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 – may be used with inhalant anesthetic
to potentiate effect and lower required dose |
| Ketamine combinations |
| Ketamine alone |
5 – 20 IM, SC, or IV |
As needed, as pre-anesthetic,
or as sole sedative |
Midazolam may slightly prolong
recovery tie, but also makes for smoother recovery. Note
that IM Ketamine combinations often sting upon injection. |
Recommended:
Ketamine-Midazolam
|
4 -20 + 0.05-0.2 IM or SC (in
same syringe) |
As needed |
May not produce surgical-plane
anesthesia for major procedures, but useful for restraint.
Note that IM Ketamine combinations often sting upon
injection. |
| Ketamine-Medetomidine
|
5 – 10 & ~ 0.1 IM
or SC |
As needed |
Will not produce surgical plane
of 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 – Xylazine |
5 – 10 & 0.25 – 3.0
IM or SC |
As needed |
Will not produce surgical plane
of anesthesia for major procedures. If redosing, use
ketamine alone. May be partially reversed with Atipamezole.
Note that IM Ketamine combinations often sting upon
injection. |
| Reversal agents |
| Atipamezole |
~ 1.0 subcutaneous or IV |
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) |
15 - 30 IV single or intermittent
bolus |
Recommended for terminal/acute
procedures only, with booster doses as needed. May
be used on survival basis when cortical evoked responses
are being measured. |
Consider supplemental analgesia
(opioid or NSAID) for invasive procedures. |
| Propofol |
2.5 – 5.0 IV boluses.
0.3 – 0.4 mg/kg/hr continuous infusion |
As induction agent, prior to
general anesthesia with pentobarbital or inhalant,
or as sole agent on continuous infusion. |
Respiratory depression upon
induction is possible. Requirement for IV administration
usually means that ketamine must be used first. |
| 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.
|
| Non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory analgesia (NSAID) -- Note that prolonged
use my cause renal, gastrointestinal, or other problems |
Recommended:
Carprofen
|
2 - 4 SC or PO |
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
|
0.2 – 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. |
Recommended:
Ketorolac
|
0 0.5 – 1.0 SC or IM |
Used pre-operatively for preemptive
analgesia and post-operatively every 8 -12 hour for
up to 4 days. |
Depending on the procedure,
may be used as sole analgesic, or as multi-modal analgesia
with buprenorphine. |
| 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 |
