Ketoprofen for Horses: Uses, Dosing & Side Effects

This information is for educational purposes only. Never give your pet any medication without your veterinarian's guidance. Dosing, frequency, and safety depend on your pet's specific health profile.

Ketoprofen is a prescription NSAID used in horses to reduce pain, inflammation, and fever. In the U.S., equine ketoprofen is available as a 100 mg/mL injectable solution and is labeled for intravenous use in horses. It belongs to the same broad drug family as other anti-inflammatory medications, but it has its own dosing limits, safety profile, and practical uses.

This medication works by blocking inflammatory pathways, including cyclooxygenase activity, which lowers prostaglandin production. In plain language, that means it can help a horse feel more comfortable when inflammation is driving soreness, stiffness, or abdominal pain. Merck also notes that ketoprofen may inhibit bradykinin, another mediator involved in pain.

For many pet parents, ketoprofen comes up when a horse has lameness, arthritis flare-ups, or colic-related pain. It is not a medication to start on your own. Your vet will decide whether ketoprofen fits your horse better than other NSAIDs such as flunixin meglumine, phenylbutazone, or firocoxib based on the horse's age, hydration, stomach and colon health, kidney and liver status, and the reason pain control is needed.

In horses, ketoprofen is commonly used for pain and inflammation associated with musculoskeletal disorders. That can include soft tissue soreness, joint inflammation, and osteoarthritis-related discomfort. The FDA label for Ketofen specifically lists relief of inflammation and pain associated with musculoskeletal disorders in the horse.

Merck Veterinary Manual also lists ketoprofen as an option for visceral pain associated with colic. In practice, your vet may choose it when abdominal pain needs NSAID support but the overall case, exam findings, and risk profile make ketoprofen a reasonable fit.

Ketoprofen may also be used for fever control in some equine patients because NSAIDs as a class have antipyretic effects. That said, fever is a sign, not a diagnosis. If your horse has fever, lethargy, reduced appetite, or colic signs, the priority is finding the cause with your vet rather than masking symptoms at home.

Ketoprofen dosing in horses should always come from your vet. A commonly cited equine dose is 2.2 mg/kg IV once daily for up to 5 days, which is the dose listed by Merck Veterinary Manual for horses. Because the labeled equine product is 100 mg/mL, the volume given depends on body weight. For example, a 500 kg horse would receive 1,100 mg total, which equals 11 mL of a 100 mg/mL solution.

The FDA-approved equine product is labeled for intravenous use in horses only. That matters. Route, concentration, and duration are not details to guess at, especially with NSAIDs. Your vet may adjust the plan based on the horse's hydration status, concurrent disease, response to treatment, and whether another NSAID was recently used.

Ketoprofen is generally intended for short courses, not open-ended daily use. If a horse needs longer-term pain control, your vet may recommend a different NSAID, a lower-risk maintenance strategy, additional diagnostics, or a multimodal plan that includes rest, rehab, joint support, or changes in workload. Never combine or rotate NSAIDs without direct veterinary instructions, because overlap can sharply increase the risk of ulcers, kidney injury, and other complications.

Like other NSAIDs, ketoprofen can cause digestive, kidney, liver, and bleeding-related side effects. FDA safety information for veterinary NSAIDs in horses lists possible problems such as colic, diarrhea, eating less, and ulcers in the stomach and mouth. Serious complications can include gastrointestinal bleeding or perforation, kidney injury, liver problems, and, in severe cases, death.

Some horses show early warning signs before a crisis develops. Call your vet promptly if you notice reduced appetite, new colic signs, diarrhea, depression, mouth sores, teeth grinding, dark or tarry manure, swelling, or a horse that seems dull or dehydrated. Merck also notes that some horses are unusually sensitive to NSAIDs, so toxicity can occasionally happen even at recommended doses.

Ketoprofen appears to be less ulcerogenic than phenylbutazone in horses, but that does not make it risk-free. NSAID safety depends on the whole patient. Horses that are dehydrated, already have kidney disease, have a history of ulcers or right dorsal colitis, are critically ill, or are receiving other potentially hard-on-the-kidneys medications need especially careful monitoring.

The most important interaction is with other NSAIDs. Ketoprofen should not be combined with medications such as phenylbutazone, flunixin meglumine, firocoxib, aspirin, diclofenac, or meloxicam unless your vet has given a very specific transition plan. Stacking NSAIDs can raise the risk of stomach and intestinal ulceration, right dorsal colitis, kidney injury, and poor appetite.

Caution is also needed with corticosteroids such as dexamethasone or prednisolone. Using an NSAID and a steroid together can significantly increase the chance of gastrointestinal injury. In addition, Merck notes that ketoprofen has potential antiplatelet effects, so your vet may use extra caution around surgery or in horses with bleeding concerns.

Your vet may also review ketoprofen carefully if your horse is receiving diuretics, aminoglycoside antibiotics such as gentamicin or amikacin, or other drugs that can affect kidney perfusion or hydration status. Always share every medication, supplement, ulcer treatment, and injectable product your horse has received recently. That includes barn medications given by well-meaning helpers, because timing matters with NSAID safety.