UCSF Animal Care & Use Program

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. Mask induction is possible with very small pigs.
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
Dissociative (Ketamine and/or Telazol®) combinations
Ketamine alone	11 – 33 IM	Any time sedation is required	Not typically used as sole agent in swine
Recommended: Ketamine-Xylazine	15 - 20 + 1.1 – 2.2 IM (in same syringe)	Prior to general anesthesia	Can result in large volumes – consider using Telazol® or Telazol® combination as alternative
Recommended: Telazol® alone (a combination of tiletamine and zolazepam – when reconstituted with 5 ml sterile water, a vial contains 50 mg/ml of each drug. Dose listed is based on 100mg/ml of combined active ingredients)	6 – 8 IM ( = .06 - .08 ml/kg)	For sedation or pre-anesthesia	Note that Telazol® must be stored refrigerated once reconstituted.
Telazol®-Ketamine-Xylazine (TKX)	~ 0.025 ml of cocktail per kg IM	For sedation or pre-anesthesia	Note that Telazol® must be stored refrigerated once reconstituted. To mix: reconstitute Telazol® with ‘large animal xylazine (100mg/ml) instead of water; add 5 ml ketamine (concentration of 100mg/ml)
Xylazine – Telazol®	2.2 – 8.8 + 2 – 8.8	For sedation or pre-anesthesia	Note that Telazol® must be stored refrigerated once reconstituted. To mix: reconstitute Telazol® with 5 ml. of ‘large animal xylazine (100mg/ml) instead of water.
Ketamine-Diazepam continuous infusion	~ 0.2 + ~ 0.0005 mg/kg/hr	Sedation for imaging or other prolonged procedure – not adequate anesthesia for surgical procedures.	Not adequate anesthesia for surgical procedures.
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.	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 is a tranquilizer and does not confer analgesia.
Opioid analgesia
Recommended: Buprenorphine	0.005 - 0.1 SC (usually use .05 – 0.1 for major surgery)	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.
Butorphanol	0.1 – 0.5 SC	Used pre-operatively for preemptive analgesia and post-operatively every 4-6 hour	For major procedures, require more frequent dosing than 12 hour intervals. Consider multi-modal analgesia with a NSAID
Oxymorphone	0.01 – 0.2	Used pre-operatively for preemptive analgesia and post-operatively every 3-4 hour, or for ‘rescue analgesia’ when buprenorphine is not potent enough	More potent but shorter duration than buprenorphine or butorphanol.
Fentanyl patch	50 µg/hr	Place patch 24 hours in advance of surgery and maintain for up to 3 days	When severe post-surgical pain is anticipated.
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.
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.
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	5 – 1.0 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.
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

Page Date: April 5, 2005