110
46TH
ANNUAL
CONGRESS
OF
THE
SAEVA
SKUKUZA
16-‐20
FEBRUARY
2014
Examples of various combinations used in clinical practice for
prolonged standing sedation
Drug
Loading Constant
dose
rate
infusion
dose
Combo Medetomidine 0.005
0.018
May cause severe ataxia in
1
mg/kg
mg/kg/hr
some horses
Butorphanol
0.02 mg/kg 0.012
mg/kg/hr
Combo Romifidine
0.04 to
0.03 mg/kg/hr Initial bolus based on
2
0.08 mg/kg
temperament of horse.
Drafts horses require a
lower dose.
Butorphanol
0.018
0.025
Visceral pain, minor skin
mg/kg
mg/kg/hr
lesions
OR Morphine
0.1 mg/kg
0.05 mg/kg/hr For moderate to severe
somatic or visceral pain
Combo Detomidine
0.01 to
0.005 to 0.01 Dose depending on
3
0.02 mg/kg mg/kg/hr
temperament and breed of
horse as with Romifidine
(above)
Buprenorphine 0.005 to
Not
Buprenorphine has a long
0.01 mg/kg indicated
duration of action.
Consider rebolusing after
60 minutes if analgesia
seems inadequate
OR Butorphanol
0.018
0.025
Visceral pain, minor skin
mg/kg
mg/kg/hr
lesions
OR Morphine
0.1 mg/kg
0.05 mg/kg/hr For moderate to severe
somatic or visceral pain
Table 1: Various combinations used to achieve predictable standing sedation in
horses.
Worked example on how to prepare a constant rate infusion cocktail
Administration set influences how long an infusion can last. Always best to use an easy drip rate
to manage. Usually 1 drop/second is preferred.
Admin set (drops/mL) Drops/secon Volume
How long infusion will
d
(mL)
last
10
1
200
33 min
≈ 0.5 hours
20
1
200
66 min
≈ 1 hour
60
1
200
200 min
≈ 3 hours
Now that you know how long a bag will last; you now spike the bag with how much drug you
need per hour. For example:
CRI of Romifidine (0.03 mg/hr) and Morphine (0.05 mg/kg) in a 500 kg horse. Romifidine
formulation is 10 mg/mL and Morphine is 10 mg/mL.
You can mix your cocktail in one 200 mL bag. To be absolutely correct you should withdrawal
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