Millions of aging dogs and horses get injected with Adequan every year for arthritis pain.
Now the company that makes it just found something inside the vials during its own testing.
Four lots are pulled nationwide, and vets are telling owners to check their shelves right now.
How Glass Ended Up Inside Adequan Vials
American Regent, Inc. Animal Health, headquartered in Shirley, New York, makes Adequan.
The company found visible glass fibers while testing its own retained production samples.
Not a customer complaint. Not a vet report. American Regent caught it checking its own product.
The recalled lots are Adequan Canine Injection numbers 3369 and 25011, and Adequan i.m. Injection numbers 24416 and 25265P.
Those lots shipped out starting in May 2024 and as recently as January 2026.
That is nearly two years of product moving through vet clinics, online pharmacies, and distributors before the flaw surfaced.
Adequan Canine comes in 5-milliliter multidose vials at 100 milligrams per milliliter, the shot vets give dogs for degenerative joint disease.
Adequan i.m. is the equine version, a 500-milligram single-dose vial that trainers and horse owners have relied on for decades to keep aging competition and pleasure horses moving.
Glass fiber is not something you want traveling through a needle into a joint or muscle.
The FDA says particulate matter like this can cause injection-site pain, swelling, inflammation, infection, or a full-blown abscess at the injection site.
Picture a sliver of glass working its way into a horse's hip or a fourteen-year-old Labrador's hind leg, and you understand why this recall matters.
American Regent says it has not received a single adverse event report tied to these lots.
That is the good news, and it is worth taking at face value since the company came forward before anyone got hurt.
But "no reports yet" and "no risk" are two different things, and every vet who has ever pulled a recalled vial off a shelf knows it.
What Dog and Horse Owners Need to Check Right Now
Check the lot number on any Adequan Canine or Adequan i.m. box or vial sitting in your refrigerator today.
If it reads 3369, 25011, 24416, or 25265P, stop using it immediately and call your veterinarian.
Do not inject it into your dog or your horse, and do not just toss it in the trash.
American Regent says the product should be returned through the distributor or pharmacy where it was purchased.
Any owner who has already given a shot from one of these lots and noticed swelling, heat, or pain at the injection site should report it to the FDA at 1-888-FDA-VETS.
This Is Not the First Time Glass Has Turned Up in a Vial
This is not the first time glass has shown up somewhere it never belonged in an injectable drug.
The FDA has pulled human injectables like Gilead's Veklury and Hospira's vancomycin off shelves for the exact same reason, and Vetoquinol had to recall cattle fertility injections for particulate contamination too.
Every time it happens, the pattern is the same: a manufacturer's own quality testing catches what years of routine inspection missed.
That is not exactly a ringing endorsement of the manufacturing process behind a drug this many horses and dogs depend on.
If your barn or your vet clinic has been buying Adequan in bulk, do not assume someone else already checked the lot numbers for you.
Pull the boxes, read the numbers, make the call. Your animal cannot check the label for you.
Sources:
- American Regent, Inc. Animal Health, "Nationwide Recall of Two Lots of Adequan Canine and Two Lots of Adequan I.M. Due to Visible Glass Fiber Material in the Product," FDA.gov, August 3, 2026.
- Staff, "Recall issued for dog and horse medication after glass fiber found in vials," Fox Business, August 7, 2026.
- dvm360 Staff, "Adequan injections for dogs and horses recalled nationwide after glass fibers detected," dvm360, August 2026.
- Veterinary Practice News Staff, "Joint meds recalled over potential glass fibers," Veterinary Practice News, August 2026.
- Vetoquinol USA, Inc., "Vetoquinol USA, Inc. Recalls Six Lots of Folltropin Injectable Kits for Cattle Due to Presence of Particulate," FDA.gov, December 2, 2025.
