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BMC veterinary research2025; 21(1); 385; doi: 10.1186/s12917-025-04840-7

Efficacy of caudal epidural injection of Xylazine-Lidocaine HCl and detomidine-lidocaine HCl in domestic horses (Equus ferus caballus).

Abstract: The current study was prepared to compare the efficacy of xylazine-lidocaine HCl and detomidine-lidocaine HCl following caudal epidural injection in horses, evaluating sedation, analgesia, physiological parameters, and hemato-biochemical values. This study was applied to six healthy adult horses (300-350 kg, > 4 years of age). The horses were randomly divided into two equal groups. Group 1 (seven horses) received xylazine (0.17 mg/kg bwt) + lidocaine HCl (0.06 mg/kg bwt), while Group 2 received detomidine (0.03 mg/kg bwt) + lidocaine HCl (0.06 mg/kg bwt) via caudal epidural injection. Perineal analgesia and sedation (onset time and duration) were assessed before administration and at 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min post-administration. Concurrently, heart rate, respiratory rate, rectal temperature, and hemato-biochemical values were recorded. The sedative duration of detomidine was longer than that of xylazine (94 ± 0.96 vs. 85 ± 0.94 min). Both detomidine and xylazine induced complete bilateral perineal analgesia in all horses. Analgesia onset was slightly faster and duration longer in detomidine-treated horses compared to xylazine, and these values are for onset of analgesia (11.79 ± 1.15 vs. 14.46 ± 0.92 min). Significant heart rate depression was observed in Group 2, in which both white blood cell count (WBC) and packed cell volume (PCV) percentage showed significant decreases. Conclusion and Clinical Relevance: The findings of this study suggest that epidural administration of detomidine-lidocaine HCl results in more effective and longer-lasting perineal analgesia compared to xylazine-lidocaine HCl.
© 2025. The Author(s).
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Publication Date: 2025-05-28 PubMed ID: 40437503PubMed Central: PMC12117799DOI: 10.1186/s12917-025-04840-7Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Veterinary

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article is a study that compares the effectiveness of two different combinations of drugs (Xylazine-Lidocaine HCl and Detomidine-Lidocaine HCl) when used for epidural injections in horses, looking at their impacts on sedation, pain relief, and certain physiological and blood parameters.

Research Methodologies and Parameters

  • The study involved six healthy adult horses, each weighing between 300 to 350 kg and aged more than 4 years.
  • The horses were split into two groups. Group 1 received an epidural injection containing both xylazine and Lidocaine HCl, while Group 2 received an injection of detomidine mixed with Lidocaine HCl.
  • Both groups were monitored for the onset time and duration of perineal analgesia (pain relief in the perineal area) and sedation.
  • Other physiological parameters such as heart rate, respiratory rate, and rectal temperature were recorded.
  • In addition, the horses’ hemato-biochemical values, namely white blood cell count (WBC) and packed cell volume (PCV), were also documented.

Key Findings

  • It was found that the sedation period for horses in Group 2 (receiving detomidine) was slightly longer compared to Group 1 (given xylazine).
  • All horses experienced complete pain relief in the perineal area irrespective of which drug combination they were given.
  • Horses from Group 2 experienced a faster onset and longer duration of analgesia compared to Group 1.
  • Group 2 also displayed significant heart rate depression along with decreases in their WBC and PCV percentages.

Conclusion and Clinical Relevance

  • Based on the findings, the researchers concluded that the use of detomidine in combination with Lidocaine HCl in epidural injections is more effective in generating longer-lasting pain relief in the perineal area compared to using xylazine with Lidocaine HCl.
  • The data derived from this study might be helpful for veterinary clinicians in making decisions regarding analgesic plans or procedures in horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Sobhy A, Nomir AG, Hamed MA, Abumandour MMA, El-Kammar M. (2025). Efficacy of caudal epidural injection of Xylazine-Lidocaine HCl and detomidine-lidocaine HCl in domestic horses (Equus ferus caballus). BMC Vet Res, 21(1), 385. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-025-04840-7

Publication

BMC veterinary research
ISSN: 1746-6148
NlmUniqueID: 101249759
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 21
Issue: 1
Pages: 385
PII: 385

Researcher Affiliations

Sobhy, Adel
  • Department of Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour, 22516, Egypt.
Nomir, Ahmed G
  • Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour, 22516, Egypt.
Hamed, Mohamed A
  • Department of Surgery, Anesthesiology and Radiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Aswan University, Aswan, Egypt.
Abumandour, Mohamed M A
  • Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, Abees 10th, P.O. 21944, Alexandria, 21944, Egypt. m.abumandour@yahoo.com.
El-Kammar, Mahmoud
  • Department of Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, Abis 10, P.O. 21944, Alexandria, Egypt.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Xylazine / administration & dosage
  • Xylazine / pharmacology
  • Lidocaine / administration & dosage
  • Lidocaine / pharmacology
  • Horses
  • Anesthetics, Local / administration & dosage
  • Anesthetics, Local / pharmacology
  • Imidazoles / administration & dosage
  • Imidazoles / pharmacology
  • Female
  • Male
  • Injections, Epidural / veterinary
  • Hypnotics and Sedatives / administration & dosage

Conflict of Interest Statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study was carried out with ethical permission from the faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (ALEXU-IACUC) with (Approval code: AU013/12-05-2025/0348290/2023/13/11). All methods were performed in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations from the Basel Declaration and the International Council for Laboratory Animal Science (ICLAS). This study was prepared in accordance with the National Institutes of Health Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals [29]. All animal experiments comply with the ARRIVE guidelines and were carried out in accordance with the U.K. Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act, 1986 and associated guidelines, EU Directive 2010/63/EU for animal experiments, or the National Institutes of Health guide for the care and use of laboratory animals (NIH Publications No. 8023, revised 1978), and the authors clearly indicated in the manuscript that such guidelines have been followed. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Consent to participate: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

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