Sedalin for loading? Alternative product? (Also in vet.)

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MM&PP

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Hi all.

My horses are moving yards next week and can be sticky to load. The lady from the transport company suggested that a few ml's of sedalin can be effective in making them more amiable.

I have had no dealings with this before and am not 100% sure this is a good idea? (please correct me if I am wrong) My gelding can sometimes be slightly wobbly in the lorry so I wouldn't want to do anything which may cause him to be unsteady on his feet...

If this is thought to be a good idea, is there a similar product I can buy off the shelf as oppose to having to ring the vet?

My mare has been worked in a dually by an instructor and within 2 minutes she was on and off the lorry like a pro. Prior to that I had been attempting to load her for hours! I have purchased a dually after he showed me how to use it effectively; but want things to go as smoothly as possible so I don't know what to do?

Both have always got on the lorry and the lady said that she has a 'very positive mental attitude' and has dealt a lot with sticky loaders etc and they always get on her lorry; but for both their sakes I want the whole thing to be as stress free as possible...!

Ahhh! What should I do?!
 
Hi, I have used this with success on my gelding who was a bit "bolshy" to shoe, each time we lowered the dose and now he is fine and doesn't need it.
It just takes the edge off of them and makes them easier to manage, a friend used it on her youngster (2 yr old) for exactly the same reason as you and it worked a treat. :)
As with most things when it comes to horses it works for some and not for others!!
 
Just be careful with it. I gave 4ml to a yearling, who had been on box rest for 2 weeks, before we turned him out. He was quite unsteady walking out to the field, I certainly could not have travelled him as he would not have coped. Different horses will have different reactions, as mentioned by post above.
 
Ditto the above, be careful with it. ACP has a lasting effect and once the horse is loaded and relaxes, the sedation level increases. I have opened the ramp after a 2 hour journey and found the horse barely able to stand up. Bear in mind also, that each horse is affected differently.

ETA I have had good lasting results from Oxyshot.
 
i know now't about sedalin :o

put i do loading problems and i did one last week at the vets for another one of there clients and the horse was still slightly sedated, it made my job slightly harder as said horse wasn't quite awake enough to react to the halter (controler type)
said horse also had a lack of self presivation and was going to smack her head off the roof given half a chance and she meant it
i don't know if it was the sedative causing this as that was the 1st time i'd seen the horse and she was there to finding out the cause of dangerous behaviour

i do find the more sparky/wired/sharp type of horse react better to a controller halter then the half a sleep lazy cob (and some tb's ;) ) types

what i'm trying to say is i'd want them as awake as poss to load using a controller halter or you could find yourself with a horse that simply plants itself at the bottom of the ramp and goe's to sleep

i also agree with the others i wouldn't want to take the risk of my horse loosing balance if it made him too sleepy

hope thats helpful good luck :)
 
Hi,
TBH I wouldn't be inclined to use sedation, particularly if you have a horse who finds it difficult to balance when travelling.

I have found that sedalin can easily be 'fought' if a horse has a real fear of something.
You might find that if they are really objecting and frightened of the loading process, the sedalin wont help, and it could cause more of a problem with the horse who finds it harder to balance.

My advice would be to ride them or lunge them before you go, so they've had a good blow out, then you'll probably find you have less resistance when you load :)
 
I posted this once before and will reiterate. I gave barely 3ml each to my two almost 2 year old recently gelded Shire boys to lead them out to the paddock when I had a very bad back. Being young, very large and a bit rambunctious, I couldn't take any chances with their exuberance while I was hobbling about with no assistance. I gave them their doses in a bit of chaff, waited about 45 minutes, and lead each of them out without incident. They weren't groggy, sleepy or in any way sedated. What the Sedalin did was simply take the edge off. It was brilliant and I would recommend to anyone. I think problems arise when too high a low dose is given. Hope this helps.
 
