FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 10000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne2021; 62(9); 982-986;

The effects of xylazine or detomidine when used as a pre-anesthetic sedative on recovery quality and duration in horses undergoing elective equine castration.

Abstract: The purpose of this prospective, blinded, randomized clinical trial was to compare the effects of low dose detomidine to xylazine on recovery quality and duration in a castration procedure. Horses were administered either detomidine [0.015 mg/kg body weight (BW)] or xylazine (1.1 mg/kg BW) intravenously (IV) before IV induction with ketamine (2.2 mg/kg BW) and diazepam (0.05 mg/kg BW). Two anesthesiologists who were unaware of treatment allocation scored the recoveries using a simple descriptive scale (with a low number representing the most desirable recovery) and recoveries were timed. Horses in the detomidine group ( = 16) had a median recovery score of 16 (range: 11 to 26), whereas horses in the xylazine group ( = 12) had a median recovery score of 12 (range: 10 to 16) ( = 0.001). There was no difference in surgery time ( = 0.52), time from the end of surgery to standing ( = 0.45), or time from induction to standing ( = 0.48) between the groups. . Le but de cet essai clinique prospectif, en aveugle et randomisé était de comparer les effets de la détomidine à faible dose à la xylazine sur la qualité et la durée de la récupération dans une procédure de castration. Les chevaux ont reçu soit de la détomidine [0,015 mg/kg de poids corporel (PC)] soit de la xylazine (1,1 mg/kg de PC) par voie intraveineuse (IV) avant l’induction IV avec de la kétamine (2,2 mg/kg de PC) et du diazépam (0,05 mg/kg de PC). Deux anesthésistes qui ignoraient l’attribution du traitement ont noté les récupérations à l’aide d’une échelle descriptive simple (avec un petit nombre représentant la récupération la plus souhaitable) et les récupérations ont été chronométrées. Les chevaux du groupe détomidine ( = 16) avaient un score de récupération médian de 16 (éventail de valeurs : 11 à 26), tandis que les chevaux du groupe xylazine ( = 12) avaient un score de récupération médian de 12 (éventail de valeurs : 10 à 16) ( = 0,001). Il n’y avait aucune différence dans le temps de chirurgie ( = 0,52), le temps entre la fin de la chirurgie et la position debout ( = 0,45) ou le temps entre l’induction et la position debout ( = 0,48) entre les groupes.(Traduit par D Serge Messier).
Copyright and/or publishing rights held by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2021-09-04 PubMed ID: 34475584PubMed Central: PMC8360303
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.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Veterinary
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

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 compares the effects of two types of pre-anesthetic sedatives, detomidine and xylazine, on the recovery quality and duration of horses undergoing an elective castration procedure. The findings showed that horses administered with detomidine had a higher recovery score, indicating a potentially less desirable recovery, compared to those given xylazine, with no notable differences in surgery time or standing time after surgery between the two groups.

Research Methodology

  • The study was a prospective, blinded, randomized clinical trial assessing the effects of two pre-anesthetic sedatives — low dose detomidine and xylazine — on horses undergoing castration.
  • Horses were administered either detomidine (0.015 mg/kg body weight) or xylazine (1.1 mg/kg body weight) intravenously before induction with ketamine and diazepam.
  • Two anesthesiologists, not aware of the specific treatment allocation, scored each horse’s recovery using a simple descriptive scale, with a lower score representing a more desirable recovery. This scoring process was performed and timed to assess recovery quality and duration.

Study Findings

  • Horses in the detomidine group had a median recovery score of 16 (range: 11 to 26), suggesting less desirable recoveries.
  • Horses in the xylazine group had a median recovery score of 12 (range: 10 to 16), indicating potentially more desirable recoveries.
  • However, there were no significant differences observed in surgery time, time from the end of surgery to standing, or time from induction to standing between the two groups.

Conclusion

  • The study concluded that detomidine and xylazine, when used as pre-anesthetic sedatives, had different impacts on the recovery quality in horses following castration.
  • Despite both sedatives performing adequately, horses administered with xylazine appeared to have more desirable recoveries based on the recovery scoring method used.
  • The time metrics for surgery and recovery, however, revealed no significant differences between the two groups. This suggests that choice of sedative may therefore be more significant for recovery quality rather than speed of recovery or duration of surgery.

Cite This Article

APA
Jarosinski SK, Simon BT, Hatfield R, Matthews NS, Arnold CE. (2021). The effects of xylazine or detomidine when used as a pre-anesthetic sedative on recovery quality and duration in horses undergoing elective equine castration. Can Vet J, 62(9), 982-986.

Publication

The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne
ISSN: 0008-5286
NlmUniqueID: 0004653
Country: Canada
Language: English
Volume: 62
Issue: 9
Pages: 982-986

Researcher Affiliations

Jarosinski, Sarah K
  • Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences (Jarosinski, Simon), Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences (Arnold), College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77845, USA; 227 Svoboda Ln, La Grange, Texas 78945, USA (Hatfield); 157 West Dryden Road, Freeville, New York 13068, USA (Matthews).
Simon, Bradley T
  • Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences (Jarosinski, Simon), Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences (Arnold), College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77845, USA; 227 Svoboda Ln, La Grange, Texas 78945, USA (Hatfield); 157 West Dryden Road, Freeville, New York 13068, USA (Matthews).
Hatfield, Rylee
  • Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences (Jarosinski, Simon), Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences (Arnold), College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77845, USA; 227 Svoboda Ln, La Grange, Texas 78945, USA (Hatfield); 157 West Dryden Road, Freeville, New York 13068, USA (Matthews).
Matthews, Nora S
  • Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences (Jarosinski, Simon), Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences (Arnold), College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77845, USA; 227 Svoboda Ln, La Grange, Texas 78945, USA (Hatfield); 157 West Dryden Road, Freeville, New York 13068, USA (Matthews).
Arnold, Carolyn E
  • Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences (Jarosinski, Simon), Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences (Arnold), College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77845, USA; 227 Svoboda Ln, La Grange, Texas 78945, USA (Hatfield); 157 West Dryden Road, Freeville, New York 13068, USA (Matthews).

