does anyone have any experience in using equine fluphenazine on fox hunters? If so, will you please post your experience? Thanks!
Why would you want to? I know some people use a few drops of ace, like 0.5 ml or less, to help prevent tying up and settle the beginning of the hunt jitters but a long acting anti-pyschotic/sedative? That sounds really dangerous in the hunt field!
I’ve heard of fluphen doing some crazy things to some horses. Why not just use ace (or nothing…)
fluphen has been used for horses on long stall rest to help mellow them. BUT…it is (as previously stated) an anti-psychotic in humans and has the risk of some serious neuological/neuro-muscular side effects…sometmes this is seen early on, other times after a long period of treatment. I’ve used it for stall rest but not in a long term deal. It is a every 2-4 week injection (inhumans it is once a month).
I have spoken to a psych ward nurse about this drug. How it acts in people is nothing like how it acts with horses. Apparently in people it makes them boarderline catatonic.
I know a local vet that is also a foxhunter that will use it for some of his clients horses that hunt.
I knew another horse that was just an anxious horse in general. He sucked his tongue, fence walked, was sit & spin type spooky in the indoor that he had boarded at for a few years.
He was on on fluphenazine for a few months. It was just enough to break that cycle of anxiety. He was much better under saddle, stopped the fence walking, was much less spooky.
It did not make him sleepy or dopey. It was just enough to take the edge off. It was enough that he learned to actually trust the rider and life in general.
Some horses kinda blow through Ace or can be sporatically reactive. I think that is less of a problem with fluphenazine.
Only the seriously psychotic would hunt a drugged horse. Do you have something against training ?
There’s no such thing as “equine fluphenazine”. It is untested in horses. Safe dosage is not determined. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbaIUL_nzN0
Fluphenazine is available in an injectable decanoate version which is an oil suspension and is therefore long-acting (2-4 weeks, as mentioned above). But more often is given in a regular version which is out of the (human) system in a few hours. Neither version of the drug makes people remotely “catatonic.” It is occassionally (less frequently these days) used for crisis stablaization for floridly psychotic (read “dangerous”) patients, and, in combination with a benzodiazapine (Ativan for example), will produce a sedating effect. It is more frequently used for long-term symptom management for people who have sensativities to newer atypical anti-psychotics.
Sorry for the diatribe. There are just so many misconceptions about mental health and its treatment that I had to step in. Why anyone would give this medication to a horse rather than another I couldn’t begin to guess. I know they used heroin a lot for horses 100 years ago - why not try that?
[QUOTE=Good Old Sledge;5444628]
Fluphenazine is available in an injectable decanoate version which is an oil suspension and is therefore long-acting (2-4 weeks, as mentioned above). But more often is given in a regular version which is out of the (human) system in a few hours. Neither version of the drug makes people remotely “catatonic.” It is occassionally (less frequently these days) used for crisis stablaization for floridly psychotic (read “dangerous”) patients, and, in combination with a benzodiazapine (Ativan for example), will produce a sedating effect. It is more frequently used for long-term symptom management for people who have sensativities to newer atypical anti-psychotics.
Sorry for the diatribe. There are just so many misconceptions about mental health and its treatment that I had to step in. Why anyone would give this medication to a horse rather than another I couldn’t begin to guess. I know they used heroin a lot for horses 100 years ago - why not try that?[/QUOTE]
I love it when somebody who knows what they are talking about steps in. Thanks.
