POM-V Prescription Required

Sedivet 10 mg/ml Solution for Injection for Horses

Active ingredient: Romifidine Hydrochloride

Form

Injection

Species

Horses

Manufacturer

Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH

VMD MA No.

04491/3040

What it's used for

Sedative to facilitate handling, examination, minor surgical interventions and manipulations. Sedivet may be used as a premedication agent with ketamine or...

Full indications, dosage and side effects ↓

View official SPC (PDF)

The prescription itself has a price. See what practices near you charge for a consultation and the written prescription fee.

Paying less for Romifidine Hydrochloride

1

Ask your vet for a written prescription

They must provide one on request. Under the CMA Order the fee is capped at £21 from 2027.
2

Fill it at a registered online retailer

The CMA found online pharmacies 50–60% cheaper than practice dispensing on common medicines — typically £200–£300 a year.

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Prescription required

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Clinical information

Sedivet 10 mg/ml Solution for Injection for Horses — SPC Details

Source: VMD Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC). Last updated 26 Mar 2026.

Sedative to facilitate handling, examination, minor surgical interventions and
manipulations.
Sedivet may be used as a premedication agent with ketamine or thiopentone for
short duration anaesthesia, or used with ketamine or thiopentone prior to
halothane inhalation or ‘topping up’ with ketamine or thiopentone for prolonged
procedures.
Sedivet has also been used with synthetic opiates (eg. butorphenol) to provide
profound sedation/analgesia.

For intravenous use only. A dose range of 0.4 – 1.2 ml Sedivet/100 kg
bodyweight (equivalent to 40 to 120 micrograms romifidine HCl/kg) gives a
dose-related response.
Onset of action, which is independent of dose, is 1 – 2 minutes. Maximum
sedation is achieved after 5 – 10 minutes. Please see the Chart below
Recommended dose
Sedation
DoseDepth of
Sedation
Duration of
Sedation
0.4 ml Sedivet/100 kg
bodyweight
(ie. 40 micrograms
romifidine/kg bodyweight).
Light0.5 – 1 hour0.8 ml Sedivet/100 kg
bodyweight
(ie. 80 micrograms
romifidine/kg bodyweight).
Deep0.5 – 1.5 hours1.2 ml Sedivet/100 kg
bodyweight
(ie. 120 micrograms
romifidine/kg bodyweight).
Deep sedation
of prolonged
duration
At this dose
residual sedation
may persist for up
to 3 hours
To reduce the possibility of unexpected defensive movements such as
kicking, a dose of 0.4 – 1.2 ml per 100 kg bodyweight (equivalent to 40 – 120
micrograms romifidine HCl /kg) followed by 0.2ml Torbugesic per 100kg

Revised: August 2025
AN: 01291/2025Page 4 of 7
bodyweight (equivalent to 20 micrograms butorphanol/kg) should be
administered intravenously. (An average dose of 0.6 ml Sedivet and 0.2 ml
Torbugesic has been found to be effective in the majority of horses, although
this may vary between individuals).
Premedication
Premedication with ketamine for induction
When used prior to ketamine induced anaesthesia, with or without halothane,
a dose rate of 1 ml/100 kg (equivalent to 100 micrograms romifidine HCl/kg
bodyweight ) should be used followed by 2.2 mg/kg ketamine after 5 to 10
minutes.
Premedication with other agents for induction
When used with other anaesthetic agents, a dose of 0.4 – 0.8 ml per 100 kg
bodyweight has been found to be most suitable. This corresponds to 40 to 80
micrograms romifidine HCl/kg bodyweight. Anaesthesia should be induced
after maximum sedation is achieved (5 – 10 minutes).
Maintenance of anaesthesia
Anaesthesia may be maintained using halothane in oxygen by inhalation.
Should maintenance of surgical anaesthesia be required when facilities for
gaseous anaesthesia are not available, this can be achieved by ‘topping up’
doses of romifidine/ketamine or thiopentone.
Ketamine
To maintain or deepen surgical anaesthesia with romifidine/ketamine,
administer the product intravenously at a dose of 0.25ml/100 kg bodyweight
(25 micrograms/kg romifidine) followed immediately by ketamine
intravenously at a dose of 1.1mg/kg (Vetalar 1.1ml/100 kg). Administer the
romifidine/ketamine top-up dose immediately prior to commencement of
surgical incision or when signs of returning consciousness appear.
Thiopentone
Thiopentone may be used after romifidine/ketamine or romifidine/thiopentone
induction at a dose of 0.25g/100 kg bodyweight. This should be administered
when signs of returning consciousness appear. This can be repeated upto 3
times after the induction dose.

The product should not be used in horses in the last month of pregnancy.

As with other drugs of this class, administration may cause bradycardia,
which may be profound, benign reversible cardiac arrhythmia with second
degree heart block and hypotension. These effects may be prevented by the
administration of 0.01mg/kg atropine 5 minutes prior to administration of the
sedative. These effects are usually well-tolerated but care should be taken in
patients with cardiovascular disease. Incoordination of the limbs and
sweating may also occur.
Hyperglycaemia and diuresis may accompany sedation.
In very rare cases hypersensitivity may occur.

Revised: August 2025
AN: 01291/2025Page 3 of 7

None

Revised: August 2025
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Special precautions for use in animals
In common with other sedatives of this class, defensive movements, ie
kicking, may occur even in apparently well sedated animals. These
occurrences may be reduced by the use of opiates, eg. butorphanol.
When used as a pre-anaesthetic agent, sedation should be apparent
before the induction of anaesthesia.
When the product is used as part of the anaesthetic procedure, care
should be taken during the recovery phase to ensure that the horse is
kept in a warm and quiet environment.
Special precautions to be taken by the person administering the veterinary
medicinal product to animals.
In the case of accidental oral intake or self-injection, seek medical advice
immediately and show the package leaflet to the doctor but DO NOT DRIVE
as sedation and changes in blood pressure may occur.
Avoid skin, eye or mucosal contact.
Immediately after exposure, wash the exposed skin with large amounts of
fresh water. Remove contaminated clothes that are in direct contact with
skin.
In the case of accidental contact of the product with eyes, rinse with large
amounts of fresh water. If symptoms occur, seek the advice of a doctor.
If pregnant women handle the product, special caution should be observed
not to self-inject as uterine contractions and decreased foetal blood pressure
may occur after accidental systemic exposure.
Advice to doctors:
Romifidine is an alpha2-adrenoreceptor agonist, symptoms after absorption
may involve clinical effects including dose-dependent sedation, respiratory
depression, bradycardia, hypotension, a dry mouth, and hyperglycaemia.
Ventricular arrhythmias have also been reported. Respiratory and
haemodynamic symptoms should be treated symptomatically.

interaction
The sedative effect of the product may be potentiated by other psychoactive
compounds, such as tranquillisers, other sedatives or morphine-like
analgesics, therefore reducing the required dose of subsequent anaesthetic
agents.
The concurrent i.v. use of potentiated sulphonamides with alpha2-agonists
has been reported to cause cardiac arrhythmias which may be fatal. Whilst
no such effects have been reported with Sedivet, it is recommended that i.v.
administration of TMP/S containing products should not be undertaken when
horses have been sedated with Sedivet.

Do not store above 25ºC

Meat and offal: 6 days.
When used in combination with other products, consult the product literature
of those products and apply whichever is the longer. However, if any of
these products is contra-indicated for human consumption, then treated
animals must not be slaughtered for human consumption.
Not authorised for use in lactating animals producing milk for human
consumption.
5.

This information is sourced from the official Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) published by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD). It is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace professional veterinary advice. Always consult your vet before administering any medication.