So my new Bowie horse, Theo is struggling with anxiety around getting his feet handled. Fronts are better, and backs are very much a work in progress. Yes, in time it will fix itself, but right now he needs his front feet trimmed.
I want my farrier to trim him, but she won’t trim a sedated horse. Her rules and no problem on my end.
Has anyone used CBD to help take the edge off for farrier day?
Any chance she’d be okay with a small dose of ace just to take the edge off? That’s what I do for my senior who gets anxious. You could try just 1 cc and see if that’s enough to reduce anxiety but keep your horse fully alert. I also add in Tylenol because my mare has arthritis, which is what I believe causes the anxiety. You could try a pain med too, just in case there’s something else going on, as well.
But I’m curious to see if anyone has used cbd successfully as I’d try it as a non-nsaid alternative.
Another option might be a double dose of SynChill about two hours before the farrier arrives. A double dose is quite a bit even though it is consistent with their usual dosing instructions. Now that I’m writing this out, I’m thinking maybe I’ll try that rather than the ace next time for my senior! I gave her a double dose once and it hit her pretty hard! Based on that experience, I’d probably give her just one scoop. (She’s a little thing - probably less than 900 lbs.)
Just to clarify, by double dose I mean 2 scoops. Their recommended dose is 1-2 scoops. Definitely give it 2 hours to kick in fully.
Not specifically for farrier use but I fed this daily to my special snowflake and it changed his life. I fed like 8 pellets 2 x’s a day
Dormosedan would be a much safer option if it was even an option. A huge issue with Ace is how it sedates, which still allows the horse to be pretty present, just “slower”, and why a horse can still learn while on Ace. But that mental aspect means if a horse is upset enough, he can “blow through” the dose and because his body is a bit sedated, be more dangerous than if not on Ace at all.
No farrier or trimmer I know will trim a horse who’s on Ace, but will happily do it with a suitable dose of dorm
I could have the vet out for Dorm and use a different farrier that the vet works with. That is an option, and if he gives my trimmer issues l’ll go that route.
I thought about a low dose of Trazadone as well to take the edge off. Just trying to make it as positive and safe as possible for him and my trimmer.
My guess is he’s only been done in stocks and had his feet tied up.
an option is to ask your vet for a Rx for the gel, or sell you a tube, so you can administer it yourself. It’s very simple, if he’s at least reasonably ok to have a small bit of paste/gel put into his mouth right between cheek and gums. You can start with 1ml and see how he reacts, then add another 1-2ml if he needs more. It’s a 3ml tube, way cheaper than a farm call + vet giving the drug, and if all you need is 1ml, then you have 2ml for additional farrier visits. Vets often have a pretty signficant markup on this, so if you can get an Rx it’s WAY cheaper from ValleyVet, Chewy, Allivet, etc
Yes, this is all true. I was trying to respond to her farrier’s concern about not wanting to work on a sedated horse. In my experience, you can use Ace “lightly” so that they don’t really seem sedated, just a bit more relaxed. On Dorm, even with a small dose, they always seem sedated to me.
My vet just suggested trazadone for one of mine who has trouble being trimmed. She says she’s had good luck with it taking the edge off just enough.
I’ll try Dorm if needed, but I ordered the CBD linked above to try out and see if it helps.
I might do a dose of trazodone to see his reaction if the CBD doesn’t help. The goal is to get at least his front feet shaped up and hopefully that will help his balance picking up the hind feet.
He has the flattest, most pancake feet I’ve seen in a long time. So this should be a fun journey.
The farm I work at has a mare that was not handled until she was 9 years old. No vet, no farrier, not halter broke. Warmblood so she is a good size. She could be tough with her hind legs. A few things helped: ear poms, holding a hand behind the eye on the side the farrier was working on, knocking on her forehead as a distraction, talking to her constantly- calling her a rockstar. Basically lots of distractions. BO had used dorm/torm/ace cocktail a few times. The above distraction seems to be working without drugs. She is always held with a chainshank just in case.
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