We’ve all heard about or witnessed horses that simply refuse to be restrained long enough for the veterinarian to administer a much-needed intravenous sedative. Authors of a recent study suggest that a sedative-containing gel might be just what the doctor ordered in these cases.

Detomidine is an α-2 adrenergic agonist and one of the more common drugs used to sedate horses. Usually, veterinarians administer detomidine intravenously, but they can inject it intramuscularly as well.

For those "hard to reach" horses, an oral formulation that can be administered by either a veterinarian or horse owner/trainer would be a valuable product, said Gary W. White, DVM, of Sallisaw Equine Clinic, in Oklahoma. White and colleagues tested the gel in 129 horses, and he presented the results at the 2010 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 4-8 in Baltimore, Md.

"The horses in the treatment group were sedated with a single, sublingual (beneath the tongue) dose of the gel prior to performing such procedures as cleaning the prepuce (sheath), clipping hair, trimming feet, shoeing, manual rasping of teeth, radiography, and passing a stomach tube or endoscope," said White