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  Discussion on Strange Reaction After Detomidine/Butorphanol/Banamine IV
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New Member:
divamare

Posted on Thursday, Apr 28, 2011 - 1:47 pm:

Windy the Haflinger had what looked to be a choke episode. PU vets responded within 45 min which is about as fast as humanly possible to my farm.

He was given 1/2ml of each medicine IV. Within 2 min he staggered a few steps forward and one to the side and appeared he might go down. He hesitated, then leaned to the right and drew up his left fore as high and tight as he could almost as if a 'puppet string' was holding it up. It stayed there for perhaps 30 seconds and then he put it slowly down. Then he leaned to left and drew up the right fore in the same manner, held it again, and then slowly set it back down. He then leaned right again and drew up the left hind, held it, and set it back down. He did not pick up the right hind. The PU vet, assistant, and three vet students all said they had never seen such an odd reaction. After placing the left hind down, he squared up and stood with firm stance, head down for the rest of the sedation. Upon having all four feet on the ground, he started remarkable tremors in the chest and flank. This last for a couple of minutes but he didn't move his feet. He remained in the same position during the rest of the sedation.

Anyone ever seen such an exaggerated holding and placing of the foot like this?

I then asked what was given and how much. One of the vet students wrote down the three meds listed in the title of this discussion and wrote 1/2 ml for the dosage of each.

He came out of sedation fine although he maintained the squared up stance and did not move his feet for several (10) hours.

The supervising vet had hypothesized that something neurological was going on with him prior to sedation...perhaps this was related to the reaction.

He has had Detomidine before by itself with no tremors.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Apr 28, 2011 - 6:32 pm:

No I have not seen such a reaction. We commonly pair detomidine and butorphanol (at about these doses) because it allows you to use less detomidine and may help to keep the inappropriate kicking that can occur with alpha-2 agonist sedatives alone. The down side is that too much butorphanol can cause the horse to want to walk forward. I wonder if this is an exaggerated expression of this pharmacological effect?
DrO
New Member:
divamare

Posted on Thursday, Apr 28, 2011 - 8:51 pm:

It did remind me Dr. O of a drunk moving in super slow motion trying to walk forward...lean...place the foot...lean...repeat.

Doc's report said all bloodwork in normal ranges with a few insignificant exceptions.

She said she consulted with a medicine clinician (what is that...?) and they both agreed that an electrical shock might produce the clinical observations as she did not feel it was head trauma. She said a head trauma to affect mentation that much (prior to sedation) would have to leave a mark, swelling, something.

It was a very weird experience. None of the five PU people had ever seen anything like his symptoms and reactions. She mentioned possible seizure when she was here yesterday, but nothing in her report indicated that might have been the cause.

They think he was indirectly hit by lightning as it ran across the very wet ground. However, a lightning strike like that would make a loud noise...and probably blown the electrical fence which it did not. Very strange...
New Member:
divamare

Posted on Thursday, Apr 28, 2011 - 8:55 pm:

On Windi's bloodwork the only abnormalities are a decreased Ca (occasionally seen in mares that are post-partum, not significant without other concurrent changes in chemistry), decreased Alkaline phosphatase (no significance at all, only if elevated), Anion Gap (not a significant change), and White Blood Cells (this may be normal for him or this may be low for any number of reasons.

Above is her interpretation of his bloodwork.
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