What an incredibly unsatisfying response from the various groups :-/
It’s not really about just his teeth? Like how are you supposed to sedate this horse for anything? What if he needs stitches? Or a joint injection? Or any of the many other things we sedate them for?
I’d keep pushing, if only to have some sort of plan in case he does something dumb or has a colic or something. How scary to have an unsedateable horse! He can’t be the only one out there! Someone has figured this out…
I am not up on all the drugs but my DVM dentist uses a sedative that is reversed when he finishes the float. The horse is pretty woozy until it gets this shot and it perks up afterwards. Is zylazine Rompun? I don’t think he uses this. And I think it might not be dormosedan because I was not aware dorm has to be reversed. I will let the vets chime in on this because I am certainly not an expert on sedatives. My dentist goes all over doing horses and zoo animals (which are dangerous without drugs on board) so I think he knows what he is doing. Surely there are more sedatives than those two.
I don’t know what my past veterinarian equine dentists used (one deceased, one retired), unless I can find it in my records, and I’m using a new to me (from a highly recommended specialty equine dental practice) next month. However, both of them told me that they didn’t like to use the reversing agent (whatever it was) for the sedative they employed, as it was “more dangerous” than the sedative.
The now retired one, as she got to know my horses over the years, became excellent at timing the sedation such as the horses didn’t stay woozy for long, and woke up well and relatively quickly. I asked her about it, and she said horses vary so much in their reaction to sedation that she relied on her records, and knowing which horse was a lightweight, and which would need more.
@Simkie, thank you. I asked what about a throw-down general anesthetic for oral surgery and then a variation of how do we ever sedate this horse?
The answer from multiple vets was simple: we don’t. I learned even general anesthesia for major surgery starts with Dorm/Xylazine. I’m always careful with my horses and I’ll be extra careful with this one. I guess I know in advance no colic surgery, no mylegram, etc.
But…dorm is not THAT old. It’s come into usage since I’ve been in horses. We used to sedate horses safely with something else?
How on earth did they geld this guy? There’s got to be some way to sedate him, geez 
I looked it up:
ORMOSEDAN® (detomidine
hydrochloride) injectable solution, sponsored by Orion Corp., under NADA 140-862
and, was approved for use in horses on December 6, 1989.
Hardly anyone is even trained to do a hand float anymore.
Were you able to find out what was used to geld him? I know even ketamine is usually paired with xylazine to plant the feet. Maybe ace + ketamine? But I’m not sure. Kind of baffling that there are no other options!
I wonder why they recommended manual. My equine dentist (not a vet) can float 90% of our horses/ponies in a 35 horse barn without sedation. Basic float not teeth extraction.
What about Sedivet/Romifidine? Or isn’t that strong enough?
You might give a call to Dr. McAndrews at New Bolton. Even if you’re too far for her to see the horse she might have some ideas about possibilities.
Another update!
I worked the horse in a bit for about 20 rides. Tried different styles, tongue pressure, bar pressure, bar pressure with tongue relief, plastic, metal, Myler. I would let him wear it free longing for a session, then a ground driving/long lining session, then riding. Ultimate, I found he was always trying to flip his tongue over the bit, gaping his mouth (no noseband) and the feel in my hands was always resistance/anxiety at the start of a downward transition. I tried a shanked hackamore with padded noseband and had very little control. Went back to my modified rope halter and found that had the best feel and response. All this to say that I think the horse does have some discomfort with a bit.
Now for the good news! After much searching, I found a vet near me that does a manual float. I sent over all records that had references to sedation amount and horse’s reaction. Vet was suspiciously confident, but he came out and hand floated with minimal sedation and minimal drama. Vet is kind of an unusual/unpopular vet in the area. He was very secretive about the drugs he used - said they’re his own “special concoction”, I got the feeling he’s protecting his trade secrets, but the procedure went smoothly so no complaints from me. This vet recommends semi-annual hand float (fine with me) and thinks he might be able to get the wolf tooth next spring. Recommends staying bit free until wolf tooth is removed.
In the meantime, I also have a Myler hackamore on loan from a friend that I will try, it’s a shanked hackamore, noseband looks like chain covered in leather sleeve. Sounds severe, but I need something on an athletic 6yo WB if I’m going to ride in the field this winter.
Wow! Hooray for success but also whhhhaaaaaaaat did the vet give him??? “My own special concoction” is so crazy, haha!
Yeah, I was a little annoyed that he wouldn’t tell me what drugs were used, but I figure I can work it out of him over time before he retires. Vet is a solo practice and 55-65 years old, so I’ll keep using him for the hand float as long as he’s around.
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