The twitch revisited

[candycar]

I have done a forum search, and come up with some answers, but need more.

My Lexy is absolutley terrified of my vet, and it will soon be time to give shots and checkup, so I thought I'd twitch her this year and make it easier on all of us

I would like to try the spring clamp type of twitch. (looks kind of like a big clothes pin)

I have looked at these and tried them on my finger. OUCH! They seem so strong! Where do you put them? On the ear? or on the lip? If on the lip, where? Is it top lip inside and outside, or smooshed together between the nostrils? How far in advance can you use it? How long will it be effective? If I have the vet vaccinate and check Jelly Bean while Lexy is chilling, will that be enough time? Does twitching work for really scared horses?

I would rather have the vet out a couple of times a month to work with Lexys fear issues, but that is not possible for him, She is fine with the ferrier, and dentist, just hates the vet....

Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[ruffian]

I don't like the clamp ones because the clever horse can flip them off their lip and it makes it worse.

I like the long tube ones that are made for horses. Put the upper lip between them and press together tightly. A twitch releases endorphins, which stop the horse - in some cases can put it almost unconscious.

We only use them on horses when absolutely necessary. If your horse is afraid of the vet, I'd work on desensitizing and working on the horse listening to you rather than twitching when the vet visits or the farrier comes. I do twitch if the horse is getting blood drawn or something like that.

 

[Katiean]

I only twitch on a "as needed" basis. Like my farrier was out and Ellie (bless her pea pickin hart) was jumping around and totally embarasing me. I went and got my halter that has a chain on it. No good. Now Sarah is very gentle with these "beasts". So I went and got my clamp. I have a small metal one and I just got one of the larger plastic one. I do not like the larger one at all. It slipped right off. I take ahold of the lip on both sides and pinch it together. I used to just put it on the upper lip inside and out but I think that can cause discomfort After I am done using it. i.e. cause abraisions on the inside of the mouth. Anyway, I put that on her lip (outside pinched togeather) and put her against the fence and rubbed/patted her forhead (she really was being a butt). She stood then and Sarah finished with her feet. Ellie didn't want to put her foot on the stand is why we had the problem.

I would not put the clip on before the vet gets to her. I would also only use the clip "IF" she "NEEDS" it. I would never twitch a horse any longer than I had to. Infact. I do give a horse the chance to be worked with with out the clip in that I will take the clip off if they are being good. If they mess up again I put it back on. That way they do not equait the clip with what I am doing but rather their behavior gets the clip put back on.

 

[MiLo Minis]

I don't ever allow anyone to use my horse's ears as a "twitch" for ANY reason. All that does is create more problems than it solves. What do you expect they will do when you want to clip inside those same ears or put a halter over them or a bridle on? NO WAY.

I will use a twitch on the nose on the outside upper lip with the nose pinched, never on the inside - that would be painful. A twitch properly applied on the nose doesn't cause them real pain.

Your vet should be well versed in restraint methods though and the best one to use for giving shots is a shoulder roll - quick and easy, no equipment needed and in the area you want to work on anyway. Roll the shoulder, slip the needle in and let go - horse felt nothing.

Maybe you should try another vet? What happened to make her fear this one so much?

 

[candycar]

Milo Minis, I don't think it's this particular vet, he's really a nice guy and Jelly Bean loves him, maybe it's all vets. I don't know what happened to her before I got her, she had to have a coggins done, and she hadn't been handled much before. That may have set her against vets(the smell related to pain?). All I know is she was deathly afraid of my vet as soon as she saw him. (Wild eyed, rearing, jumping around, not listening to me) This has happened 2 years now, every time he has come. She is generally skeptical of strangers but fine after a few minutes with treats. She is fine with the ferrier, and even having her teeth floated. It's just the vet.

I thought I'd try a twitch , as I was going to try to break up the shots into 2 sessions instead of one this year. It's just really embarassing when she gets all wild and I don't want to loose my vet. *Sigh*

 

[MiLo Minis]

If all your other horses are well behaved and it is only her fear that is making her behave badly your vet should be understanding and help you out a bit with her by making it as easy and painless as possible. Good luck and I hope she eventually comes to realize he means her no harm.

