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Sedation

Sedation is a very safe and reliable method of relaxing the equine dental patient. 

Owners who have had reservations about sedation, always appreciate how effective it is. Everyone is relaxed, safe and a thorough examination can be performed.

Prior to administering the sedation, Melissa will give your horse a cardiac auscultation (heart check) to determine if the patient is fit to be sedated and to determine the correct dose.

A low dose is administered which is very safe & sufficent to relax the horse for the duration of the procedure which on average is 45 minutes. Horses can be fed or turned out within an hour of completion.

Should you want to clip your horse or pull a main and need a top up following the procedure, just ask when booking the appointment.

 

 

 

Why Sedate?

Why Sedate?

 

A stainless steel gag fitted to a horses head weighs in total around 50kg. This potential lethal weapon in the close proximity of a human head, is reason enough. However there are other advantages to sedation which benefit the horse and not just the handler.

Horses find it difficult to open their mouths for long periods as they have very strong chewing muscles to close the mouth but weak muscles to open. They also have a natural desire to push any foreigh objects OUT of the mouth and they protect painful dental areas using the tongue or cheek. It is as such, very difficult to examine a mouth thoroughly when the cheeks are taught, the tongue and whole head are moving too. Sedation allows for a more comfortable experience for the horse. It relaxes not just the head but the cheeks and tongue, allowing the dental equipment to be positioned everywhere, even those tight areas at the back of the mouth. This allows for a very thorough examination and treatment of the whole mouth, in a safe environment.