very well-respected racing vet - he was the one who said it CAN help in the short term - as in using it for three days before a jumping lesson.

And then the other vets range from "you need to use it long term" to "one week a month is great and definitely don't use it everyday".

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!


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## Draft lover (May 11, 2013)

jaydee said:


> Where is the research that says it takes 2 to 3 days to have effect?
> It's not something I've ever read before and when I have used it on horses and a dog relief seemed fairly immediate
> If it allows a horse to move more freely then improvement from increased mobility will be noticeable over time. In a series of tests on arthritic horse that were exercised on a tread mill daily they all showed significant improvement just from that alone


Where is research saying it doesn't? You say you saw "fairly" immediate, but our clients all say it is a few days. Considering it is labled for use in dogs only, who is to say there really is an exact time? For horses there is no research either way, it's on individual basis more or less.


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

Just to add a little more to the discussion...

Red has needed various injections (hock, coffin, stifle) in his body throughout the last couple years. As part of protocol, you also give an anti-inflammatory for 3 days afterwards. When I had his coffin joints injected, that vet (who started Red on Previcox) told me to just start feeding the Previcox and keep him on it the rest of the summer (since his right hock was still sore despite being injected). 

And this spring, when we redid his hocks (hopefully for the last time!) I asked my vet here if I could do the Previcox instead of powdered bute because he won't eat it. She said she didn't like to because the Previcox just doesn't have the same immediate punch as the bute. Thankfully, she had some of the good paste on hand that I gave him via a tube (some of that paste bute is hit-and-miss and can't squeeze it out of the tube!!). So from that aspect, she didn't want me to use Previcox because it wasn't immediate anti-inflammatory that she needs for his injections. 

The other vet it was good enough for BUT he also very specifically explained that it takes time to get into the system, and you must maintain that loading dose.


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