|
Drug(s) |
Dose and route |
Comments |
|
Isoflurane |
Mask induction and maintenance of anaesthesia after i.m. or i.v. combinations |
Unpleasant odour No analgesia Environmental pollution and health and safety considerations for staff Marketing authorization |
|
Sevoflurane |
Mask induction and maintenance of anaesthesia after i.m. or i.v. combinations |
No analgesia Environmental pollution and health and safety considerations for staff No marketing authorization |
|
Propofol |
6–8 mg/kg i.v. |
Intravenous access required, which may be difficult in kittens and feral cats No analgesia Marketing authorization Requires maintenance with inhalant agent Premedication advisable |
|
Alfaxalone |
5 mg/kg i.v. |
Intravenous access required, which may be difficult in kittens and feral cats Marketing authorization No analgesia Premedication advisable Requires maintenance with inhalant agent or TIVA |
|
Ketamine |
11–33 mg/kg i.m. |
Inadequate anaesthesia when used as sole agent Marketing authorization |
|
Xylazine (X) + Ketamine (K) |
1–2 mg/kg i.m., s.c. (X) + 10–20 mg/kg i.m., s.c. (K) |
Commonly used intramuscular combination for neutering Short-lived analgesia Can be improved by the addition of an opioid Marketing authorization |
|
Medetomidine (M) + Ketamine (K) |
40–80 μg/kg i.m. (M) + 5–7.7 mg/kg i.m. (K) |
Marketing authorization Analgesic Superior to xylazine + ketamine Can be improved by the addition of an opioid Reversal with atipamezole at 40 μg/kg |
|
Tiletamine Zolazepam Or zolazepam, tiletamine, xylazine and ketamine |
i.m. |
Trialled in USA for large-scale TNR schemes in feral cats No marketing authorization in UK |
|
Midazolam (Mi) + Ketamine (K) |
0.25–0.5 mg/kg i.m., i.v. (Mi) + 5–10 mg/kg i.m., i.v. (K) |
Poor analgesia No marketing authorization Depth unlikely to be sufficient for surgery Analgesia can be improved by addition of an opioid Acepromazine can be added, but unsuitable for young kittens (prolonged recovery) |
|
Medetomidine (M) + Ketamine (K) + Butorphanol (B) (or other opioids, e.g. buprenorphine, methadone, pethidine, can be used instead) |
80 μg/kg i.m. (M) + 5 mg/kg i.m. (K) + 0.4 mg/kg i.m. (B) (i.v. use lower doses) |
‘Triple combination’ Marketing authorization Analgesic Atipamezole (40 μg/kg) can be administered after 40 minutes to reverse the medetomidine (data sheets give higher dose) Lower doses of medetomidine (10–20 μg/kg) can be used |
|
Medetomidine (M) + Ketamine (K) + Buprenorphine (Bu) + Midazolam (Mi) |
600 μg/m2 i.m. (M) + 60 mg/m2 i.m. (K) + 180 μg/m2 i.m. (Bu) + 3 mg/m2 i.m. (Mi) |
‘Quad combination’ Analgesic No marketing authorization for midazolam Atipamezole (300 μg/m2) can be administered 30–40 minutes following induction (data sheets give higher dose) Surface area dosing provides more reliable anaesthesia, especially in small kittens |