Adequan, Polysulfated Glycosaminoglycan (PSGAG), and their use in Horses
  by Robert N. Oglesby DVM

Adequan is advertised as being useful in the treatment of non-infectious arthritis of horses. It is a polysulfated glycosaminoglycan (PSGAG) and is chemically similar to natural mucopolysaccharides found in the cartilage of joints. In addition to PSGAG, pentosan polysulfate (PPS) (Cartrophen Vet, Pentosan Equine Injection) , and GAG peptide complex (Rumalon) belong to this same family of drugs. Also products like Chondro-Protec have popped up that have made claim to be generic forms of Adequan.

Despite early wide spread use as a intra-articular (IA) injection research indicating it may potentiate the chance of infection in the joint following administration has caused a move towards it's use through muscle injections (IM). However there have been questions as to the usefulness of this route of administration and how it compares with IA use.This article discusses the use, efficacy, and safety of Adequan and these generic drugs in horses with arthritis.

You have just read the introduction to one of our nearly 800 articles on horse care, diseases, and training. It includes a description of the contents of the unabridged version. As a guest you can access this article two different ways: either purchase the article or become a member and take advantage of all the benefits Horseadvice.com has to offer. Check out our Membership Drive Discount below but hurry. This is for a limited time!