Laymans terms please

At the risk of sounding dumb...... What is butte and what is it used for? Heard it alot recently and don't have a clue. Thanks :o

"Bute" is short for phenylbutazone, an anti-inflammatory that's commonly given to horses to reduce pain and swelling. Basically "horsey tylenol".

And don't ever worry about sounding dumb! This is the place for questions and all horse people always have new things to learn!

It also comes in many forms

Powder - usually apple flavored
Traditional pills
Injectable (don't do it unless you're a professional at hitting veins)
And paste

I love BUTE Last time I used was when my poor boy was gelded. Poor fella..

My mare Cocoa is 30 yrs old and gets one bute a day in her food to help relieve some of her arthritis pain. It helps. You can tell when I run out and miss a few days before I get more.

Phenylbutazone or Bute is a wonderful drug but be careful... it does have contraindications. Gastric ulcers is one of them. (but there are others) My friend who used it on her ex-race horse, (known for having ulcers) developed a bleeding ulcer which became very serious. He's OK now but bute is a last resort for him and only after he has been given ulcer medication prior to the use of bute.

Just a heads up but it's worth checking with your vet before using it or a least looking into all the contraindications before using it.

Bute smells amazing haha.
It works so well.
Me and my friends where discussing how it smells like fruit loops.

I always said bute smells like the kid's cough sirup

This is response is to expound on Noreen's post regarding ulcers. I agree you should always consult your vet before giving any medications, but a healthy horse can tolerate a minimum dose of bute for extended periods without any problems.

The key word is "pre-existing" ulcers. It's not a given that long term use of bute given in the proper amounts will "cause" ulcers or any of the other problems such as kidney failure. If you have a bleeder, or one with renal problems then bute may not be for them, but if there are no pre-existing problems it's a good long tem solution for some pain issues.

That said, foals are in the high risk category and bute should be used with extreme caution.