MeSH Terms

  • Anesthetics
  • Animals
  • Horses
  • Hypnotics and Sedatives / pharmacology
  • Imidazoles
  • Male
  • Orchiectomy / veterinary
  • Prospective Studies
  • Xylazine / pharmacology

References

This article includes 16 references
  1. Virtanen R, MacDonald E. Comparison of the effects of detomidine and xylazine on some alpha 2-adrenoceptor-mediated responses in the central and peripheral nervous systems.. Eur J Pharmacol 1985 Sep 24;115(2-3):277-84.
    pubmed: 2998825doi: 10.1016/0014-2999(85)90700-9google scholar: lookup
  2. Schwartz DD, Clark TP. Affinity of detomidine, medetomidine and xylazine for alpha-2 adrenergic receptor subtypes.. J Vet Pharmacol Ther 1998 Apr;21(2):107-11.
    pubmed: 9597647doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2885.1998.00113.xgoogle scholar: lookup
  3. Salonen JS, Vähä-Vahe T, Vainio O, Vakkuri O. Single-dose pharmacokinetics of detomidine in the horse and cow.. J Vet Pharmacol Ther 1989 Mar;12(1):65-72.
    pubmed: 2704064doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2885.1989.tb00643.xgoogle scholar: lookup
  4. Habershon-Butcher J, Cutler C, Viljanto M, Hincks PR, Biddle S, Paine SW. Re-evaluation of the pharmacokinetics of xylazine administered to Thoroughbred horses.. J Vet Pharmacol Ther 2020 Jan;43(1):6-12.
    pubmed: 31652007doi: 10.1111/jvp.12820google scholar: lookup
  5. Garcia-Villar R, Toutain PL, Alvinerie M, Ruckebusch Y. The pharmacokinetics of xylazine hydrochloride: an interspecific study.. J Vet Pharmacol Ther 1981 Jun;4(2):87-92.
    pubmed: 7349331doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2885.1981.tb00715.xgoogle scholar: lookup
  6. England GC, Clarke KW. Alpha 2 adrenoceptor agonists in the horse--a review.. Br Vet J 1996 Nov;152(6):641-57.
    pubmed: 8979422doi: 10.1016/s0007-1935(96)80118-7google scholar: lookup
  7. Matthews NS, Miller SM, Slater MR, Williams JD, Beasley A. A comparison of xylazine-ketamine and detomidine-ketamine anesthesia in horses.. J Vet Anaesth 1993;20:68–72.
  8. Smith MC, Bass L, Damone J, Mama K, Rao S. Comparison of xylazine and detomidine in combination with midazolam/ketamine for field castration in Quarter Horses.. Equine Vet J 2020 Jul;52(4):516-521.
    pubmed: 31965616doi: 10.1111/evj.13232google scholar: lookup
  9. Matthews NS, Hartsfield SM, Cornick JL, Williams JD, Beasley A. A comparison of injectable anesthetic combinations in horses.. Vet Surg 1991 Jul-Aug;20(4):268-73.
    pubmed: 1949566doi: 10.1111/j.1532-950x.1991.tb01262.xgoogle scholar: lookup
  10. Mama KR, Steffey EP, Pascoe PJ. Evaluation of propofol for general anesthesia in premedicated horses.. Am J Vet Res 1996 Apr;57(4):512-6.
    pubmed: 8712516
  11. Clarke KW, Taylor PM, Watkins SB. Detomidine/ketamine anaesthesia in the horse.. Acta Vet Scand Suppl 1986;82:167-79.
    pubmed: 3464177
  12. Hubbell JAE, Muir WW. Use of the alpha-2 agonists xylazine and detomidine in the perianesthetic period in the horse.. Equine Vet Educ 2004;16:326–332.
  13. Donaldson LL, Dunlop GS, Holland MS, Burton BA. The recovery of horses from inhalant anesthesia: a comparison of halothane and isoflurane.. Vet Surg 2000 Jan-Feb;29(1):92-101.
    pubmed: 10653499doi: 10.1111/j.1532-950x.2000.00092.xgoogle scholar: lookup
  14. England GC, Clarke KW, Goossens L. A comparison of the sedative effects of three alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonists (romifidine, detomidine and xylazine) in the horse.. J Vet Pharmacol Ther 1992 Jun;15(2):194-201.
    pubmed: 1359161doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2885.1992.tb01007.xgoogle scholar: lookup
  15. Plumb DC. Plumb’s Veterinary Drug Handbook. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell; 2018.
  16. Kilcoyne I, Watson JL, Kass PH, Spier SJ. Incidence, management, and outcome of complications of castration in equids: 324 cases (1998-2008).. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2013 Mar 15;242(6):820-5.
    pubmed: 23445295doi: 10.2460/javma.242.6.820google scholar: lookup

Citations

This article has been cited 0 times.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,417 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.