Investigation of romifidine and detomidine for the clinical sedation of horses

The effects of two intravenous doses of romifidine (80 and 120 mug/kg) and one dose of detomidine (20 mug/kg) were compared in a blinded study in 30 horses requiring to be sedated for routine dental treatment. Several physiological parameters were assessed before and for two hours after the administration of the drugs, and the horses' teeth were rasped 30 minutes after they were administered. Romifidine produced a dose-dependent effect on most parameters. Detomidine at 20 mug/kg was similar to romifidine at 120 mug/kg in the magnitude of its sedative effects, but was similar to romifidine at 80 mug/kg in its duration. There were no significant differences between the three treatments in terms of the clinical procedure score.