Equine Vets? Equestrians? What is Bute and how should you use it?

Question

I hear many horse enthusiasts say that bute is is a good pain reliever for horses. But some say you must use it extremely sparingly and others have said that you can use it for as long as 2 weeks straight.

Is either thought correct? Is there a middle ground? What exactly does bute do?

Answer 1

bute is a very strong pain killer and should be used sparingly.

if youre horse has an injured foot and you give him bute he will not feel the pain, however you must always remember he is still injured, the bute just tells his brain he isnt sore. people who dont understand it give it to their horses and think their horses are better and then continue to ride the horse which only makes him worse. bute is a PAINKILLER not a solution to a horses injury. if you broke your arm and took some morphine it wouldnt fix the arm, it would just take the pain away.

Answer 2

Bute (Phenylbutazone) is actually a pretty strong equine (and canine) pain reliever and anti-inflamatory. It was actually originaly used in humans but discontinued due to severe adverse side effects. It is a Non Sterroidial Anti-Inflamatory Drug (NSAID). Reduces pain by working directly on the musculoskeletal tissue, therreby reduceing the pain which is a secondary effect of the inflamation. Will also help to alieve fevers. It is available by prescription only from a veterinarian.

Yes, it should be used sparingly as it can have harmful effects with prolonged usage. The most common side effect is severe gastoinstestinal problems, bleeding stomach, ulcers ect, although overdose can lead to kidney failure, internal hemoraging ect.

The usual "safe limit" is 5 days, though with horses that have a history of gastric problems that should be verified and in those cases admistered only by a vet. In those cases bute can be admistered via intraveinus injection --- should never be given in muscle as it can cause sever muscle and tissue damage.

Most commonly the problems occur when it is used in too strong a dose or given for too long with out a break. Most studies have shown that 1 gram of bute given 1x per day is just as effective as 2 grams either given 1x per day or 1gram given 2x's per day. Also 5 days on then 5 days off seems to be a "magic number" with bute and shows little or less severe side effects.

Basicly it is a wonderful, very helpful drug but like most things should only be admistered correctly and not unless needed. It can also mask the effects of other problems that can lead them to become much worse since they do not receive appropriate treatment.

You can find more info here...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenylbutaz...

or here...

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/live...

Answer 3

bute is sorta like a pain reliver it calms a horse down u really only need to use it when ur horse has a wound that needs to b wrapped um as a user of bute try using the tables they r much cheeper nd the paste is VERY VERY MESSY well, GOOD LUCK

Answer 4

bute is an aspirin. it is a simple pain reliever for horses just like tylona or Advil would be for us. bute is the number one pain reliever for horses. but can be used up to 2 weeks at a time. vets all over the world use it. its a wonderful product and horses like the taste of it. it comes in different flavors. it also comes in a paste form or a powder form

Answer 5

Bobbi gave you a good answer, but I thought I'd decipher the medical terminology a bit.

antipyretic=fever reducer

antiinflammatory=reduces inflammation

nonsteroidal=not a steroid hormone (cortisol)type of

                        antiinflammatory

It is not a pain killer...by reducing inflammation, which stimulates pain receptors, it also reduces pain.  

It is a way overused drug by horse owners who do not understand the drug or how it works, which goes to vets who overprescribe it to keep their clients happy even though they know it's use is being abused.

That said, it is helpful in treating arthritis long term as long as bloodwork is routinely done to monitor for toxicity.

As a fever reducer, it shouldn't be given the minute you find that a horse has a fever.  Fever is a healthy response to fight infections and unless it poses a threat in and of itself, should be left alone.  Only a vet should make that call.

Additionally, giving bute can mask the degree of fever which has diagnostic significance for a vet to consider.

Bute is like most things...it's good when it's good, and it can be abused and then it's not good anymore!

EDIT...Bute is Not Aspirin, and Bute is Not an analgesic (pain killer).  Lots of misconceptions abound, as I mentioned.

Zephania....

When given over time, the drug can be stored in body cells and reach toxic levels...especially in older horses.  The clinical dose has nothing to do with the long-term toxicity that builds up inside the horse's body.

4 the horses, I'm giving you a thumbs up even though you called it a pain reliever, since you know how it relieves the pain...lets educate these horsemen/women!

EDIT...Zephania....I'm not criticizing you.....I don't know your resources, but bute does develop toxicity.  And I advocate routine blood work to monitor it in long term use.  I have no doubt at all that you are doing the absolute best for your horse.  Sorry if I offended you.

