Comparison Of Most Common Anesthetic Protocols Used In Dogs In Kosovo

The goal of this study was to investigate the difference in the physiological parameters through sedative and anesthetic effects by comparing three most common protocols of anesthesia used in dogs in Kosovo. For this purpose, from June 2018 to February 2019, 30 clinical cases of stray dogs have been examined. Animals were distributed randomly into three different anesthetic groups. The group xylazine and ketamine (XK; n=10), containing the combination of 5 mg/kg xylazine and 10 mg/kg ketamine, was administered intramuscularly. The group medetomidine and ketamine (MK; n=10), containing 0.04 mg/kg medetomidine and 10 mg/kg ketamine, was given intravenously, whereas in the group acepromazine and ketamine (n=10), by using intramuscular route, 0.01 mg/kg of acepromazine and 10 mg/kg ketamine was given to the dogs. The recorded duration and onset of action, including the recovery time of the three different anesthetic combinations, produced statistically significant differences within the groups, with an exception of XK-MK groups. The clinical changes associated with anesthetic combinations also registered the statistically significant differences of the physiological parameters of heart rate and rectal temperature but not of respiratory rate between the three groups of anesthetics. These results indicate that combined administration of a group XK is considered satisfactory for anesthesia in healthy dogs with minimal postoperative effects and is also suitable for using in ambulatory conditions in Kosovo.