J Vet Sci.  2004 Jun;5(2):151-155.

Effect of intratesticular injection of xylazine/ketamine combination on canine castration

• Kim JK
• Jeong SM
• Yi NY
• Jeong MB
• Lee ES
• Nam TC
• Seo KM

Abstract

This study was performed to compare the effect of intratesticular (IT) injection of xylazine/ketamine combination for canine castration with those of intramuscular (IM) or intravenous (IV) injection. Xylazine and ketamine was administered simultaneously via intratesticularly (IT group), intramuscularly (IM group) or intravenously (IV group) at doses of 2 and 10 mg/kg, respectively. Pain response at the time of injection, mean induction time, mean arousal time, mean walking time and cardiopulmonary function during anesthesia were monitored after the xylazine and ketamine administration. In IV and IM groups, heart rates were significantly decreased 30 and 45 min after xylazine and ketamine administration, respectively (p < 0.05). Respiratory rates were significantly decreased in the IV group (p < 0.05). In the IT group, there was no significant changes in heart and respiratory rates. The occurrence of cardiac arrhythmias was less severe in IT group compared with those in IM and IV groups. The route of administration did not affect rectal temperature. Mean induction time was significantly (p < 0.05) longer in IT group than in IM and IV groups. On the contrary, mean arousal time and mean walking time were shortened in IT group. Clinical signs related to pain response at the time of injection and vomiting were less observed in IT group than in IM group, and head shaking was less shown in IT group than in IM and IV groups during recovery period. These results indicated that intratesticular injection of xylazine/ketamine for castration has several advantages such as less inhibition of cardiopulmonary function and fast recovery from anesthesia without severe complications, and would be an effective anesthetic method for castration in small animal practice.

Keyword

canine; castration; intratesticular injection; ketamine; xylazine

MeSH Terms

Anesthesia, Intravenous/veterinary
Anesthetics, Combined/adverse effects/*therapeutic use
Anesthetics, Dissociative/adverse effects/*therapeutic use
Animals
Body Temperature/drug effects
Castration/*veterinary
Dogs
Drug Administration Routes/veterinary
Electrocardiography/drug effects/veterinary
Heart Rate/drug effects
Injections/veterinary
Injections, Intramuscular/veterinary
Ketamine/adverse effects/*therapeutic use
Male
Pain, Postoperative/prevention&control/veterinary
Pulmonary Ventilation/drug effects
Testis/*drug effects
Vomiting/chemically induced/veterinary
Xylazine/adverse effects/*therapeutic use