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Discussion on Dexamethasone- WHAT IS TO MUCH AND TO LONG?
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New Member: Rdrj
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Posted on Tuesday, Jul 4, 2006 - 9:12 am:
My mare suffers from tail itch and cough in the spring into summer. I give her a shot of Vetilog( sorry about the spelling)2cc/(just one shot for the season. And in the summer she is getting 2cc Dexamethason on her feed once a day and seems to be doing great along with skin so soft oil on her tail. I started to wean her off the Dex. First week 2cc once a day to 1 1/2cc once a day for a week to 1 cc to 1/2 cc. when we got to the 1/2cc she started to itch her tail again.My question is, is it ok to keep her on 1cc a day for the summer and should I be giving her any thing to boost her immune system.
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Moderator: DrO
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Posted on Wednesday, Jul 5, 2006 - 10:04 am:
Hello Rita, Back up to the Anti-inflammatory Topic Menu and select Treatments and Medications for Horses » Anti-inflammatories (NSAID's, Steroids, Arthritis Rx) » Overview of the Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs. There is a subtopic in the article on problems with steroid use labeled "Adverse Effects" which addresses your questions directly. You should note 3 things as you read through this: 1) There is a problem with excessive dosages. 2) There is a problem with stopping after prolonged use. 3) There is a way to avoid all these problems and use the medication long term. All of this is explained in detail and if after studying it you still have questions, come back here. DrO
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New Member: Rdrj
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Posted on Wednesday, Jul 5, 2006 - 10:47 am:
I read that info-however I am still confused on what is considered large dose and whats to long of a period. Is 2cc or 1cc a high dose over there feed? The bottle says 2mg on it. We have 3 horses in our barn that are on this treatment, So I am also asking for them. We have one vet said give 3cc every day on feed for the summer- 3 months, and another vet said no-longer than a month starting with treatment that I explained above with my mare. So who is correct and what should we do?
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Moderator: DrO
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Posted on Thursday, Jul 6, 2006 - 10:54 am:
The upper end of the published dosage in either of the articles for the condition you have would be considered a high dose and the Adverse section of the Overview article discusses what might be considered too long for daily administration and what happens when given too long and how to avoid this and still treat your horse. DrO
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