Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Complications associated with administration of detomidine into the caudal epidural space in a horse.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 1998
- Authors:
- Wittern, C et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Clinical Sciences · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 15-month-old male Quarter Horse, weighing about 800 pounds, was taken to a veterinary hospital for castration. The horse received an injection of a sedative called detomidine into the lower back area to help with the procedure. However, just 15 minutes later, the horse collapsed and couldn't get back up, so the veterinarians decided to put him under general anesthesia to complete the surgery. Although the surgery went well and required only a small amount of anesthesia, the horse took a long time to wake up afterward. This case highlights the need for caution when using high doses of detomidine in this way.
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.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9713535/