Note that all of these doses are approximations
and must be titrated to the animal’s strain, age,
sex and individual responses. Significant departures from
these doses should be discussed with a veterinarian. Doses
will also vary depending on what other drugs are being
administered concurrently.
All doses are listed as milligrams
per kilogram (mg/kg) unless otherwise noted.
| DRUG NAME |
DOSE (mg/kg) & ROUTE |
FREQUENCY |
NOTES |
| Inhalation anesthetics |
Recommended:
Isoflurane or Halothane or Sevoflurane
|
1-3% inhalant to effect (up
to 5% for induction). Up to 8% for sevoflurane |
Whenever general anesthesia is required |
Concurrent preemptive analgesia is recommended for
survival surgery
Must use precision vaporizer.
|
| Nitrous oxide (N2O) |
Up to 60% with oxygen |
Whenever deep sedation or general anesthesia is required |
Not acceptable for surgery as sole agent – usually
used with inhalant anesthetic to potentiate effect
and lower required dose |
| Ketamine combinations |
Recommended:
Ketamine-Midazolam
|
5-10 + 0.1-0.2 IM or SC (in same syringe) |
As needed |
May not produce surgical-plane
anesthesia for major procedures, but may be useful
for restraint. Note that IM Ketamine combinations often
sting upon injection. |
| Recommended: Ketamine-Diazepam |
6 - 11 + 0.05 – 0.2 IV (in same syringe) |
As needed |
May not produce surgical-plane anesthesia for major
procedures. |
| Ketamine-Medetomidine |
5 - 10 + 0.6 – 1.0 IM or SC (in same syringe) |
As needed |
May not produce surgical-plane
anesthesia for major procedures. If redosing, use ketamine
alone. May be
partially reversed with Atipamezole. Note that IM Ketamine
combinations often sting upon injection. |
| Ketamine alone |
10 - 22 IM or SC |
As needed |
Deep sedation, but not surgical
anesthesia. Not often used alone. |
| Reversal agents |
| Atipamezole |
~ 1.0 subcutaneous or IM |
Any time medetomidine or xylazine has been used |
More specific for medetomidine
than for xylazine (as a general rule, Atipamezole is
dosed at the same volume as Medetomidine, though they
are manufactured at different concentrations). |
| Other injectable anesthetics and tranquilizers |
| Sodium pentobarbital (Nembutal) |
20 - 60 IV single or intermittent bolus, or
2-20 mg/kg/hr IV continuous infusion
|
Recommended for terminal/acute procedures only, with
booster doses as needed. Occasionally used on survival
basis when cortical evoked responses are being measured. |
Consider supplemental analgesia (opioid or NSAID)
for invasive procedures. |
| Sodium thiopental (Pentothal) |
13 – 26 IV |
As induction agent, prior to general anesthesia with
pentobarbital or inhalant |
Consider supplemental analgesia (opioid or NSAID)
for invasive procedures |
| Propofol |
16 - 22 IV |
As induction agent, prior to general anesthesia with
pentobarbital or inhalant |
Respiratory depression upon induction is possible. |
| Acepromazine |
0.08 – 0.2 IM or SC |
May be used whenever ketamine combinations are used |
Usually only used in conjunction with anesthetics
such as ketamine. Acepromazine confers no analgesia. |
| Opioid analgesia |
Recommended:
Buprenorphine
|
0.005 - 0.1 SC |
Used pre-operatively for preemptive analgesia and post-operatively every 4-12hrs |
When used as sole analgesic, typical regimen is: once at time of procedure, second dose will be administered 4-6 hours later. Additional doses
every 8-12hrs as needed. Consider multi-modal analgesia with NSAID and local analgesic.
|
Recommended:
Butorphanol
|
0.1 – 0.5 SC |
Used pre-operatively for preemptive
analgesia and post-operatively every 4-6 hour |
Consider multi-modal analgesia
with a NSAID |
| Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesia
(NSAID) -- Note that prolonged use my cause renal,
gastrointestinal, or other problems |
Recommended:
Carprofen
|
4-5 SC |
Used pre-operatively for preemptive analgesia and
post-operatively every 24 hour for up to 4 days. |
Depending on the procedure, may be used as sole analgesic,
or as multi-modal analgesia with buprenorphine. |
Recommended:
Meloxicam
|
0.1 – 0.3 PO, IM or SC |
Used pre-operatively for preemptive analgesia and
post-operatively every 24 hour for up to 4 days. |
Depending on the procedure, may be used as sole analgesic,
or as multi-modal analgesia with buprenorphine. |
| Ketoprofen |
~ 1.0 – 2.0 SC |
Used pre-operatively for preemptive analgesia and
post-operatively every 24 hour for up to 4 days |
Depending on the procedure, may be used as sole analgesic,
or as multi-modal analgesia with buprenorphine. |
| Ketorolac |
~0.25 |
Used pre-operatively for preemptive
analgesia |
Do not use more than 2-3 times
per animal during any post-surgical period. |
| Local anesthetic/analgesics (lidocaine
and bupivicaine may be combined in one syringe for
rapid onset and long duration analgesia) |
| Lidocaine hydrochloride |
May dilute to 0.5 -1% (=10mg/ml). May be mixed in
same syringe with bupivicaine.
SC or intra-incisional
|
Use locally before making surgical incision |
Faster onset than bupivicaine but short (<1 hour)
duration of action |
Bupivicaine
 |
May dilute to 0.25 – 0.5%, May be mixed in
same syringe with lidocaine.
SC or intra-incisional
|
Use locally before making surgical incision
|
Slower onset than lidocaine but longer (~ 4-8 hour)
duration of action
|
