Though it was first introduced 5 years ago, Zoetis’ Dormosedan Gel is still relatively new to many farriers. It is a drug that works to gain a sedated state in horses. 

During his International Hoof-Care Summit presentation, Kenton Morgan, a technical service veterinarian for Zoetis, described how the drug works, when it should be used, how it should be used and important tips to keep in mind when using the drug.

Injectable Vs. Gel

Dormosedan Injectable has been on the market longer than the gel counterpart and is more familiar in the industry, but there are some notable differences to take into account when using the gel for the first time.

Both are prescription drugs, meaning that a veterinarian working with the horse must prescribe Dormosedan. The gel can be administered by any caregiver, the owner or trainer of the horse orally, while the injectable, as the name would suggest, has to be injected by a veterinarian. 

If a large amount of the injectable is administered to the horse, there will be some pain relieving effects, but you will not get those even with large amounts of the gel. 

The gel is for very mild sedation and restraint. “The gel is for non-painful procedures. If we’re going to be doing something with this horse that’s going to hurt, maybe some therapeutic shoeing that you might do on a very laminitic horse or something along those lines, this is not going to provide much pain relief for that animal,” he says…