RutlandH2O said:
I posted this once before and will reiterate. I gave barely 3ml each to my two almost 2 year old recently gelded Shire boys to lead them out to the paddock when I had a very bad back. Being young, very large and a bit rambunctious, I couldn't take any chances with their exuberance while I was hobbling about with no assistance. I gave them their doses in a bit of chaff, waited about 45 minutes, and lead each of them out without incident. They weren't groggy, sleepy or in any way sedated. What the Sedalin did was simply take the edge off. It was brilliant and I would recommend to anyone. I think problems arise when too high a low dose is given. Hope this helps.
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But your horses weren't in a situation which they found uncomfortable or frightening, and had no reason to try and fight it (sedalin can easily be fought if a horse panics), and they weren't in an alien envionment where they needed to have their faculties in order to balance in a lorry.
 
Misinterpreted, you make a very good point. However, one of those boys refused to load, once, before my back problem. We had spent almost 2 hours trying to load him. A TINY dose of Sedalin achieved the desired result. He wasn't groggy, dopey or unable to balance. Those are the only 2 times I've used the drug, but the results were ideal. I think the problems can arise from giving too high a, seemingly, low dose. I'd actually forgotten about the loading experience because there were quite a few people about at the time. The incident when I was alone with the boys, with a miserable back, stands out because I really didn't think I could manage the situation, yet I did.
 
I gave Sedalin to my yearling on Monday after spending an hour trying to load. I spoke to my vet who gave me the OK and it definately helped. Just give a small amount and see what happens. She certainly didnt have any problems balancing after the sedalin and loaded first time the following day without any.
 
Under the Welfare of Animals During Transit 2007 it is illegal to give an oral sedative!

Your transporter SHOULD know this!

Instead if you do require sedation then your VET will have to be in attendance and inject into a vein. It works in 2 minutes and wears off in 20 minutes.

The vet then needs to sign paperwork from the transporter giving information as to time medication was given, how much was given, vets practice stamp, mobile number of administering vet, and a time that the transporter may start the journey.

Personally it sounds like you need to change transporters and find one that knows what they are doing!
 
foraday said:
Under the Welfare of Animals During Transit 2007 it is illegal to give an oral sedative!

Your transporter SHOULD know this!

Instead if you do require sedation then your VET will have to be in attendance and inject into a vein. It works in 2 minutes and wears off in 20 minutes.

The vet then needs to sign paperwork from the transporter giving information as to time medication was given, how much was given, vets practice stamp, mobile number of administering vet, and a time that the transporter may start the journey.

Personally it sounds like you need to change transporters and find one that knows what they are doing!
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Thank-you everyone for your helpful replies; foraday this is interesting as she appeared to very specific with what we could and couldn't do; i.e horses MUST be wearing tail bandages and if travelling with hay MUST be small holed net etcetc. I was also told that Sedalin wasn't a sedative; instead a tranquiliser? Not sure if this makes any difference?

To those who suggested teaching them to load; this is exactly what I would like to have been doing. Practice via repatition but we are on a paddock in the village currently and are the only horses there. To hire a lorry it would cost me £150+ diesel and I was very reluctant to get a random loading person in incase they did more damage than good. (Self/yard proclaimed expert tried to help me load them and in the end they were so worked up they had to say overnight at the yard we visited... :rolleyes: ) I did have some help with an instructor who briefly taught at a yard we were at but when I tried to contact him he never got back to me... I will potentially buy the suggested calmer if only for my mare; but will see how we get on...

Thank-you all for the good luck wishes and advice for Monday. We are relocating to a new bigger yard and hopefully there will be more of a possibility of hiring a lorry/practicing loading there!!!
 
I have to use sedalin for one of mine to travel in a lorry. He loads fine but throws himself on the floor in a trailer!and panics in a lorry. Mine tends not to react much to sedative type drugs tho and needs a whole tube but is still extremely alert but it works and he would be dangerous to travel without it. My vet reccommended it. Each horse is different tho and i wouldnt give to much for a first attempt. Good luck!
 
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