Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Horse collapsed after epidural detomidine injection - what to know
By Wittern, C et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1998·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Complications associated with administration of detomidine into the caudal epidural space in a horse.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 15-month-old male Quarter Horse collapsed unexpectedly after receiving a caudal epidural injection of detomidine, a sedative, before his castration surgery. He fell to the ground and could not get up, prompting the veterinary team to proceed with the surgery under general anesthesia instead. Although the surgery went well, the horse had a prolonged recovery from anesthesia. This case highlights the need for caution when using high doses of detomidine in horses.
People also search for: horse anesthesia complications · Quarter Horse sedation issues · detomidine side effects in horses
Abstract
A 364-kg (800-lb) 15-month-old sexually intact cryptorchid male Quarter Horse was admitted to the veterinary teaching hospital for castration. The horse was placed in standing stocks, and a caudal epidural injection of 18 mg of detomidine hydrochloride (50 micrograms/kg [23 micrograms/lb] of body weight) was administered. Fifteen minutes after injection, the horse unexpectedly collapsed to the floor, first into sternal, and then into lateral, recumbency. Because the horse would not get up, the decision was made to perform the surgery with the horse under general anesthesia. The horse required little halothane to maintain a surgical plane of anesthesia for most of the duration of surgery. Recovery from anesthesia was prolonged. Care must be taken when anesthetizing horses that have received large doses of detomidine via caudal epidural injection.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9713535/