Yes my vet prescribes previcox in fact I don't believe they even carry equioxx. Our senior mare was on 1/4 daily, she was recently bumped up to 1/4 tab twice a day due to a recent lameness diagnosis. There is a concern once you get up to 1/2 tab about causing ulcers and such, however our old gal is doing just fine and moving nicely.

 

I wonder if my vet would allow it……I know some vets have their stigmas about people ordering medications online even for the same thing, I’ve heard excuses from my small animal vet like “ oh you don’t know what kind of quality control they have online”……really? As if these companies haven’t been doing this for years. Anyway, that’s interesting to hear, your vet doesn’t even prescribe equioxx……but the other he will. I guess I need to call my vets office and find out, I am only looking to get something affordable to help her and I don’t know why I’m expecting a lecture or a roadblock but I guess I’ll find out. Thanks for weighing in!

 

My friend ran into the argument of people not being able to properly 1/4 tablets so the dosage isn't accurate but pill splitters are a thing for a reason. That was vet up north I believe. As Cowchick77 said my vet uses previcox because it is more cost effective for most owners.

 

My vet prescribes the Previcox because it's more cost effective if you're using long term.
Like Morgan said, 1/4 tablet of of Previcox is the equivalent of a whole 57mg tablet of Equioxx.

 

At the vet clinic I currently work at our veterinarian gives her horses the Previcox as it's more cost effective since she uses it long term for a couple of her horses.

 

Vets at two different clinics prescribe Previcox for my horses.

The 227mg pills are the cheapest to buy. Then I quarter them because 1/4 of a 227mg pill is all a horse gets.

 

As noted by a couple posters, a quarter of the Previcox 227mg is a horse dose.

Some vets now only will prescribe equioxx or the generic of that. The generic of the 57 mg can be found online, and this is the least expensive that I've seen just by a quick check, is ~ $81 for a 60 tab bottle. I know one equine vet around here gets $105 for the 60 count generic.

NOTE: I do know dog and horse vets that will write you a paper script so you can send it in to an alternative pharmacy. Those same vets may not take a call from that online pharmacy to confirm an order that you placed (if your vet will not write a paper script). Probably because it is competition with them. Just make sure that online source is reputable, check their shipping costs, and see if they offer any promotion codes. The other thing I'm a big fan of is the online cash back websites. You just have to play their game as far as getting any additional discounts. Some online pharmacies allow an order to come through those cash back websites to them and some don't.

Yes, we need to read the contraindications for any medicines. I understand that cuz I used to work for the pharma industry. I do believe I've heard that these anti-inflammatories are fairly well tolerated. Again each situation has to be evaluated individually. That is my disclaimer for the day. 😶

 

Why don't you call your Vet and ask?

 

Previcox is the exact same drug. You typically cut the pill in quarters. That's what my horse gets daily -- just one quarter of one pill.

I've heard there's now a generic version of the drug going to market, and it might be available now? Firocoxib is name of the actual drug in Previcox, etc. That would probably be the most affordable form yet.

 

I’m curious to know if anyone uses previcox for pain management vs equioxx in their horse.

Previcox and Equioxx are the same medication ---> firocoxib

But they are different sized pills and intended for different animals.

Before Equioxx was available for horses, yes, I used Previcox. But let me tell you, those pills do not always break evenly when you are trying to break the 227 mg tablet into 4 pieces. Then your horse isn't going to get an even dose.

To me, it is well worth the extra expense to be able to give my horse the EXACT dosage of medication they are supposed to have without having to mess around with breaking pills.

Plus...... some vets are not comfortable purposefully prescribing Previcox for horses ... because you aren't supposed to.

I've heard there's now a generic version of the drug going to market, and it might be available now? Firocoxib is name of the actual drug in Previcox, etc. That would probably be the most affordable form yet.

Two of my three horses are on Equioxx. I am finding the generic online but it isn't any cheaper than the brand name. I just sent a question to my vet to see if this is true. (I usually buy my stuff from her.)

 

@beau159: Right about not suppose to. Having retired from the pharma industry, and often playing the FDA rep in mock investigations, I tend to be stickler for policies/procedures.

It's cool that you found the same price for the generic vs brand. The closest I could find was a $10 difference in the 60-count bottles. I'm assuming HF rules would NOT allow you to say where, but it would be interesting to know if your vet was selling both at the same price.

I do know many horse people who still use the 1/4 tab of Previcox successfully. MANY years ago, we used that on our existing horse for what seem to be a minor lameness issue. I did find it a challenge to break those pills up (whether I used a tiny paring knife or a pill cutter). I also found that it didn't seem to work for our horse. I cannot say for sure that the dosing was the issue or product just didn't work for our horse at the time.

EDIT: As I mentioned in my previous post on this thread, there are a number of ways to try to save money on scripts. The other thing is, to anybody who gets medicines for their four-legged kidz, it would never hurt to ask your vet if they will match pricing. Our dog vet will for certain products and from certain pharmacies. Our horse vet will not.

 

I’m not that bothered by the pills not breaking perfectly equally. As my horse is on longterm daily previcox, it’s in her system all the time (and has been for three years) so she’s getting an average of a quarter pill a day. So it’s pretty even in the long run.

My dad’s a retired veterinarian and I know his attitude would be “close enough.” If we wanted to get particular about the exact pill piece size, we should also be particular about dosing based on the size and weight of the horse, but it seems “close enough” is an acceptable standard for this drug. Works for me.

 

If we wanted to get particular about the exact pill piece size, we should also be particular about dosing based on the size and weight of the horse, but it seems “close enough” is an acceptable standard for this drug. Works for me.

very true, good point!!

 

My vet won't prescribe off-label uses of any drug but they will verify the prescription for Valley Vet, which is at least $30 cheaper for the generic.

 

My horse was first on Previcox. When Equioxx came out my vet had me switch. The reason I was told I needed to was because of drug tests given to horses at shows. Even though Previcox and Equioxx are the same drug if it is found in the bloodwork you need to show you have a prescription for Equioxx. They won’t except one for Previcox. I never questioned her about it or checked into it so I am not positive it is true

 

Some show circuits do not allow any medication of any kind like that, if you get a drug test. So the horse would be DQ'ed with either. Doesn't matter if you have a prescription either.

I show AQHA and it's right in the rule book.