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lee2jax

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Hi i was wondering could any1 be able 2 help
My horse was due 2 get an injection from the vet on friday but he became quite aggressive so the vet didn`t do it he didn`t want to twitch him as he said this would just make him worse for the next time and he said he wanted to have a good and trusting relationship with him he said he is very needle shy and not scared of humans but not very trusting.
Everyday in the summer i do join up with him but as we are heavily snowed in and my horse is stabled till it eases i was wondering if any1 had any ideas of any kind of joinin up i could do in the stable
He is my 1st horse i`ve had him for 6 months and i am a novice sometimes i can feel that he trusts me and we have a bond but other times he couldn`t be more distant could any1 pls help?
 
You can try and desensitise him to the act of having an injection. Get a syringe and go through the process yourself one step at a time, till he is happy with the first step then move onto the second. You can also then ask a stranger to repeat these steps until he is happy with that, you can also desensitise him to the smell of vets i.e. wear hibiscrub and idone.
 
I had a very needle phobic pony. the best way I found to do it was to pop him in a trailer, head in a deep bucket with feed in and then get the vet to pop the needle into his bottom (NOT HIS NECK!),

but I could do this in the stable if needed. Only did it in trailer when I could as I felt happier about it.

Just get the vet to come in and make friends with the pony first. Then get his head in a deep bucket with food in, and then most importantly needle in the bottom,
 
hi scally thanks for repling
he was great with the vet very friendly as he was checking him ova but the min he tried the injection thats when he became aggresive
I was also told to use a cocktail stick on him to de sensitise him would that be any good?
 
lee2jax said:
i tried him with his feed when he was there but to no avail which was a bit of a shock as he is very food orientated
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but did the vet try to do it into his bottom?

If he was still trying the neck/chest the pony would still have been able to see it even with his head ina bucket of food (and make sure it's a deep bucket, like a water bucket)
 
Cappy hates the vet and his needles, has to be sedated for the dentist twice a year so we have to grin and bear it. I would take him out of his stable to have it done, this worked with our lad. I hope you sort it, it is a real pain, especially when your horse is 17-3hh.
FDC
 
I had a very very bad pony with the vet, not just needles if he saw the vet he would literally climb up the walls do anything to get away from the vet when that failed he would turn on the vet and really really try and hurt him.

What we did was blind folded him, we couldn't twitch him as it would make him worse and this really calmed him down. Before we did this when he needed an injection we would put his bridle on and lead him around the field (not the yard in case he slipped) and the vet would literally just sneak up to him jab him and go away again, he wouldn't faff around with pinching the skin etc.

Practise pinching the skin on teh neck like the vet would and run your hand down his gullet also like the vet would to raise the vein.
 
was it just a flu/tet?

No way you'd have got a cathita near my boy! those needles are HUGE!!!

Never heard of a numbing gel...
 
i would try to desensitise (hate that word) him, by bringing LOTS of people into the stable and i would encourage lots more visits from the Vet, so that he realises that its not that bad. my babes used to get freaked by the vet - candy floss soon rectified that problem xx
 
when i bought him in order for his passport to be changed ova he had to be micro chipped and the owners vet at the time just twiched him as he became aggressive then and he was fine after i respect the reason why my vet hasn`t done it but he`s fine with the farrier and the dentist
 
A syringe is best, as this is the thing he will see when the vet comes to him, clove oil is a very good numbing ointment so you can try rubbing that on him as part of your routine in getting him use to it (bonjella is another), you will need to be committed and do it as part of a daily routine and follow the way your vet approaches him, scratches his neck or takes a pinch etc, rubbing lotion on his neck and putting the syringe on his neck. Once he realises your syringe doesnt hurt and relaxes, he will relax more with the vet and if his muscles are relaxed the needle doesnt hurt as much.

Best of luck.
 
mollylolly said:
perhaps he believed he was going to have the twitch and panicked? try spending time gaining his trust xxx
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i`m not sure how 2 do that i spend a lot of time groomin him talking 2 him just sittin in his stable, i scratch his itchy spots that but its as if he`s just not interested i do a lot of join up wiv him and lunging but at the moment because of terrible snow falls he is stable bound so i can`t loose school him or lunge him as we don`t have an indoor arena
what else could i do i don`t expect it to happen over night and i have all the time in the world to giv him:confused:
 
he needs to gain your respect as well, you can do too much and he can feel as if he is top horse, He needs a leader and you need to lead him, sometimes you have to turn your back on him and yes it hurts but when he comes and nuzzles you it melts your heart. I play with my baby, not just grooming but also rubbing his ears, playing games (he does like hide and seek) but he is a proper baby!
 
