Needle Shy

My mare is the most needle shy horse I've ever come across!! I've now taken to using my trailer as stocks for her jabs - it's kinder and safer than lip chaining her, which formerly was the only method of retraint that rendered her safe to inject!!
 
lol - twitching makes B 100 times worse - she goes into orbit when twitched and thinks she sees a needle
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do it quickly! my pony tried to kill the vet on wednesday, usually doesnt bother. she was patting him then jabbed him and he went into orbit and reared on her. we tried again and he reared again but she was ready and had positined herself suitably!
 
Can't twitch her she goes mental
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Sven in Willersley suggested injecting her in the lorry but as she rears am afraid of her going through the roof
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Will this make them think twice about loading though?
 
I find the following help with Jim
- tell the vet to hide the needle
- ask them to be quick
- it helps if they seem to be doing something else, eg check a leg then do it as the stand up
- give him room to move away (but he's not at all aggressive, don't do this if your's may go for the vet!!!)
- sometimes holding his nose firmly & talking calmly helps a lot even if twitching sends them ballistic

Whatever you do avoid vets like the one I had out Friday night - I warned her but she just had to let him see the jab then when he tried to pull away she laid into him. I was livid but a bit stuck as he needed a vet & it was the middle of the night. I suspect she'd just made him a hundred times worse & I'm still thinking about phoning the practice to complain on Monday - a shame because in every other way she was very good but this isn't the first time this has happened with this person ...
 
my horse is horibly needle shy, or rather he is vet shy coz when i do it he doesn't even notice. so, there's my solution - train to be a vet for 5yrs and do it yourself and they're much happier! only works for vaccinations though - he's still a dangerous nutter for IV jabs. twitching makes him a million times worse - he rears without thinking about it so would never do it in a lorry - he's whacked his head on the top of too many stables/rooms at the vets to risk doing it in a lorry - he goes up so violently i'm sure he'd put his head through the roof. Never smack them or tell them off - it makes them even worse - generally they're scared not being naughty. with my horse you just need a patient vet who's skilled at getting IV's and you just face him into a corner of the stable with his pressure halter on (chifneys do nothing - he'll still rear). With this method he tends to jump up slightly, but cant go forwards and the pressure halter stops him going too high. I can then pull his nose down and make him stand enough to give a quick vet the chance to inject him.
 
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my horse is horibly needle shy, or rather he is vet shy coz when i do it he doesn't even notice. so, there's my solution - train to be a vet for 5yrs and do it yourself and they're much happier! only works for vaccinations though - he's still a dangerous nutter for IV jabs. twitching makes him a million times worse - he rears without thinking about it so would never do it in a lorry - he's whacked his head on the top of too many stables/rooms at the vets to risk doing it in a lorry - he goes up so violently i'm sure he'd put his head through the roof. Never smack them or tell them off - it makes them even worse - generally they're scared not being naughty. with my horse you just need a patient vet who's skilled at getting IV's and you just face him into a corner of the stable with his pressure halter on (chifneys do nothing - he'll still rear). With this method he tends to jump up slightly, but cant go forwards and the pressure halter stops him going too high. I can then pull his nose down and make him stand enough to give a quick vet the chance to inject him.

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Sounds like mine
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she tried to over the stable door , had vet pinned in corner with front legs rather near head
 
I wouldn't do it in a lorry or trailer for the same reason. Our wonderfully kind, genuine, bombproof heavyweight cob goes demented at the sight of a needle, and will take out walls, doors, people, in fact anything in the way of his escape. We never attempt to jab him in a confined space other than over the stable door with food to distract him (he'll then go backwards, but if the vets been quick enough the jobs been done!!), or out in the open with plenty of room for everyone to get out of the way. He won't kick, rear or be agressive in any way at all. Just don't stand in front of him...........
 
please don't do it in a lorry. We tried this, my lad got his leg up on the tack lockers, got stuck, sat down (back legs went from beneath him) we then had to try and get him out without injuring anyone which involved undoing to partition and running. he ended up rolling (and yes I mean rolling) off the lorry. He was very, very lucky to end up with only a few scrapes. I would use proper stocks. I don't think they ever get over being needlshy, we now attach a lungeline through a metal ring and just do our best to get him done.
 
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Our local vet college used a 'big game' dart 'gun' on a needle phobic pony.

'Shot' it whilst it was in the stable on its own - job done.

Minimal fuss & reaction!!

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Yep,my friends mule is darted too,Mad Malaga just stands there and puts up with it he's had so many blood tests ans sedatives!
 
For his flu jab he goes in the trailer with his head in a big bucket and vet jabs him in the bum. He doesn't even flinch. Shows it's all in his head!

If he had to be IV'd though I would put him in the stocks at the vets though to be safe. As soon as the vet scatches his neck he's up on his back legs striking out. I want our vets to learn to dart!
 
And I thought it was just mine who was like this!!! If it's just for flu/tet jabs, I give him a tube of Sedolin before the vet comes which has worked a treat so far. Gives me a chance to give his sheath a good clean too - another job he hates! He had some bloods taken a couple of months ago and YO did it outside, with the vet following him round as he tried to get away - he didn't seem to panic as much and there was nothing for him to squash anyone against.

My other horse just stands there, good as gold!
 
A very sympathetic and patient vet. My vet is great!
Mine can no longer be jabbed in the bum but will strangely let you do it in the neck. Tried the horsebox route, all I can say is my horse box is extremely well made and withstands being doubled barrelled constantly.
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i've found that vets hiding the needle and having the patience to rub the neck for a while and then inject very gently into the area they've been rubbing, is another answer.
a vet who jabbed the horse very fast and very hard made her 100x worse.
 
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