There are few refereed blinded controlled documentations of skeletal analgesic efficacy of firocoxib, a selective COX-2 inhibitor. The objective was to test the hypotheses that intravenous firocoxib and phenylbutazone are comparable in efficacy and that both are more efficacious in alleviating lameness than placebo in an adjustable heart bar shoe model of equine foot pain.
Summary
Reasons for performing study
Two firocoxib preparations for oral use are approved for use in animals in many countries: a chewable canine tablet and an equine paste. In order to reduce costs, many veterinarians use the canine product in horses even though this is an off-label use of the preparation.
Objective
To determine the relative efficacy of 2 commercially available firocoxib products to inhibit prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis after oral dosing in horses.
Study design
Objective—To generate data on the effects of firocoxib administration to horses with osteoarthritis.
Animals—Client-owned horses with signs of lameness and joint pain associated with osteoarthritis.
Procedures—Firocoxib was administered as an oral paste (0.1 mg/kg, q 24 h) for 14 days. Assessments were performed on day 0 (baseline) and days 7 and 14.
Reason for performing study: Using an adjustable heart bar shoe model of foot pain, the objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that the combined use of phenylbutazone (PBZ) and flunixin meglumine (FM) would prove more efficacious in alleviating lameness than either drug alone.
Reasons for performing study: Objective blinded efficacy data during exercise are lacking on the use of single-dose i.v. nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) before, during and after exercise.
Hypothesis: Single i.v. doses of either phenylbutazone (PBZ) or flunixin meglumine (FM) would prove more efficacious than negative saline control (SAL) before, during and after exercise in a reversible model of foot lameness.
Reasons for performing study: In horses, it has been demonstrated that suxibuzone (SBZ) has a lower gastric ulcerogenic effect than phenylbutazone (PBZ). However, no field trials have been reported comparing the efficacy of the drugs in alleviating lameness.
Objectives: To compare the therapeutic effect of SBZ to that of PBZ when administered orally in lame horses. Acceptability of both products was also compared.
Reasons for performing study: Meloxicam is a commonly used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug in equine practice, but little is known about its in vivo effects on joint inflammation and cartilage turnover.
Objectives: To study the effects of meloxicam on biomarkers of inflammation, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity, and cartilage biomarkers in joints with experimental synovitis.