mollylolly said:
he needs to gain your respect as well, you can do too much and he can feel as if he is top horse, He needs a leader and you need to lead him, sometimes you have to turn your back on him and yes it hurts but when he comes and nuzzles you it melts your heart. I play with my baby, not just grooming but also rubbing his ears, playing games (he does like hide and seek) but he is a proper baby!
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maybe i do do to much for him but i know he`s had a difficult life and i just want him to know that he`s safe and with me for keeps
I know we have to work on our bond but it can get very frustrating when 1 day it seems he understands me as i do him then the next day he doesn`t want to know
 
Are you sure he's not a small animal vet? If the horse is fine with the farrier and dentist then this doesn't make sense. Change vet:confused:
 
To the last post - I think he was scared of the needle, I'm guessing farrier didn't use one of those ;-)

The vet sounds quite sensible in terms of the idea of building trust.

OP When you say horse is stable-bound do you mean in 24/7 with NO turn out/lunging/loose schooling/anything? Do speak to the yard owner/manager/other experienced people on your yard about how to get your horse some time out and about. As long as there is snow rather than only ice it should be possible to get some out-of-stable time. Won't necessarily help with needles but will help with general calmness. Not much fun but digging a pathway to your field/arena/whatever might be worth while.

Good luck!
 
Timing can be everything with these things. Turn the horse out before the vet comes so he can have a nice run around in the field, then ride him quite actively right before the vet arrives to get the edge off him. Ask the vet to prepare the injection before he arrives at the yard so there isn't a lot of faffing around. Wear a hat, gloves and use a long lead rope. Try the blindfold, it works wonders for many horses, pop the needle in, at that stage you may need to let him run around the stable (keep hold of the lead rope) to allow him to get used to the needle, and when he settles actually add the syringe and inject.

Desinsitisation over time will also work. Take it in small steps and reward him loads!
 
Could you maybe give him some sedaline gel before the vet arrives to take the edge off him. I used to this with old horse, not needle shy but was hand reared as a foal and aggressive to everyone she didn't know. For vacinations I would give her some sedaline then when the vet arrived I'd hide him away from her in another stable walk my horse past the stable door where the vet was he would nip out of the stable door jab her and nip back in. Worked quite well for us. I understand where the vet is comming from with the bond thing but paying for wasted vet visits isn't really great for you. An experienced horse vet not large animal vet I would have thought would have done abit more to help the situation at the time with this old horse of mine my vet got things done in some very difficult situations.
 
Tickles said:
To the last post - I think he was scared of the needle, I'm guessing farrier didn't use one of those ;-)

The vet sounds quite sensible in terms of the idea of building trust.

OP When you say horse is stable-bound do you mean in 24/7 with NO turn out/lunging/loose schooling/anything? Do speak to the yard owner/manager/other experienced people on your yard about how to get your horse some time out and about. As long as there is snow rather than only ice it should be possible to get some out-of-stable time. Won't necessarily help with needles but will help with general calmness. Not much fun but digging a pathway to your field/arena/whatever might be worth while.

Good luck!
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the yard is just black ice so its impossible to turn him out at the moment we can`t even drive to it as the track is so bad as well xx
 
Another vote for trying to blindfold him! Can't get near my mare to worm her (with a syringe) if she is not blindfolded. It really does work well (and she was severely abused and beaten before I bought her!)
 
PonyFeet10 said:
Another vote for trying to blindfold him! Can't get near my mare to worm her (with a syringe) if she is not blindfolded. It really does work well (and she was severely abused and beaten before I bought her!)
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i think he`s had the same kind of life as your mare if i take anything new 2 him he gets quite aggitated by it so i know i have 2 be careful x
 
lee2jax said:
i think he`s had the same kind of life as your mare if i take anything new 2 him he gets quite aggitated by it so i know i have 2 be careful x
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Yeah they sound similar, however my mare doesn't get aggressive, she will just run blind away from you. And yes she has plastered me against the stable wall many times trying to worm her before using a blindfold!

Maybe try a bucket of feed and blindfold and depending on him make the jab from beginning to end quick or very slow. Talk to him constantly and make sure no one is near his back legs and who ever is holding him has a very tight grip on his leadrope/headcollar or even better a bridle :)

My mare had a jab in her bottom whilst she was in the horse trailer a few years ago and she stood like an angel, other than a jump of shock when it went in lol
 
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