A kinematic comparison of the locomotor pattern of horses sedated with detomidine alone and in combination with low doses of butorphanol

Abstract

Summary Background Chemical restraint is often used to perform diagnostic and minor surgical procedures; α2‐adrenoceptor agonists are the most commonly used drugs; however, the combination with an opiate can induce a profound sedation. There is a lack of kinematic studies examining the effects of the combination of these drugs on locomotor patterns. Objectives The objective of the study was to evaluate the duration of the effects of sedation with detomidine and detomidine combined with a low dose of butorphanol on the movement patterns of horses. Study design The study was a controlled, randomised, blinded and crossover experiment. Methods Each of six horses was injected intravenously with saline (0.9%) solution (10 mL), detomidine diluted in saline solution (0.01 mg/kg bwt) or a combination of detomidine (0.01 mg/kg bwt) and butorphanol (0.02 mg/kg bwt) diluted in saline solution, in a random order. A single accelerometer positioned at the sacrum was used for gait assessment 15 min before (baseline) and 5, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 105 and 120 min after each injection. Eight variables were measured, including speed, stride frequency, stride length, regularity, dorsoventral power, propulsive power, mediolateral power and total power; force of acceleration and the three components of power were calculated. The degree of sedation was measured by the ground‐to‐lip distance. Results There were significant differences among groups, with shorter effects after the injection of the combination of drugs, for most parameters. Main limitations A small number of horses were involved in the study. Conclusions The combination of detomidine and butorphanol produces a shorter effect on almost all accelerometric parameters, probably due to the excitement produced by the opioid drug causing a quicker return to normal values. Accelerometry offers a method of objectively monitoring gait abnormalities in walking sedated horses.

Morphine with or without Acepromazine in Horses: A Kinematic Evaluation

“…The administration of xylazine (0.5 mg/kg), detomidine (0.01 mg/kg), and romifidine (0.04 mg/kg) IV always produces a significant reduction in REG values in horses [26]. Combining detomidine and butorphanol, a synthetic agonist-antagonist opioid, produced a greater but not significant reduction in REG results measured 5 min after the injection but, from that moment onwards, the decreases in REG values were less severe in the detomidine and butorphanol combi-nation group [27]. On the other hand, in our study, the combination of acepromazine and morphine did not produce a summatory or synergic effect on this coordination parameter with equivalent values (i.e., no significant changes in REG values) after the combination injection.…”

“…TP and FA values suffered only isolated time point alterations during the first 30 min after the administration of the combination. On the other hand, the administration of acepromazine alone produced significant reductions in the energetic variables, even at lower doses (0.01 mg/kg) and specifically in MLP, TP, and FA values [27]. Those effects were probably due to the tranquilization effect of the phenothiazine and because an evident relation between power and speed has been described [28].…”

Accelerometric Changes before and after Capacitive Resistive Electric Transfer Therapy in Horses with Thoracolumbar Pain Compared to a SHAM Procedure

“…Positive data were obtained with accelerations following dorsal, cranial and left directions. This device has been used previously to evaluate gait in horses during racing, jumping or dressage exercises [28][29][30], during an exercise on a water treadmill [27], in lame horses [26,31] or in horses with ataxia induced by the administration of different sedative agents [24,32].…”

“…Stride coordination parameters measured were regularity (REG, dimensionless) and symmetry (SYM, dimensionless), which measures the similarity of the acceleration pattern of successive strides and the similarities between left and right dorsoventral acceleration patterns, respectively, for both parameters [15,24,26,27,29,32].…”

Use of accelerometer end gyroscope in biomechanical studies of horses

“…Zwierzęta testowano po podaniu leku co 15 minut aż do upływu 2 godzin. Stwierdzono, że analizatory przyspieszeń mogą stanowić obiektywne narzędzie do monitorowania ruchu uspokojonych koni (17).…”