 

[sedeh]

I give my own shots by myself.....I have found using a twitch very effective!! I hate when a horse jumps around when I'm giving them an injection. It's now my routine to tie them, put the twitch on, wait till they get a little sleepy eyed and you know the endorphins are being released and then I hold the twitch in one hand and inject with the other. Works like a charm!

I use a humane twitch that you use on the big horses. The one with the long metal handles and a rope on the open end. I take vet wrap and wrap the metal arms where their lip goes...several wraps. This gives it a bit more cushion but also helps keep it from slipping off. Open the twitch, put your hand through the "jaws" and grab your horses upper lip from the sides and tent it out, then slip the jaws over your hand and onto their lip. I find if I hold the twitch together and very gently shake it it seems to get them to that endorphin release sooner. I never leave it on for more than a few minutes at a time either! Just long enough to get the shot given or an ear clipped etc. I take many breaks if I need it to clip legs or ears and always praise the horse and give them treats. I hope this helps!! Oh....I also would never use the ear to twitch!!

 

[jleonard]

I have one that hates shots and knows the vet's truck when he comes. She is not afraid of him, just hates getting stuck. Years ago, my dad was holding her and when the vet stuck her, she reared and pushed both men through the stall door (horse sized), knocking it off it's track! After that, I did twitch her with one of the metal "pipe" twitches that you squeeze. It was enough to distract her. I did that a couple of years in a row, and she did get better about it. She still tried to rear this year, but I was able to back her into a corner and she did better. I am able to control her better if I can just push her against a wall when she wants to go up rather then having her out in the open where she can go any direction she pleases.

I would not leave the twitch on her for any length of time, they don't take long to work. I don't really like the clamp twitches, those things are strong!!! I have used them when in a pinch and I needed my hands free, but I only use it for the shortest time possible. I like the squeeze twitches, and I have seen ones that clamp themselves off when you squeeze so you don't have to hold them, I haven't tried one though.

 

[Jill]

I've used the clamps below as "one man" twitches. I tried them on myself first to be sure they are not too severe. I put them on upper lips, lower lips, and ears. For clipping mostly with a couple of horses. I put them on and give it a minute or two to start working:

 

[~Amanda~]

Here is a good article on twitches: http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=1872

It explains how to use them and how they work.

 

[RockinSMiniature]

Hi,

I never use twitch..

My vet does vaccines our miniatures and I hold a treat (apple wafer) in my hand and give to them when he poke in their neck and chew chew... and they always STAND still when he give them shots and check up.. never cause any trouble at all.

That's my trick..

As they LOVE treats and they will do anything for it.

 

[wildoak]

I never twitch an ear - can lead to a whole host of behavior problems when they get earshy, and ears are so sensitive, not hard to break the cartilage in them either. I saw an ear twitched horse absolutely lose it once, to the point that it took 5 or 6 people to hold her and get the twitches off (both ears, both lips.....

).

I find 90% of the time I can just grab a lip and hand twitch, unless they are pretty bad or I'm working by myself and need both hands free. If I'm going to twitch for the vet I use either a humane twitch if it will stay on, or an old clamp that has duct tape on the "biting" edges. I really prefer an old fashioned rope twitch like we used on big horses but I've yet to find one that will stay on the minis.

You might also try either a tiny bit of a sedative before the vet gets there, or something like a little Calm & Cool. Check with your vet first and see what he recommends but if you use something to take the edge off, she might tone down her reactions over time. If you think she is reacting to the smell of the vet, put a little Vicks by her nostrils as he drives up.

Have your vet give her some treats.... my small animal vet always gives a treat to the dogs as soon as he comes in the room, distracts and puts them at ease (well, some of them lol)

Jan

 

[mizbeth]

I rarely use a twitch anymore. When I first got into minis I did as I did not know how to handle them well. Your vet will know what to do, or should.

Twitching is an art in itself, you really need to have someone show you how to use it/them. Those little clamps you are showing can be a bit "stiff" on the nose so you need to be careful what and where you buy them as to the amount of pressure it puts on them.

