‘I thought I was going to die’: yard owner warns others after accidentally ingesting a sedative she was giving to a horse

A Manchester-based livery yard owner has issued a stark warning to horse owners to be mindful when they administer sedatives after she experienced severe side effects from accidentally ingesting one herself.

Jodie Haywood fainted and had to spend most of a day in hospital after she ingested some of the prescription sedative containing acepromazine (ACP) that she was giving to horses in preparation for a firework display on a nearby property on Saturday (8 November).

Jodie, who has eight horses in her care, told H&H she started sedating them at about 5pm.

“I was sedating them one by one,” she said. “I know it says that you should use gloves and it says on the packaging to be careful, but I’ve done it so many times – we all have – that I didn’t use them.

“I was pulling the top from the syringe with my teeth as I was holding the horse. Then I was holding the cap in my teeth and replacing it before moving on to the next one. I felt something on my nose and top lip, but didn’t think anything of it.”

While she was sedating the horses, some of the sedative also transferred to her coat, then her face and into her mouth.

“I remember thinking, ‘oh, that didn’t taste good’, but thought no more of it until a bit later, when I started to feel a bit weird on the yard,” she said.

Jodie added that she had had a long day picking up a pony, and in her haste to get back to the yard in good time before the firework display, had not eaten properly.

“I thought I was going to die”

Once the firework display was over, she went into the house and “passed out fully clothed.” Her husband, knowing nothing of what had happened on the yard, assumed Jodie was tired, and left her to sleep.

But when she woke, it was clear something was wrong.

“I was awake but I felt like I was pinned to the bed. I couldn’t move,” she said. “Then I began shaking uncontrollably; I was struggling to breathe and started being sick. I thought I was going to die.

“I have a real phobia of doctors and of hospitals. I hate hospitals, and I was hallucinating. Mad things were going through my mind, like if I rang for an ambulance, I’d be run over on the drive, and the A&E would be full of people with their gruesome injuries from firework accidents. It was bizarre – I was petrified. On top of that I kept worrying about the horses.”

Eventually, realising that she would be unable to do the horses the following morning, Jodie allowed her husband to take her to hospital, where she remained under observation for the rest of Sunday until her vital statistics returned to normal.

Jodie wanted to warn other riders of the dangers of ignoring the instructions on a drug’s packaging.

“Countless horse owners have done it – I’ve accidentally taken in some wormer before, too. But it was really frightening and I really want others to learn from it and be aware and not end up the same as me,” she said.

Handling common equine sedatives

It is important to follow the rules on and in the packaging, which are there for users’ safety. Wear gloves if instructed to and be careful to wash any from skin as it can be absorbed through the skin.

What are the effects of accidentally ingesting a sedative?

The active ingredient ACP is not approved for human use, and can cause severe and possibly even fatal side effects for humans.

Common side effects include:

• Drowsiness and/or dizziness
• Abnormal or involuntary muscle movements
• Diarrhoea

More severe side effects include:

• Difficulty breathing
• Seizures
• Low blood pressure
• Cardiac arrest or failure
• Unconsciousness

What should you do if you accidentally ingest a drug meant for horses?

DO wash away any product is left on the skin.

DO call emergency services or a poison control centre immediately and seek immediate medical attention.

DO NOT wait for symptoms to appear.

DO NOT drive yourself to seek medical attention. Either call for an ambulance or allow someone else to drive you as the medication could render you unable to drive safely.

DO take the product packaging and/or leaflet with you to show your medical professional as it contains important information about the active ingredients you have accidentally taken.

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