ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Anesthesiology and Animal Pain Management
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1606585
Optimizing Equine Standing Sedation: Continuous Infusion of Detomidine and Butorphanol Enhances Stability but Prolongs Ataxia
Provisionally accepted
Júlia De Assis Arantes1
Isabela Peixoto Rabelo1*Lucas Bermudes1Milena Domingues Lacerenza1Rubens Peres Mendez1Rodrigo Romero Corrêa1Diego Iwao Yamada2
Carlos Valadao2Renata Gebara Sampaio Dória1- 1São Paulo State University, São Paulo, Brazil
- 2Faculty of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, São Paulo State University, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil
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Objective: This study aimed to compare the sedation quality and cardiorespiratory and behavioral effects of detomidine administered intravenously, either in intermittent boluses or as a continuous rate infusion, with butorphanol in horses premedicated with acepromazine for odontoplasty procedures. Methods: A prospective clinical study was conducted with fifteen adult horses randomly assigned to two groups: Bolus group (BG, n = 7) and Infusion group (IG, n = 8). Both groups received acepromazine premedication, followed by detomidine administration (bolus or infusion). Butorphanol was administered either as a bolus or continuous infusion during oral cavity evaluation (after detomidine). When sedation was inadequate, an additional bolus of detomidine combined with butorphanol was given. Physiological, sedative, and behavioral parameters were evaluated at multiple time points throughout the procedure. Data were analyzed using statistical models to assess differences between groups and across time points. Results: Continuous infusion of detomidine resulted in superior sedation quality, greater stability, and a reduced need for rescue sedation (p < 0.001) compared to bolus administration. Horses in the BG total detomidine consumption was significantly influenced by procedure duration and the number of readministrations (p = 0.004). Despite improved sedation quality in IG, ataxia persisted longer post-procedure. Cardiovascular parameters showed expected α2-agonist effects, with transient reductions in heart rate and stable arterial pressure. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Continuous infusion of detomidine with butorphanol provided more stable sedation, reducing the need for frequent redosing, but also led to prolonged ataxia. Future studies should explore alternative drug combinations to optimize sedation quality while minimizing ataxia and cardiorespiratory effects.
Keywords: Equine dentistry, sedation protocols, infusion techniques, clinical monitoring, Anesthetic management
Received: 14 Apr 2025; Accepted: 23 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 De Assis Arantes, Peixoto Rabelo, Bermudes, Domingues Lacerenza, Peres Mendez, Romero Corrêa, Iwao Yamada, Valadao and Gebara Sampaio Dória. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Isabela Peixoto Rabelo, São Paulo State University, São Paulo, Brazil
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