Using Sedalin to clip, is it any good?

painted ponies

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My horse has been getting progressively worse to clip. Yesterday I had newly sharpened blades and used the same clippers as always and he would not let me go over his shoulder, ignored that for a while done his belly on one side then started the other fine and boom he kicked me in the chest clippers flew out of my hand he didnt brake them thank god but the blades are broken. Hes now all patchy and I have a three day event in a few weeks so need to tidy him up.

He was twitched at the time that didnt really help but would sedalin help? Its that he is really tickalish and does not like being poked (like when you go round the shoulder).
 
My horse responds well to sedaline! I used if last weekend to full clip her, gave her sedaline and waited about 40 minutes to work, she just went to sleep as I was clipping! I believe it doesn't work for every horse though???
 
I use sedalin to clip, and a twitch as well for his head. Just a small amount to take the edge off it for him. He used to be a lot worse to clip but is slowly improving.
 
If he is ticklish sedalin will be about as much use as a chocolate teapot! Torbugesic iv along with sedative iv is what we use....far safer, gets the job done quicker and clears their system quicker than sedalin.
 
They can get a bit panicky and unhappy with Sedalin and start to sweat which makes it impossible to continue to clip. The new one (Domosedan??) is supposed to be better but I havent used it yet.
 
It tends to work ok on naturally laid back horses, or just to take a a small 'edge' off them. Useful as a chocolate tea-pot when it comes to anything with a fight in it though. Foud anything extremely fearful/sharp, it makes them worse as they're too busy fighting it.
 
Depends on the horse, it will take a bit of the edge off, but they can easily fight it, if they're that way inclined. Sedation via the vet is the best way if you want to be sure.
 
didnt touch one side of my horse
but then again she does take an elephants level of sedation at the best of times :rolleyes: (2.5x normal levels for a horse her size - she fights it to the bitter end!)
 
Works for mine, but I have to clip her quickly as she does sweat up with it. She also takes an absolute age to come round again.
No such problems this year, as she's living out with a full furry coat!
 
Ime if a horse is genuinely scared of something, they're far worse on sedalin, or they are already fighting something. It's fine for taking the edge off though. Dosings hard to get exact though, because once they've started fighting it topping the dose up doesn't work. Although dose depends on weight, temperament has a huge effect too, two horses of the same weight can require v different amounts to get the same effect. If the horse is getting progressively worse I'd find out why. Is it because he's calling the shots subtly elsewhere too, or perhaps clipping is unpleasant? Eg clippers overheating, nicking, super sensitive skin etc.
 
My boy freaks out when getting clipped, he just explodes! I tried Sedalin once, I gave him about 3x the recommended dose and it still didn't touch him whatsoever. It had absolutely no effect and you wouldn't have known that he had any at all, so I personally don't rate it and plan on getting the vet out to sedate him.
 
Domosedan is much better - it goes under the tongue and with any sedative make sure the horse is calm when you administer it. For many it's best not to let them see the clipers etc before they are sedated and allow time for it to work before starting to clip.
 
I think the important thing with sedalin is to make sure they are completely relaxed when you give it to them and wait for it to take full effect. I find it quite good at taking the edge off but if they're really upset or frightened by something it's not going to help much. You could try domosedan, which is fairly new. I've not used it but my vet has (on her own horse) and seemed very pleased with how it worked - apparantly it's similar to the sedative they inject but is just rubbed onto the gums to be absorbed. The other thing to think about is desensitising him in general. My TB was very grumpy and twitchy about having his ribs and belly touched or brushed when I first got him but is now absolutely fine. Sometimes you just have to persist with gentle pressure (or even a glove on a stick if he's really wound up by it) and don't remove your hand until he stands and is calm. Eventually they tend to get the idea! Good luck.
 
Sedalin didn't touch my boy. Thought about the other option Domosedan but you need to ensure that makes contact with the gums as I understand it and can't hide it in feed as you can with sedalin - we tried a dummy run with a syringe full of water - cue broncing, rearing pony.

I got the vet out but 3 lots of sedative didn't work either - surprisingly the solution was a £50 set of trimmers - he now doesn't bat an eyelid when I clip his legs!
 
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