Sedation & Choke - advice needed plz

[Webby]

Hi, just need a bit of advice please. Horse came down with choke & colic 12 weeks ago, had to have surgery, no gut removed. Been on box rest since. Silly vet that came out the morning he had colic, gave him sedation & pain killers in stable. Once sedation wore off vet said I should turn him out into small paddock and keep an eye on him. Very bad idea - I think this is how he got choke - as he was eating grass just after coming round from the sedation.

Anyway, my horse is due to come off box rest this Sunday and is going out in a small paddock for the first time. Two sets of vets have advised me to sedate with ACP to 'take the edge of him' (he's a fiery TB) .... but I am really worried that he will get choke again!

I was thinking of walking him in hand in the paddock and letting him graze (been doing this, outside stable whilst he has been on box rest) and then maybe very gently unclipping lead rope. NO sedation this way. Then at least if he goes nuts, I can get hom back and sedate him.

Any ideas? It's this Sunday he's going out (10/07/05) - just for an hour and I'll be there the whole time.

Thanks
Webby

[galadriel]

Ace isn't really a sedative, it's a tranquilizer. It'll have slightly different action, and it won't (shouldn't) leave him woozy and uncoordinated.

If I had a horse coming off box rest from abdominal surgery, I would be seriously considering the tranq :) Too much activity, straining the abdominal muscles, can do some serious damage to the surgery site. A tranq shouldn't interfere with eating/chewing/swallowing, but it might allow him to go out without hurting himself.

[Webby]

HI Thanks for your reply. I decided to try it without as he seemed calm that day. I took him out for grass in hand, then led him into the field, gently un-did the head collar and he was a dream.

I was expecting a huge show down and for him to go a bit mad. We had sedation at hand, but he was Mr Cool! Head down straight to grass and no mucking about.

Thanks again.