Anaesthetic effects in the ferret of alfaxalone alone and in combination with medetomidine or tramadol: a pilot study.

Alfaxalone is a neurosteroid with anaesthetic effects and it has been used successfully in several animal species. However, there are no data, to our knowledge, about its efficacy and safety in ferrets (Mustela putorius furo). We evaluated a variety of anaesthetic regimens in ferrets, namely, alfaxalone at 20, 10 and 5 mg/kg (n = 1, 10 and 9, respectively; intravenously); medetomidine at 20 µg/kg (n = 3; intramuscularly); medetomidine (20 µg/kg, intramuscularly) plus alfaxalone (2.5 mg/kg, intravenously; n = 7); and tramadol (5 mg/kg, intramuscularly) plus alfaxalone (5 mg/kg, intravenously; n = 2). Two animals treated with alfaxalone at 10 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg, respectively, died. At 5 mg/kg alfaxalone produced anaesthesia with a similar onset but a shorter duration of anaesthesia and analgesia than alfaxalone at 10 mg/kg. The medetomidine–alfaxalone combination produced anaesthesia and analgesia of a longer duration than alfaxalone administered alone at 5 mg/kg (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.001, respectively). Un...