Can you OD a horse on sedalin?

Z

zoeshiloh

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 January 2006
Messages
2,771
Location
Suffolk
www.stowmarketanddistrictridingclub.com
I assume like all things it is possible to give them too much and cause damage - I only ask because a girl I used to work with was clipping her horse last night (called in to see her on my way home from work) and she gave her horse two entire tubes of sedalin!! I was totally shocked that it didn't cause problems - the horse was extremely dopey, nose practically on the ground! I give my lad 2 notches and that knocks him out totally for clipping - I can't imagine why anyone needs to give two tubes full of the stuff or that it wouldn't have some sort of lasting effect.
 
I think you could but you would have to give a massive amount. I remember a groom gave my boy 2 tubes when he was on box rest as he was going mental. She called me to say what she had done and that it wasn't making any difference that's why she kept topping it up. Cue calling the vet out, vet said that you could give a shetland 2 tubes and it wouldn't die it just would be sleepy for a long time and only risk of anything would be choke. Once the other horses came in, my horse calmed down and then went to sleep - he was pretty sleepy all evening!!
 
Our vet says that sedalin/acp can't be OD'd in the same way some drugs can, ie 3 notches will have the same effect as 12, but 12 will just last longer. She's wasting her money really. ACP works on some horses but not others have the same effect and need an IV jab to knock them out. I also know an old bloke that took them himself (didn't read the label and thought the were his hayfever pills) and fell asleep for 2 days. Woke up very confused indeed!
 
^^^ as above, the more you give the longer it lasts, not the depth of sedation. My horses only need 2ml for farrier or clipping so there's 5 full doses in a syringe. Your friend gave her horse 10 doses and I should think the poor ned will be asleep for a week.

How stupid! Sedalin is one of those meds that it can be frustrating you have to get on prescription as anyone with half a brain can use it sensibly. It's idiots like the person in question that vindicate the prescription system.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I also know an old bloke that took them himself (didn't read the label and thought the were his hayfever pills) and fell asleep for 2 days. Woke up very confused indeed!

[/ QUOTE ]

I know I shouldn't laugh but ..
grin.gif
 
Thanks guys - I actually didn't know that about the effect lasting a longer period of time rather than giving them a deeeper sedation - that is interesting. I have been using it for a couple of years, but only give 2 notches in most cases.

Here is another sedalin story for you guys though - a stud groom I once worked under told me that when he was a stud hand in Ireland, he was told to give a mare an entire tube of sedalin. She was then served by the stallion despite not being in season, he referred to it as "raping the mare". He said it was a common practise on that stud. I could not work out why it was done, and he never said, it was just one of those passing comments/sories. I can't work out how this would have happened though if the sedalin had not had a really strong effect.
 
As others have said I have always been told by the vet that after the maximum dose all you get is a longer period of sedation rather than deeper sedation.

Oral sedatives are one of those really funny things, some horses react strongly to a small dose, others seem entirely unaffected. On the other hand, I have seen that with IV sedation as well. R usually gets totally knocked out by IV sedation (which we need to do his teeth), but when he had a sharp tooth right at the back he was on double the maximum dose of IV sedation and still totally awake. Even the vet commented that he wasn't too sure what to do next!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top