A Comparison of Two Intramuscular Doses of a Xylazine-Diazepam-Ketamine Combination in Dogs

Many drugs are administered intramuscularly to immobilize and anesthetize dogs. There are many established intramuscular (IM) anesthetic combinations for dogs; however, little information is available on the effects of a xylazine-diazepam-ketamine (XDK) combination. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anesthetic effects of the XDK combination in dogs. Twelve adult mixed bred dogs were used. All dogs were anesthetized with an 1M injection of diazepam (0.5 mg/kg) and xylazine (1.1 mg/kg) with low-dose ketamine (5 mg/kg; group 1) or high-dose ketamine (10 mg/kg; group 2) in one syringe. After administration of the test dose, the animals were positioned in a right lateral recumbency, and analgesia and cardiopulmonary data were collected and recorded. The duration of anesthesia in group 2 was significantly longer than that of group 1 (mean [sd] 68.0 [7.6] v 51.3 [2.7] minutes). Blood pressure increased significantly after XDK administration in both groups, and S a O₂ levels decreased significantly from baseline at 10, 20, and 30 minutes in both groups. XDK administration produced satisfactory sedation and analgesia in all dogs. In conclusion, intramuscular administration of xylazine-diazepam-ketamine combination at a doses of 1.1 mg/kg xylazine, 0.5 mg/kg diazepam, and 5 or 10 mg/kg ketamine appeared to be effective short duration anesthetic protocols in dogs.