Ginniepig
New Member
We lost our 16 year old mini overnight a few days ago. He had been experiencing a laminitis flare up which we think was triggered by another injury that had seemed cleared up a few days before. He lives in our backyard with our three other horses so we are 100% responsible for care and med administration. To treat the vet prescribed:
Acepromazine 1 1/2 cc twice daily orally
Prascend 1/2 tab once daily
Ulcergard 1/2 of syringe initially then 1/4 of a syringe once daily for 7 days, then 1/4 of a syringe every other day for 4 treatments then discontinue.
Bute- start on Wednesday March 2: 1/2 a scoop twice daily
Dosing will change as we progress with improvement.
We were about a week into this treatment plan. The day before he died he was very quiet with not much appetite, but was walking better and pooped a few times. I spoke with the vet on the phone because he wasn’t eating and she said it sounded like he might be off his food because of the bute and quiet because of the ace. She said it didn’t sound like he was colicking and to just reduce the bute. When I left the barn in the afternoon he was playing over the fence with my other horse as he usually does. My dad put the horses in and checked them again around 8pm, and then the next morning he found the mini dead (so awful). He did mention the mini had not pooped when he did the 8pm check, and I wish he had mentioned that to me or that I had checked myself.
My dad is beside himself and thinks the death is ALL his fault because for a few days he got his wires crossed about the bute and thinks he gave more than prescribed. I think it’s my fault for not knowing/stressing to pay attention to the bute dosage (I’m 9 months pregnant so I was primarily letting my parents handle this treatment and they are not as experienced as I am). I really had NO idea bute could be THAT toxic to minis. If I had known I would have stressed to be extra careful with it, and I feel the vet should have mentioned it as well (she didn’t).
My question is: is there anything else in this treatment plan that could have caused a somewhat sudden death overnight, or is it definitely the bute? We are devastated and hope that in the future the danger of bute with minis will be communicated more clearly when it is prescribed. I’m also wondering if the vet over prescribed it (the mini was only about 250lbs and I think I am reading now that 1/2 scoop twice a day is for 500lbs). If my dad did mess up the dose, that definitely made it a lot worse. But we aren’t even sure how much he was even swallowing because he was spitting some of it out.
I am not trying to blame the vet either. Just want more clarity if I can get it. I had also buted him with the initial injury but stopped a few days before the vet came out to see him for the laminitis. I really wish I had simply googled “minis and bute” but I just didn’t think to.
Acepromazine 1 1/2 cc twice daily orally
Prascend 1/2 tab once daily
Ulcergard 1/2 of syringe initially then 1/4 of a syringe once daily for 7 days, then 1/4 of a syringe every other day for 4 treatments then discontinue.
Bute- start on Wednesday March 2: 1/2 a scoop twice daily
Dosing will change as we progress with improvement.
We were about a week into this treatment plan. The day before he died he was very quiet with not much appetite, but was walking better and pooped a few times. I spoke with the vet on the phone because he wasn’t eating and she said it sounded like he might be off his food because of the bute and quiet because of the ace. She said it didn’t sound like he was colicking and to just reduce the bute. When I left the barn in the afternoon he was playing over the fence with my other horse as he usually does. My dad put the horses in and checked them again around 8pm, and then the next morning he found the mini dead (so awful). He did mention the mini had not pooped when he did the 8pm check, and I wish he had mentioned that to me or that I had checked myself.
My dad is beside himself and thinks the death is ALL his fault because for a few days he got his wires crossed about the bute and thinks he gave more than prescribed. I think it’s my fault for not knowing/stressing to pay attention to the bute dosage (I’m 9 months pregnant so I was primarily letting my parents handle this treatment and they are not as experienced as I am). I really had NO idea bute could be THAT toxic to minis. If I had known I would have stressed to be extra careful with it, and I feel the vet should have mentioned it as well (she didn’t).
My question is: is there anything else in this treatment plan that could have caused a somewhat sudden death overnight, or is it definitely the bute? We are devastated and hope that in the future the danger of bute with minis will be communicated more clearly when it is prescribed. I’m also wondering if the vet over prescribed it (the mini was only about 250lbs and I think I am reading now that 1/2 scoop twice a day is for 500lbs). If my dad did mess up the dose, that definitely made it a lot worse. But we aren’t even sure how much he was even swallowing because he was spitting some of it out.
I am not trying to blame the vet either. Just want more clarity if I can get it. I had also buted him with the initial injury but stopped a few days before the vet came out to see him for the laminitis. I really wish I had simply googled “minis and bute” but I just didn’t think to.
