Domosedan gel - sedative for clipping

[Black Rat]

I have been reading the previous posts on the potential use of DOMOSEDAN GEL as a sedative to assist with stressed up hoses during clipping.
I note no one has mentioned how long does it last or how many of us have success or otherwise with the product.
I have just purchased a new horse and the previous owner was open with me informing me that the horse was adverse to the use of clippers!
She had always had to use the vet to sedate previously.
The horse is large 16.3hh Fresian gelding and is well build. I estimate his weight to be 650kg +.
I did try a clip test to see how bad he was, and oh boy, he does not like clippers. The meare effect of switching them on sent him ballistic.
Mmm, think I will have to get the vet out for all our saftey and sedate.
Contacted our vet and she suggested trying DOMOSEDAN GEL as she had good results with previous clients, however it is not for everyone, some don't respond to it.
She had vetted the horse a couple of weeks ago and knew he was in good health, so was happy to prescribe the product.
Today I have clipped out 3/4 of the horse with success.(Including head and ears)
The product does work quite well, however.......................
I did wait the full 40mins it suggested after administering the gel. I did take this long to sedate properly on my large boy.
We then statred to clip without any problems, however after 2 hours the product was starting to show signs of wearing off.
After 2 hours 15mins it was game over!
The sedation was gone. It was a rapid end to the sedation, be warned!!!
I found out to my cost after pushing my luck after this and got a good kicking a couple of times before I decided I best stop.
Now I still have at least 45mins of clipping to do.
I did have another tube of the gel unopened. I decided to stop whilst the going was good. It was tempting to administer another tube and wait another 40mins then finish off the job, but I will wait until tomorrow before having another go and finish off the job.
Has anyone else had sucess with the product?
How long before sedation wore off on your horse?
I will use the product again next year for a full clip but maybe I will have another person on the other side clipping at the same time.
Alternatively I may use the vet but this may be too expensive.
I have been charged £52 for two tubes which considering the product did work for me, I thought was much cheaper than calling out the vet to sedate.
By the way how much does it cost to use the vet to sedate for say 4hrs?
I look forward to your replies.

 

[emm0r]

I have used this with sucess also however it only takes me 45mins-1hr half max to do a full clip (not legs too this adds another half an hour on)
Not sure when it wore off as I clip other peoples horses and normally dont stick around after!

 

[Keflavik]

Sounds like you've got it about right.
Don't expect more than 2 hours of effective sedation with Domosedan Gel. Important thing is to realise that when it's game over, it's time to stop. You probably realise that there is a certain degree of reluctance by vets to dispense the gel, and one of the main concerns is the risk of handlers/ patients getting hurt by presuming that sedation renders a horse safe.
You are absolutely right not to try 'topping up' the sedation by giving further doses. Apart from the fact that the product is not licensed to be used in this way, it is also unlikely to be effective. Better to stop and restart another day.
I think that it is highly unlikely that you will be able to effectively sedate a horse for 4 hours via injection either. Increasing the dose of sedative injected will increase the length of duration of sedation, but four hours would be pushing it, and probably would not be in the best interests of the horse anyway.
Stating the obvious, I know, but probably safer & better to carry out shorter clipping sessions initially.

 

[JessPickle]

thats an awfully long time for one clip which is your issue! we used it for my sisters horse, clip took about 35 mins but he was still totally wiped out for an additional 2hrs! we decided on lowering the dose next time round!

 

[amage]

If it is taking that long to clip your clippers must be getting pretty hot?! Two people clipping is going to be necessary. Another tip is when they are doped do the worst bits first. When I clip it takes me 1hr15mins tops to do full clip on a 17.1 horse inc legs. That being said I learnt to clip on my last mare who was a sedation job so learnt to clip against the clock. Just be aware that if you ever have to up him to IV sedation you will need a fast clipper to do him....you get very strong sedation but not long.

 

[Black Rat]

Thank you for your replies.

I have now completed the clip after using the second tube of the Gel today.

Same results as last time.

So really a 2hr sedation window is a safe guide for a large horse.

Now a note to myself. I must speed up my clipping to under 2hrs.

I am amazed that some of you can do a full clip on a large horse in 35mins!

What type of clippers are you using to achive this?

I have been using a Lister Star clipper which is well serviced but perhaps I need to move onto a more powerful faster type.

Perhaps it is an age thing................well time for my nap and a well deserved rest!

 

[amage]

I use a 12 year old Delaval AirCool and have also used older models. Doesn't make a difference to how ong it takes me. TBH even going very slowly while clipping a young horse or a first timer I still would never take longer than an hour and a half. They get bored and fed up standing around.

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

iv sedation of dom/torb/acp will give a max effect for approx 50 mins. that is plenty ime to do a hunter clip with a full head. best get your clipping up to speed or get someone in to clip the horse when doped. our vets wont prescribe domosedan gel, only sedalin. domosedan gel is not reliable, but again never ever trust a doped horse! they can/do explode at inopertune times,.....

 

[glenruby]

I fyou add ACP you should get a maximal effect for well over an hour - have never ever got less than 1hr (and i have sedated thousands).
OP - it is not safe to sedate a horse for 4hrs - there is a much increased risk of impaction colic. No vet will sedate your horse for 4 hrs for you(though it can take this length for it to fully wear off for a select few horses).
Im afraid you need to speed up your clipping - a lot! Our clients who clip regularly (hunts etc) can clip a 17.2hh MW hunter in 30-45mins. For me being less experienced it would take me approx 1hr give or take ten mins! If you need to sedate your horse to do it, you cant afford to dawdle. Also, dont top up with the gel, its not advisable. Leaving it to the next day was the right idea.

 

[star]

i used the Domo gel on my old boy the other week for the dentist. took about 45mins to take effect and then he seemed well out of it for about 3hrs but he is old and i didn't stimulate him again, just left him to sleep it off. i would be wary of using it for clipping a difficult horse as there's no torb, just pure detomidine and i prefer using the combination of the 2 drugs to try and reduce the chance of them snapping out of it.

i use cordless Lister Liberties to clip and can do a full clip in 45mins. blankets/traces tend to take me just over an hour as i fiddle around getting lines straight.

 

[TarrSteps]

i would be wary of using it for clipping a difficult horse as there's no torb, just pure detomidine and i prefer using the combination of the 2 drugs to try and reduce the chance of them snapping out of it.

I was quite curious to see people using the gel here as my only experience with it in North America was injected in combination with torbugesic for fairly heavy duty short term sedation. As one vet explained the combination "keeps their feet on the ground" more effectively than Domosedan alone. Many people don't seem to be aware that a sedated horse doesn't necessarily lose its "flight or fight" reflex - I've seen apparently very heavily sedated horses kick with unerring accuracy if sufficiently stimulated!