Use of Phenylbutazone

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Commonly known as “bute” or simply PBZ, Phenylbutazone is one of medicine’s oldest known non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), second only to aspirin (Soma). Phenylbutazone was originally marketed for human use to relieve gout, gouty arthritis, rheumatism and various other rheumatoid disorders, and early studies published in the 1950’s confirmed its efficacy in human applications ("Phenylbutazone.”). However, after it was discovered that phenylbutazone causes bone-marrow depression, blood disorders, and cancer, it was discontinued for human use in the United States but remains one of the most commonly prescribed NSAIDs in equine veterinary medicine today (Papich, Soma). Additionally, PBZ is labeled as an analgesic/anti-inflammatory antipyretic indicated for dogs, cattle, and swine with documented extra-label use in rabbits, elephants, and other animals for musculoskeletal pain/inflammation, arthritis, and soft tissue injury (Plumb, Mikota, Papich).
Phenylbutazone is also recognized as butadiene, fenilbutazona, bute, phenylbutzaonum, or phyenylbute, and is available from a number of manufacturers in tablet (1 g, 100 mg, 200 mg), paste (6 g or 12 g), powder (1g in 10 g of powder to be mixed into feed), and solution (200 mg/mL in 100 mL vials) forms (Plumb, Papich). Oral administration is the most common route of administration, though intravenous route is also used; PBZ should never be administered intramuscularly or subcutaneously because the substance is extremely irritating to the tissues and can cause swelling, sloughing and necrosis (Plumb). When taken orally, phenylbutazone is absorbed through the stomach and small intestines; it is plasma-binding in equines by as much as 99%, meaning that it crosses into the...

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