Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology, Bombay Veterinary College, Mumbai - 12.
Twelve healthy horses were used to compare the clinical and physiological effect of two different doses of acepromazine maleate prior to xylazine–ketamine anaesthesia in equine for gelding. These horses were randomly divided in to two groups as Group I and Group II, consisting of six horses in each. Acepromazine maleate @ 0.02 mg/kg and 0.04 mg/kg was used as preanaesthetic in group I and group II respectively, prior to intravenous injection of xylazine (1 mg/kg) and ketamine (1.5 mg/kg). Clinical parameters like heart rate, respiratory rate and rectal temperature, were recorded before and at fixed intervals after the drug administration as well as following complete recovery. A sign of sedation, induction of anesthesia, duration of anesthesia, quality of induction as well as quality of recovery was also evaluated. Acepromazine at the dose rate of (0.04mg/kg) in combination with xylazine (1mg/kg)-ketamine (1.5mg/kg) resulted in better sedation with good quality of induction of anesthesia and muscle relaxation without any deliteious effect on the clinico-physiological status of the horses.
