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  Discussion on Prolixin for agressive horses
Author Message
New Member:
Soutarrd

Posted on Monday, Aug 4, 2003 - 4:14 pm:

I happen to own a well bred Stallion who is particularly agressive towards people. He is 12 years old, and has a long established habit of this behavior. He is very quick to anger, and will immediate attack whichever human he feels is the cause. Prior to the start of the breeding season this year, he was given one dose of Prolixin (injectable - decanoate, I believe). It didn't seem to work in the first week so it was assumed to be a failure. However the breeding season started off well, and we were able to breed mares with little problems for two months or so. Around then he became more difficult to handle until we had to stop breeding.

Later I remembered the earlier injection, and wondered if it indeed had a positive effect. I am looking for more information on use for anger management. It would be difficult to give an injection now, and am wondering if the HCL tablet formulation might be effective as well? Maybe it could be given daily when the horse needed to be handled. Or, could we use it for the short term effect to allow us to give the IM longer acting form? Do you have and info on dosege, and effects of using both forms?
Member:
Swarnick

Posted on Monday, Aug 4, 2003 - 4:28 pm:

Richard,

I am curious as to why anyone would breed an animal with such a bad temperment, well-bred or not.

Shirley
Member:
Suzym

Posted on Monday, Aug 4, 2003 - 11:53 pm:

Shirley ~ that thought occurred to me as well.

Suzy
Member:
Swarnick

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 5, 2003 - 10:24 am:

Just an additional thought, if this horse is not producing foals with temperment problems then you just may have a severe managment problem on your hands and sedating the animal should not be the first option. If the stud has been, in essence, in solitary confinement for the past 12 or so years, it's no wonder he's an incorrigible. Herd animals cannot be kept isolated for long periods of time. You may want to try turning him out with some barefooted, bred mares and I think you'll probably see a marked improvement in his attitude. Mares have their special ways of walloping some sense into unruly studs. And of course there is no substitute for a lot of attention and ground work to get him reacclimated and more respectful to humans either. Our studs were not totally trustworthy, and few are, but they were safe enough to handle whether or not they were in the breeding shed--but we did let them be horses and spend time amongst their own and they were handled, ridden and fussed with a lot.

Shirley
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 5, 2003 - 7:07 pm:

Hello Richard,
It is possible that the prolixin took up to a week before it "kicked in". I am not familiar with using the oral form in horses and use very little of the injectable form. I think you would be better giving a short acting reliable sedative, say a ml or two of detomidine orally, then giving the prolixin once he is safely sedated.

This is an off label and experimental use of the drug and I cannot vouch for its safety. This should only be done with the approval and supervision of your veterinarian and I would caution not to feed following this until good bowel sounds return.
DrO
Member:
Soutarrd

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 6, 2003 - 2:40 pm:

Thanks DrO for your advice. I have done a bit of research on this, and what I'm finding is a vacumn of knowledge on the subject. This is one reason why I posted the question in the first place.

As to why to breed him... His foals are smart and with even temperment. They also are runners. Very often the same genetics that produce speed in race horses also carry a mean streak. I am careful with the temperment of the mares he is bred to for obvious reasons. There is no doubt that somewhere in his past he developed the wrong attitude about people. However, he is polite and gentle with his mares. This is an unusual case and I don't expect any amount of TLC will change him. That being said, we do give him a nice and as safe to his handlers as possible environment to live in. He is not stall bound at all and is in close proximity to other horses.

I will update here at a later date, and may end up writing a paper on this case if we prevail.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Aug 7, 2003 - 9:07 am:

We would love to know how this turns out.
DrO
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