Zephania...I'm glad you aren't offended, and you do your homework which I respect and commend.  I will only say that as a medical professional, I have access to more info than a lay person, and I can only say that I may know things that are not available to you in places like horse magazines...which is not your fault, and as I already said, you do your homework which is all I hope to see happen when horse owners use these drugs.  The point is to think before assuming.

Thumbs up for caring enough to argue with me!

Food for thought...most research studies you read about are sponsored by the drug companies that profit from finding that the drug is safe...unless you have access to the actual reseach criteria, you are being fooled.  Often, in these studies, no more than 10 horses participate, and the controls to validate the results are just not there.  When I refer to info that I have access to, it is the research done independently, not by drug companies, and validated correctly.

Answer 6

Phenylbutazone  is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and cylo-oxygenase inhibitor. It is a potent pain reliever, antipyretic, and anti-inflammatory. In the horse, it is commonly used for lameness, resulting from from soft tissue injury, muscle soreness, bone and joint problems, and laminitis. NSAIDs work by inhibiting the body's production of prostaglandins, thromboxane, and other inflammatory mediators. Some of these actions may be dose dependent. Phenylbutazone may be given intravenously or orally; pain relief and fever reduction usually starts within one to two hours.  It can upset the stomach and affect the kidneys if used for a prolonged period, and should be used sparingly...usually, if a horse needs Bute, it needs a vet.  If you have a horse that you know well, knows how it tolerates Bute and the horse is just sore or his pain is due to something on a temporary basis, then Bute is acceptable...too many people treat it as aspirin, which it is not.  An acceptable dose over too long of a period of time can become a lethal does when it comes to the kidneys.  It can only be acquired through a vet.  To answer your question specifically, if given in smaller doses, it can be given for a longer period of time.  One needs to be careful and not mask symptoms of more serious issues and ultimately injure the horse permanently.

Answer 7

Phenylbutazone, commonly known as Bute, is an anti-imflammatory and a pain killer.  I believe it's in the class of drugs called nsaids.

It is an excellent pain killer for horses, and should be used as the veterinarian recommends.

I have a horse who has been on daily doses for years.  He has an unresolvable eye condition (trust me, he's had surgery on it twice, chemo, radiation, you name it, they've done it!) and the bute keeps him comfortable and happy. He has suffered no ill effects from it.  As long as he's comfortable, the eye can see, and nothing more goes wrong with it, bute is a better option than removing it.

Most horses will tolerate 1-2 grams a day for as long as necessary.

Ponies should not be given as much, nor for very long.  For some reason they just don't tolerate it as well.

I know there are side effects in some horses, and sometimes they're dire.  There's a condition where part of the colon becomes  inert that is the worst side effect I've heard of, but I've never seen it and never known it to happen to anyone.

The lethal dose is a LOT higher than the clinical dose, so it's pretty safe.  

I don't understand why people would deny their horse pain relief IF they know what's wrong and they're working to fix it as much as possible!  Sure, you don't want to mask a symptom when the vet's coming out to look, but other than that...  I don't get it.

Galloppa...  the horse has been on bute for 10 years at the explicit direction of several different vets (and against my own initial reluctance), and never an ulcer or even a colic!  He's 25.  The half life of bute is very short, and it is NOT known to build up toxicity in the body.  The pain and inflammation is far more detrimental to the horse than the bute is.

It is an NSAID, just like tylenol and advil.

Galloppa, I'm not offended.  Here's a quote from Horse & Rider:

"There has been much discussion about the risks of using 'bute over a long period. However, research carried out in the US showed that previous reports on the safety risks are unfounded, as long as it is administered at the correct dose and according to instructions.

So providing a definitive diagnosis is established, there are no problems in using 'bute as a long-term painkiller or anti-inflammatory. "

Answer 8

bute is kind of like horsey asprin. It helps with pain relief, and can help keep or bring inflamation down. Some people use it only by vets recomendation, others use it alot, often before they go to shows.

The USEF show rules say that you can't use more than 1 gram per 1,000 lbs body weight per day, and no more than 5 days leading up to the show. I agree with this, its about right unless you have an injury and the vet tells you differently. I do a half a gram for 2 days up to the show and then 1 gram the night before. Also sometimes throw it in their feed if the ground is super hard or they worked really hard and might be indanger of a little swelling in their legs.

I think you can only get Bute from a vet, but i'm not sure. If taht is the case, then i would ask your vet specifically how you should use it for your horse, he/she will know better than we do.