Yes they do sedate I had my boy pts by leathel injection and it was peacefull though as nailed said bolt anyday was always my pefered method though this horse was a monster to handle bless him so vet advised agains bolt due to his behaviour handling incase he reared etc when bolt was to be used I was against inj due to hearing stories of it going wrong or taking ages but my boy just looked like he lied down and went to sleep with inj
They dont always get sedated. Depends on the horses temperament and circumstances. They generally use somulose which is like an overdose of anaesthetic. Horses tend to go very peacefully and often faster if not sedated or sedated very lightly.
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Some Vets sedate first but it actually slows the process down slightly due to the veins shrinking a little. If the horse is calm its preferable to just get the job done straight away.
I heard a horrific story this week about a mare pts on a yard near us. Apparently she had twice the normal dose and was still grazing. It took hours even after she had gone down and only ended when the vet injected directly into the heart.
For injection no sedation is preferable if the horse is sensible. Sedation by it's nature will slow the rate at which the Somulose is taken round the body and ideally it needs to be as fast as possible. I'd definitely sedate for shooting to reduce the risk of movement.
nothing is happing barb thanks just wondering what drug it was and i was not sure if they sedated or not coz i am sure they did not sedate star. will they only sedate if the horse is not calm?