Needle shy pony, how to resolve it?

[weesophz]

So following gus being gelded he took a bit of an infection which required me to give him IM injections of penicillin as he wouldn’t take the powder sachets in his feed.

Gus had his first flu and tet jags with me in August and got these no problem, his second lot of injection boosters also no problem. When the vet came out to geld him she took several attempts on both sides of his neck to find a vein for sedation, she then had to clip some hair off and again took another good few tried to find a vein. Gus clearly found this uncomfortable and started acting up due to this.

I’ve had severe difficulty in injecting his meds, to the point he is sweating up from being so stressed from it. I tried both his neck and butt but he was not for having me go near either. It got to the stage he starting rearing just to get away from the needle. I had my friend assisting me after I couldn’t manage on my own, we managed to get 15ml of the 25ml dose into him after 45 mins of him dragging us round the stable. Usually he is very tolerant of anything and everything and when he isn’t he can usually be persuaded if someone stands feeding him treats, but nothing will work at all and I couldn’t put him through the stress anymore. I had to call the vet again (different vet as I’ve asked the one who’s caused all these problems to not attend my calls anymore) and he couldn’t inject him either. I am now dosing daily oral liquid antibiotics which aren’t as strong but seem to be doing the job.

My worry now is that when it comes to future injections it’s going to be the same problem. Has anyone else encountered this and how did you over come it?
Thanks!

 

[honetpot]

You need a good horse vet. My mare was really needle phobic.
Draw it up out of sight, don't swab the area, give them a hug, and put the IM injection between their front legs. Before she could roll her eyes it was done.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I have the syringe in a easily accessible pocket, have the needle between my thumb and middle finger held tightly, give pony a nice pat with the end of my fist - pinky finger end - pat pat pat smack and the needle goes in before they even notice. Hopefully once in they wont play up because you haven't fannied about stabbing them. It takes some practice so practice on an orange or lemon at home because you do need a bit of force to get the needle in in a oner. Too soft and you'll pee them off with the needle pricking them!

 

[doodle]

Robin became terrible after his stay and op at the vets, iv and Im injections every day for 2 weeks! I went right back to the start just stroking his neck. Then gradually working up to holding his neck like they do for injections, ie pinching their windpipe with fingers each side. Then raising a vein by pressing his neck with thumb. Then gently touching the vein with my other hand, then gently with a pen to practise the feeling. This took a relatively short time frame but I only did a tiny tiny amount each day and not pushing him to he point he was upset.

Last injection he got vet was matter of fact, didn’t faff and just did it. I also used a little likit as bribery.

I realise this doesn’t help the problem of getting them in him now but for after.

 

[Cecile]

I'm no good on advice to resolve the problem but I have one who sounds similar
Castration followed by infection, far too much man handling and jabs, my boy now has a genuine fear of vets and jabs
I suspect even when its time for routine jabs the entire vet team put their name in a hat and the looser has to come do his jab, all the vets know his reaction will be extreme

I used Domosedan Gel when the vet was due to do the teeth, now changed to EDT and so far we manage without any need for any meds

Mine shows genuine fear and the need to avoid it all, he is pretty unfazed and chilled out by anything else in his life, I sometimes think he can smell the vet from a mile off

I hope you find a way to resolve it, your boy may just forget all his worries after a while, mine seems to have made up his mind that vets/jabs are the spawn of the devil and should be avoided at all cost

 

[Boulty]

Mine is awful for IV injections / taking blood since a stay at horsepital for an MRI scan when they basically tried to do too many things at once and he told them to sod off and he's been telling anyone that tries to raise his neck vein that ever since! Luckily he's fine for normal jabs if they're done whilst he's distracted but I haven't found an answer for the IV thing other than putting a twitch on him. I don't like twitching but it's more humane and safer than letting him get into a state and rear and plunge about and nearly box me and the vet in the head. Would twitching be an option for yours literally just to do the jabs if they're needed and then perhaps work on desensitising him to being poked? (I think zoos use toothpicks to get their animals used to needles?) You could also ask your vet about a product called "Ethycalm" which basically numbs the skin for a few minutes (takes a few seconds to act) which then takes away the pain of the injection and so hopefully reducing the need for a reaction? I keep meaning to look into it for mine (although I work in small animal practice and have recently discovered a vial in the back of a cupboard and been trying it out and like it so far!)

 

[Ducky]

Mine hates needles and will tense and fight with the handler. With the help of the vet practice, we managed to get a routine for him, and if its a new vet, it is discussed before they even get to the stable.
I will already have him tied up outside the stable, going about daily business. Vet will have already seen the passport by the car. Always to the left side of his body, will approach saying hello(most important bit- apparently mean vets dont talk to him &#128517, will stand with their back to his chest, will pat pecs with the back of their hand, stab and pat again as if nothing happened. By the time he has realised he has been jabbed, a carrot appears, and all is forgotten and he has a new fan.

All this is after the vet went to insert the microchip, hesitated and got a bit stuck half way in, resulting in the head vet pulling it out and doing it again 2 weeks later. Seems to work for him as the vets hadn't said anything when he had to stay over at a practice for investigations including nerve blocks.


Sorry, that came out rather long

 

[Nudibranch]

I use the chest for IM. It consistently has less reaction in all the horses I've had to jab. I don't know if there are fewer nerves or they just don't expect it. The big man is a bit rubbish with IV since the vet let a student try, so we twitch him first as it works like a dream on him. But vaccs, etc, go in the chest no problem.

 

[Dubsie]

Mine hates needles and will tense and fight with the handler. With the help of the vet practice, we managed to get a routine for him, and if its a new vet, it is discussed before they even get to the stable.
I will already have him tied up outside the stable, going about daily business. Vet will have already seen the passport by the car. Always to the left side of his body, will approach saying hello(most important bit- apparently mean vets dont talk to him �&#56837, will stand with their back to his chest, will pat pecs with the back of their hand, stab and pat again as if nothing happened. By the time he has realised he has been jabbed, a carrot appears, and all is forgotten and he has a new fan.

All this is after the vet went to insert the microchip, hesitated and got a bit stuck half way in, resulting in the head vet pulling it out and doing it again 2 weeks later. Seems to work for him as the vets hadn't said anything when he had to stay over at a practice for investigations including nerve blocks.


Sorry, that came out rather long

Similar experience here. Do not show the pony the needle, be their best friend, and bring treats. Or bring a friend to distract with fuss and treats. Vet doing the jabs can also make a fuss and jab un-noticed at same time