How much do veterinarians use sedatives, analgesics (painkillers), and general anesthetics in horses? Veterinarians at The Ohio State University surveyed members of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) to find out, and the findings were presented at the 2009 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention, held Dec. 6-9 in Las Vegas, Nev.

John Hubbell, DVM, MS, professor of veterinary clinical sciences at The Ohio State University, reported the following observations from the study, which has been submitted for publication in the Equine Veterinary Journal:

  • 952 veterinarians responded to the survey, for a response rate of 13.7%.

Sedatives/Restraint

  • Nearly all veterinarians reported sedating horses at least weekly. Most use alpha-2 agonists (such as xylazine, detomidine, and romifidine) in combination with other drugs.

  • Two-thirds use acepromazine in stallions and geldings.

  • About a quarter rarely or never use twitches for restraint

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