Re: problem with shots

[flemmerl@rcbhsc.wvu.edu (Flemmer, Linda)]

Carol Boardman wrote:

> I'm hoping someone (or lots of someones) out there can give me some advice/help
> with my gelding.
> I know that one of these days he's going to be blood tested at a ride.  If it
> were any of my other horses this wouldn't be a problem but this guy is so
> senstive to anything touching his skin that he immediately begins to panic
> thinking he's going to be bit.

The skill of the person drawing blood has a lot to do with it.  One option for
human safety is to play "darts".  Get just the needle in (unobtrusively coming up
to Buster), jump back & let him settle down.  Once the needle is in, his sharp
sensation receptors will no longer register that it is there.  Then hook up a
syringe & get your sample.

I have attended ECTRA rides where they used urine tests instead of blood.  Somebody
came around, asking if our horses had peed yet after the ride.  It was actually
rather humerous.  There was this slight, older lady running around trying to stick
a cup under whichever horse looked like they were stretching to pee.  (Not a job I
would have volunteered for!)

I was also at one ride where a newly domesticated mustang was randomly selected for
blood drug testing.  He was so scared & nasty about the process that they randomly
chose an alternate to test.  I'm not sure how kosher that was, though.

After all of the vets have handled him all day at a ride, he probably won't be too
suspicious when they come over.  They've been checking jugular refill all day...
what's one more time until the "dart" (aka needle) goes in.  Then, it's forgotten.
I'd make sure you had a buffer zone around Buster when you did all this, just in
case.  At the very least, the whole situation is so different from the cross ties
at home, he may not react the same way.  Sometimes the situation keys the horse's
behavior more than the blood draw.

I hope that this helps.

Linda Flemmer