Xylazine for sedation of horses

Authors: Holmes AM, Clark WT
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 25, Issue 6, pp 159-161, Jun 1977
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Horse, Livestock
Subject Terms: Anaesthesia/analgesia/sedation, Animal remedies/veterinary medicines, Pharmacology
Article class: Review Article

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Abstract: The introduction of chemical restraint into horse practice brought significant advantages in handling fearful and fractious animals as well as allowing the practitioner to carry out procedures which would normally arouse considerable resistance from the equine patient. Phenothiazine derivatives were widely used for these purposes prior to the introduction of xylazine hydrochloride, a drug which was synthesised in Germany in 1962 by Bayer, A. G., Leverkusen, tested under the code name Bayer Va 1470 and marketed under the trade name Rompun. In view of the increasing use of xylazine in equine practice it seems worth-while to review the literature on the pharmacological action and clinical use of this agent in horses.

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