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Investigation of romifidine and detomidine for the clinical sedation of horses.
Abstract: The effects of two intravenous doses of romifidine (80 and 120 microg/kg) and one dose of detomidine (20 microg/kg) were compared in a blinded study in 30 horses requiring to be sedated for routine dental treatment. Several physiological parameters were assessed before and for two hours after the administration of the drugs, and the horses' teeth were rasped 30 minutes after they were administered. Romifidine produced a dose-dependent effect on most parameters. Detomidine at 20 microg/kg was similar to romifidine at 120 microg/kg in the magnitude of its sedative effects, but was similar to romifidine at 80 pg/kg in its duration. There were no significant differences between the three treatments in terms of the clinical procedure score.
Publication Date: 2000-12-08 PubMed ID: 11110491DOI: 10.1136/vr.147.18.507Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
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.
This research article tests the effects of two horse sedatives, romifidine and detomidine, for routine dental treatment in 30 horses. It concludes that romifidine’s effects increase with dosage, and that detomidine has similar sedative potency but shorter duration.
Research Objectives
- The study was designed to compare the sedative effects of two drugs, romifidine and detomidine, typically used in equine (horse) practice.
- The level of sedation was evaluated based on the alteration of several physiological parameters in the horses, before and after the drug administration.
- Another objective was to examine the effects of these drugs on routine dental procedures in horses, which was assessed 30 minutes after the drugs were administered.
Methodology
- Thirty horses needing dental treatment were used for the study.
- Two dosages of romifidine (80 and 120 micrograms per kilogram of body weight) and one dose of detomidine (20 micrograms per kilogram) were used in this blinded study.
- Physiological parameters in the horses were measured before and two hours after the drugs were administered to assess the impact on the animals.
- Dental procedure was carried out on the horses 30 minutes post-drug administration and was scored for the purpose of this research.
Findings
- It was observed that romifidine produced a dose-dependent effect on most of the examined parameters, that is, the impact intensified with an increase in the dose.
- Detomidine at a dose of 20 micrograms per kilogram was found to produce sedative effects similar in intensity to romifidine at 120 micrograms per kilogram, but the duration of the effect was more comparable to that of romifidine at 80 micrograms per kilogram.
- No significant differences were observed between the three different treatment groups in terms of the clinical procedure scores. This indicates that all three drug administration strategies were similarly effective for sedation during routine dental procedures.
Cite This Article
APA
Freeman SL, England GC.
(2000).
Investigation of romifidine and detomidine for the clinical sedation of horses.
Vet Rec, 147(18), 507-511.
https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.147.18.507 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Farm Animal and Equine Medicine and Surgery, The Royal Veterinary College, North Mymms, Hertfordshire.
MeSH Terms
- Analgesics
- Analysis of Variance
- Anesthetics
- Animals
- Conscious Sedation / veterinary
- Female
- Horses
- Imidazoles
Citations
This article has been cited 7 times.- Haunhorst FR, Hopster K, Schmicke M, Bienert-Zeit A, Kästner S. Clinical effect of buprenorphine or butorphanol, in combination with detomidine and diazepam, on sedation and postoperative pain after cheek tooth extraction in horses. Can Vet J 2022 Jan;63(1):39-46.
- de Oliveira AR, Gozalo-Marcilla M, Ringer SK, Schauvliege S, Fonseca MW, Esteves Trindade PH, Prospero Puoli Filho JN, Luna SPL. Development and validation of the facial scale (FaceSed) to evaluate sedation in horses. PLoS One 2021;16(6):e0251909.
- Röttiger C, Hellige M, Ohnesorge B, Bienert-Zeit A. Magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography of equine cheek teeth and adjacent structures: comparative study of image quality in horses in vivo, post-mortem and frozen-thawed. Acta Vet Scand 2019 Dec 10;61(1):62.
- Müller TM, Hopster K, Bienert-Zeit A, Rohn K, Kästner SBR. Effect of butorphanol, midazolam or ketamine on romifidine based sedation in horses during standing cheek tooth removal. BMC Vet Res 2017 Dec 6;13(1):381.
- Romagnoli N, Al-Qudah KM, Armorini S, Lambertini C, Zaghini A, Spadari A, Roncada P. Pharmacokinetic profile and partitioning in red blood cells of romifidine after single intravenous administration in the horse. Vet Med Sci 2017 Nov;3(4):187-197.
- Jennings K, Curtis L, Burford J, Freeman S. Prospective survey of veterinary practitioners' primary assessment of equine colic: clinical features, diagnoses, and treatment of 120 cases of large colon impaction. BMC Vet Res 2014;10 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S2.
- Izquierdo-Moreno J, de Paz MI, Manso-Díaz G, Villalba-Orero M, López-Sanromán J. Correlation between kinematic parameters, ataxia and ground-to-lip distance in detomidine sedated horses. Equine Vet J 2025 May;57(3):798-805.
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