Why are horses difficult to anaesthetise?
There are several reasons why horses are difficult to anaesthetise. For a start to have a general anaesthetic, the horse has to be made to lie down. Unlike people, horses are not already lying down quietly counting to ten, when the anaesthetic drug is administered. Care has to be taken to ensure that they do not harm themselves as they fall or when they struggle to stand after surgery. Modern anaesthetic techniques help, as do the well padded knock down and recovery boxes available at many equine hospitals, which are designed to reduce injury. At Bell Equine we constantly monitor every horse throughout anaesthesia and during recovery, and assist them to their feet, when required. Unfortunately the horses large size complicates anaesthesia. They are extremely heavy, especially when they are lying still under anaesthesia for any length of time. The muscles on their underside can be squashed and the blood supply reduced by their bodyweight. When horses are positioned on their backs during