Not sure what about a shot that hurts, if done properly they don't even know they have been vacinated. Maybe a blindfold. My vet used to walk down the barn isle, syringe in hand, quick ***, grab another syringe out of his pocket and on to the next, they never knew what he was doing.

Good luck in any case................

I have one mare that is not nice when it comes to shots, but I hesitate before shooting her and this is what upsets her I'm sure. She is a bit spooky as far as mares go - well horses in general for that matter.

 

[Mominis]

I completely agree never, ever twitch a horse by his ear. If your vet does so, replace him immediately! This creates horrible troubles for you later, not to mention the psychological damage that it does to the horse. I agree with wildoak, hand twitching does the best for me, but do not hand twitch if you have not clipped your nails. You could be cutting into the horse without realizing it. Since you seem unfamiliar with twitching, ask your vet to show you how to do it properly when he gets there. If not, then ask your farrier or a trusted friend who knows how to do it right. But if you can, I'd try to work through the issue instead of treating the sympotm. The issue is her bad behavior. The symptom is her extreme reaction, the solution is to trigger the reaction and then give her a more reasonable way to deal with it.

If I were you, I'd go to the vet's office and get some things that smell like the doctor: exam gloves, syringe (without needle), gauze pads, and that sort of thing and start wearing the gloves when you goom her and rubbing the syringe and gauze pads on her. You may also consdier sacking her out with a couple of towels dipped in betadine and alcohol, that's usually what vets smell like. See if you can recreate the problem situation at home without the vet there and then work through it. You can do it! Maybe you could ask if the vet is using the smallest gague needle that he is able to use with whatever he is injecting. If he isn't, then maybe he can make it easier on her by using a smaller one on her.

If all else fails, you may look into other methods of retraint, as in a bit of Calm and Cool, as someone suggested. There are also tranquilizers that you can put into the feed (ask you vet), that may tone her down a bit for an imminent visit while you get on top of her behavior issue. But causing a pain reaction in order to subdue her should be a last resort not a first one.

 

[The Boss]

My guy when he was a stud colt was impossible with the vet and farrier- we had him gelded but still years later

it was always a struggle-lots of strikes and rearing and kicks- cross ties didn't make it better except for the biting part. I used to twist his nose a bit but that was good for about a minute.

Then

I made a soft type of twitch- a 2' piece of that woven cotton rope -about 1/4"-that won't cut- a small snap hook on one end attaches to the one side of the halter- run the rope under the lip so it is between the inside of the top lip and the top gums and then through the other side of the halter- I put a little loop in that end for my finger and all I do is pull on it gently- like jigging - basically just tickling him to trigger a muzzling response and he is so busy with it we get all feet done and shots done-

Vet asked me to make one last time out before they left-

 

[Katiean]

ThenI made a soft type of twitch- a 2' piece of that woven cotton rope -about 1/4"-that won't cut- a small snap hook on one end attaches to the one side of the halter- run the rope under the lip so it is between the inside of the top lip and the top gums and then through the other side of the halter- I put a little loop in that end for my finger and all I do is pull on it gently- like jigging - basically just tickling him to trigger a muzzling response and he is so busy with it we get all feet done and shots done-

Vet asked me to make one last time out before they left-

I would never put my finger through a loop fastened to a struggling horse. Thats a good way to lose a finger.

 

[The Boss]

That "jigging" motion is pretty light- you pinch the loop in between your index and thumb (like the OK sign) and it comes off the pinch under any quick move or pressure.

Anyway- sorry for sharing.

 

[Carriage]

It makes sense that they have clamps made for twitching.

I remember a breeding I found myself "helping" with once. It was a nice mini stallion to a very nice moving and smallish Hackney. They had dug a depression for the mares rear feet and I was back with the stallion. When the breeder told me to "assist' the stallion, I declined. She then told me to come up and twitch the mare. It was done by hand as previously described and seemed to help quite a bit. She was still trying to paw/strike me but it wasn't near as bad as she would have un-twitched. The breeding didn't take but it was an interesting experience...

Bb

 

[Billy G]

Thank you for the great idea Boss, I will make us one. No matter what great ideas you post here, some one will be negative about it. Thanks again...