Inflammation is the body’s response to disease or injury of any kind. Inflammation may be a “normal” body response to injury but this response can cause far more damage than what the body intended or can handle. To reduce the deleterious effects of these processes, veterinarians often manipulate the inflammatory response with different therapeutic methods and drugs.

The most commonly administered medications for treating painful conditions in horses are phenylbutazone (Bute), flunixin meglumine (Banamine), ketoprofen (Ketofen), and firocoxib (Equioxx). These are classified as non-steroidal anti–inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs.