Tutorial Article Full body support sling in horses. Part 2: indications A. ISHIHARA*, J. E. MADIGAN † , J. D. HUBERT ‡ AND R. S. MCCONNICO ‡ The Ohio State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, 601 Vernon L. Tharp Street, Columbus, Ohio 43210; † University of California Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, Davis, California 95616; and ‡ Louisiana State University, School of Veterinary Medicine, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA. Keywords: horse; full body support sling; rescue; controlled recovery; immobilisation; suspension; weightbearing reduction EQUINE VETERINARY EDUCATION Equine vet. Educ. (2006) 18 (5) 273-280 273 Introduction The first report of using a full body support sling for fracture healing was several centuries ago (Pauli et al. 1994; Schatzmann 1998) and is used for various therapeutic purposes. The equine sling has substantially assisted helicopter rescues and anaesthetic protocols when assistance in induction or recovery are required. As equipment and quality of sedation have developed, the equine sling has become a more useful and practical method in a variety of clinical situations (Schatzmann 1998). Practical indications Rescue One of the most difficult circumstances in equine rescue is the horse that becomes stranded in a relatively inaccessible location, such as those that fall into a large hole or cavity, become trapped in snow or stranded in a flood (Madigan and Moore 1995; Cox 1998). Helicopter-assisted rescue has been previously attempted in a number of horses without incident (Bowman 1995; Madigan and Moore 1995; Madigan and Morgan 1995). These rescue manoeuvres can be safe and successful if the location is accessible, the horse sufficiently sedated and is carried out by experienced personnel (Madigan and Moore 1995; Cox 1998). The U.C. Davis-Anderson sling 1 (Fig 1) was designed with this in mind and is considered to be the most appropriate full body support sling to use in equine airlift rescue (Madigan 1993; Madigan and Moore 1995). The frame system of the U.C. Davis-Anderson sling secures neck movement to make the horse more comfortable under deep sedation, and the leg supports minimise pressure over the abdomen allowing the horse to breathe with greater ease during suspension (Bowman 1995; Madigan and Moore 1995; Strickland 2001). A cargo net may be used for helicopter rescue; however, a horse placed in the net may encounter problems on landing and there is the added danger of falling from the net. Chemical restraint is important for a helicopter rescue to minimise further injury to the patient (Madigan and Morgan 1995). Administration of detomidine (0.005–0.02 mg/kg bwt bwt) followed by butorphanol (0.01–0.02 mg/kg bwt) are recommended, which can be reversed by yohimbine (0.12 mg/kg bwt) after transport. Sedation in mules is generally more difficult and may require acetylpromazine premedication *Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Fig 1: Horse rescue from a flood using a U.C. Davis-Anderson sling.