Indian Journal of Veterinary Surgery

The present study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of etomidate as total intravenous anaesthesia with two different premedicants in dogs. The study was conducted on 16 dogs of either sex, aged 7-12 yr. The animals were randomly divided into two equal groups, group I and II, consisting of eight animals in each group. All the animals were premedicated with atropine sulphate (0.04 mg/kg body wt, i.m.). Ten minutes later, dexmedetomidine (0.01 μg/kg body wt) or acepromazine (0.4 mg/kg body wt) was administered intravenously in groups I and II, respectively. Anaesthesia was induced with intravenous administration of etomidate (1.5 mg/kg body wt) after 10 min of premedication in both groups, and maintained with bolus injections of etomidate (0.5 mg/kg body wt, i.v.) as per the requirement. The effect of anaesthesia was evaluated by clinical and physiological observations at 0 min (before induction) and at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 min intervals after the induction of anaesthesia. The quality of anaesthesia was recorded on a scale of 1 to 4. Induction quality was excellent, and smooth sternal recumbency and complete recovery were observed without struggling in both groups. The surgical plane of anaesthesia was achieved in dogs of both groups, but it was better in group I than in group II. Both the anaesthetic combinations were safe, and the quality of anaesthesia was good and complete recovery was achieved without any complication.