How do you sedate a needle shy horse? Recent research suggests that detomidine, a sedative commonly used in horses, can be effective when administered under the tongue.
Detomidine is a popular choice for sedating horses, capable of producing profound sedation when administered intravenously. Previous studies have shown that detomidine is not effective when administered by stomach tube, and is variably effective when mixed with food. However it seems to be absorbed through the gums and appears to be effective when given sublingually. Recent research looked at the value of sublingual detomidine for sedating horses known to need sedation to permit routine management or veterinary tasks - such as farriery, routine dentistry, passage of a stomach tube or clipping. The study by Dr Rachel B Gardner and colleagues was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.Horses used in the study were all known to require sedation or strong additional restraint - such as a twitch - to allow the procedures to be carried out. The treatment group comprised 129 horses treated with detomidine sublingually, at a dose of 0.04mg/kg (double the usual dose when given intravenously).A further 42 horses were treated with a gel which appeared identical, but did not contain detomidine. The study personnel did not know whether they were administering the detomidine gel or the placebo. The efficacy of the treatment was assessed according to whether it allowed the required procedure to be carried out. Treatment was only considered successful if the procedure could be completed without resort to further sedation or the use of a twitch. The procedures were completed successfully in 98 of 129 (76%) of detomidine treated horses compared with only 3 of the 42 (7%) of control horses. Little or no ataxia was reported in 70% of detomidine treated horses Sublingual detomidine was most successful for sedating horses for manual teeth floating and hoof trimming and shoeing. It gave a lower success rate for clipping with electric clippers - only half of the detomidine-treated horses could be clipped successfully. For more details see:Efficacy of sublingual administration of detomidine gel for sedation of horses undergoing veterinary and husbandry procedures under field conditions.
RB Gardner, GW White, DS Ramsey, JE Boucher, WR Kilgore, MK Huhtinen
J Am Vet Med Assoc (2010) 237, 1459 - 1464
Detomidine is a popular choice for sedating horses, capable of producing profound sedation when administered intravenously. Previous studies have shown that detomidine is not effective when administered by stomach tube, and is variably effective when mixed with food. However it seems to be absorbed through the gums and appears to be effective when given sublingually. Recent research looked at the value of sublingual detomidine for sedating horses known to need sedation to permit routine management or veterinary tasks - such as farriery, routine dentistry, passage of a stomach tube or clipping. The study by Dr Rachel B Gardner and colleagues was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.Horses used in the study were all known to require sedation or strong additional restraint - such as a twitch - to allow the procedures to be carried out. The treatment group comprised 129 horses treated with detomidine sublingually, at a dose of 0.04mg/kg (double the usual dose when given intravenously).A further 42 horses were treated with a gel which appeared identical, but did not contain detomidine. The study personnel did not know whether they were administering the detomidine gel or the placebo. The efficacy of the treatment was assessed according to whether it allowed the required procedure to be carried out. Treatment was only considered successful if the procedure could be completed without resort to further sedation or the use of a twitch. The procedures were completed successfully in 98 of 129 (76%) of detomidine treated horses compared with only 3 of the 42 (7%) of control horses. Little or no ataxia was reported in 70% of detomidine treated horses Sublingual detomidine was most successful for sedating horses for manual teeth floating and hoof trimming and shoeing. It gave a lower success rate for clipping with electric clippers - only half of the detomidine-treated horses could be clipped successfully. For more details see:Efficacy of sublingual administration of detomidine gel for sedation of horses undergoing veterinary and husbandry procedures under field conditions.
RB Gardner, GW White, DS Ramsey, JE Boucher, WR Kilgore, MK Huhtinen
J Am Vet Med Assoc (2010) 237, 1459 - 1464
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