Very, very scary!! Bad drug reaction.

[Diane]

Penicillin can cause an anaphylactic reaction with any dose, it doesn't matter if the subject has not had an allergic reaction with a prior dose. I say subject because it can happen to humans too. This does not mean Pen is not used but used ONLY if it is THE drug of choice for the particular bacteria.

[BlazingColours]

Gelded a horse and gave him some penicilin and he dropped dead on the wheel.

awful

Are there any other antibiotics where a horse can have a reaction like this if you hit blood when giving an IM shot?

[madelyn]

I had a vet out to float a horse's teeth once.. and he gave him an IV sedation but hit the artery instead and put the horse into horrible seizures that tore out one eye and broke one leg. So Procaine to the brain sounds reasonable as a possible cause.

I give DOZENS of shots. I am extremely careful. Usually on an IM shot I will put the needle in all the way to the hub before I pull back to see if I have hit a vein. This way, when I push the plunger on the syringe, the risk of the needle going DEEPER and hitting blood after I have checked for it is lessened. Also, I have studied the charts of the neck/shoulder and have tried to become familiar with the locations of various nerves, all the major blood vessels, the spine, etc. You can paralyze a horse's larynx if you hit the wrong nerve with a shot - bute, banamine, sedation, etc.

[amanda1]

We had a horse do this with Rompun, farm manager hit a vein and it went straight to his brain. Same thing, went up first, hit his head, came down and was thrashing. I went in and jumped on his neck to keep him down and luckily the vet was actually at the end of the driveway, just leaving after castrating a horse.

The horse was eventually ok, although he is at the track now and is a complete monster. We joke (not that its funny, but you know) that he probably would have been a much better runner if hw wasn't half retarded now.

[Diane]

Not to make light of this thread but hitting a blood vessel with any injection is like when I tried to put a shelf above and left of a breaker panel in my garage. The drilled screw for the bottom of the bracket must have just barely penetrated the outer lining of the 1040 romex. By the time the shelf was up there was no electricity in 1/3 of my house and front gate (no one could get in or out). The electrician came and found the problem. I was standing on an all wood workbench to reach where I was putting the screws in with drill and everyone was amazed I didn't feel even a sting. It could have sent me flying across the garage ......... The weight of the shelf slightly repositioned the bracket and that screw driving it into the copper wire. Horses move, even a still horse breaths. Aspirating for blood is a good habit but does not always mean you are 100% safe. There is always potential for nicking during injection. Know your anatomy, know your horse, be prepared to stop and just be prepared...period.

[Supernova]

I had a vet out to float a horse's teeth once.. and he gave him an IV sedation but hit the artery instead and put the horse into horrible seizures that tore out one eye and broke one leg. So Procaine to the brain sounds reasonable as a possible cause.

Awful, things can go so terribly wrong in even the most routine situations.

I've worked at many thoroughbred farms and the race track over the years and have seen several horses with a halter plate on the side opposite the name that reads "No Pennicillian". I always wondered what the bad reaction was.

[aurora]

I gave penicillin to a mare one day and she dropped dead. I inserted the needle, aspirated it, gave her 1/2 of the injection, withdrew, and went in for the 2nd half, asprirated again. and gave her the rest of the penicillin. Epinephrine in the fridge wouldn't have done any good she went that quickly. Penicillin is now my last choice for an antibiotic.

[NorthStar]

Gelded a horse and gave him some penicilin and he dropped dead on the wheel.

god....lost his jewels and his life......good grief

And he wasn't even being hand-walked Just goes to show how something considered no biggy can turn catastrophic in seconds when it involves a horse.

[NorthStar]

I had a vet out to float a horse's teeth once.. and he gave him an IV sedation but hit the artery instead and put the horse into horrible seizures that tore out one eye and broke one leg. So Procaine to the brain sounds reasonable as a possible cause.

I give DOZENS of shots. I am extremely careful. Usually on an IM shot I will put the needle in all the way to the hub before I pull back to see if I have hit a vein. This way, when I push the plunger on the syringe, the risk of the needle going DEEPER and hitting blood after I have checked for it is lessened. Also, I have studied the charts of the neck/shoulder and have tried to become familiar with the locations of various nerves, all the major blood vessels, the spine, etc. You can paralyze a horse's larynx if you hit the wrong nerve with a shot - bute, banamine, sedation, etc.

I hate needles, I hate needles, I hate needles. This thread makes me even more averse to them. To think we trust mere farm hands to many of these things.

[Rachel Alexandra]

I had a vet out to float a horse's teeth once.. and he gave him an IV sedation but hit the artery instead and put the horse into horrible seizures that tore out one eye and broke one leg. So Procaine to the brain sounds reasonable as a possible cause.

I give DOZENS of shots. I am extremely careful. Usually on an IM shot I will put the needle in all the way to the hub before I pull back to see if I have hit a vein. This way, when I push the plunger on the syringe, the risk of the needle going DEEPER and hitting blood after I have checked for it is lessened. Also, I have studied the charts of the neck/shoulder and have tried to become familiar with the locations of various nerves, all the major blood vessels, the spine, etc. You can paralyze a horse's larynx if you hit the wrong nerve with a shot - bute, banamine, sedation, etc.

I hate needles, I hate needles, I hate needles. This thread makes me even more averse to them. To think we trust mere farm hands to many of these things.

"Mere farm hands"???? I don't know of any farm that trusts "mere farm hands" to give shots.

On another note: Any horse that drops dead from a shot of penicillen more than likely showed signs at one time of being allergic to it. The first initial shot (most of the time) does not kill the horse but shows tall tale signs of being allergic. The next time it receives pen it does kill it. So any owner that has a horse that has a reaction to pen - 1) Don't ever give it to them again and 2) should make a note on the horses papers - it would save a lot of head aches and grief if the horse is ever sold to someone else.

[doublete]

I'd say you probably hit blood. Most vets recommend giving penicillin in the rump area (more muscle, less blood) rather than the neck.

I prefer not to give pen at all, and will opt for a more expensive antibiotic usually since pen I've heard has more of a chance of a reaction. Never had one though. I prefer not to give that one myself though. Did this spring when I gelded a yearling and a 5 y/o at the same time.

[Timber]

Used to live in the mountains, 50 miles from nearest vet. Wintertime. Suddenly got extremely cold one night with a 30 mph wind. Went out just before dawn to put my 5 broodmares up. One of them (recent acquisition) was trembling, shaking & shivering uncontrollably - she barely made it in her stall. Called vet and described. He recommended 50cc penicillin, 1/2 in each rump, not neck. Complied, but against better judgement. Worked well, inside 1/2 hour she was eating normally, foaled normally and was regional stakes producer.