11/15/2018
Let’s have a little discussion about the use of Banamine.
Banamine is a wonderfully useful drug....used correctly.
Banamine is an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug). Meaning it fights inflammation. By reducing inflammation, it helps reduce pain.
In the case of a colic, Banamine can be very useful to reduce abdominal pain. However, Banamine does nothing to fix a colic. If a horse with colic has pain due to gas only, Banamine will provide some pain relief to help relax the horse and give the guts some time to pass the gas and therefore rid itself of excessive distention. The Banamine does not get rid of the gas. One dose of Banamine is all that is typically needed to get a horse through a gas colic.
However, if a horse has colic because of something more insidious than gas (displacement, impaction, strangulation), Banamine will still provide some pain relief, albeit temporary. This is because Banamine does absolutely nothing to cure the source of the pain.
What does this mean for you the owner? It means if your horse remains painful after one dose of Banamine, then your horse has a more serious problem causing the colic and needs Veterinary attention and treatment.
Absolutely do not pour mineral oil down your horse’s throat! Do not even bother with trying to syringe mineral oil to your horse. If you saw the size of their colon, you would quickly realize that syringing mineral oil is like peeing on a forest fire. It does little to nothing to help.
Instead, utilize the bit of pain relief the Banamine may provide and offer your horse a gallon of water mixed w a few handfuls or so of alfalfa pellets or cubes or beet pulp to basically flavor the water. Repeat this “mash” every 4-6 hours until your horse is back to normal. This is a great way to hydrate the colon and help your horse pass an impaction or replace a displaced colon. If your horse has a strangulation (twisted bowel for example), even this treatment will not fix him. Only surgery will.
Do not let your horse continue to eat hay and grain until you know their problem is fixed. Why add to their problem before it gets fixed?
Bottom line, if you are willing to give your horse Banamine for colic pain, that better not be the only thing you do to treat his colic. All you are doing is masking the pain while his problem gets worse.
Also, the earlier you intervene in a colic, the easier it is to get the horse recovered. Many people seem hesitant to give Banamine when they aren’t quite sure if their horse is really colicking. May I point out that a bottle of Banamine is way cheaper than the vet coming out to treat your horse. So if you think your horse may have colic and have some Banamine to use, give it. AND a mash as described above. Unless your horse suffers from gastric ulcers, one dose of Banamine isn’t going to adversely affect your horse, and very well may help stop a colic from progressing.
****One note of caution; I highly recommend administering Banamine orally rather than injecting it into the muscle. On rare occasions a shot of Banamine in the muscle can cause a very bad infection that can be deadly in 24 hours. If your horse’s colic is severe, oral Banamine is likely not as useful. At this point the contents of the stomach are just sitting there, which is where the Banamine will sit. It won’t get absorbed well and thus won’t work very well. So just bite the bullet and call the vet!
Next, Banamine, just like bute and firicoxib, is also great for reducing swelling/edema. You may not think your horse is in pain when they have a swollen eye, leg, wound, etc. but if there is swelling, there is usually some pain associated with that swelling. Using an NSAID like Banamine when your horse has a swollen body part will really help reduce the swelling. This is really helpful for lacerations that you expect the veterinarian to repair. Trying to repair a swollen laceration is difficult and reduces the prognosis for uncomplicated healing. So give an NSAID as soon as you notice a swollen wound, or to prevent swelling of a fresh wound, and call your vet.
