Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Sedation and recovery in cats for blood donation injections
By Reader, Rebecca C et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2019·1 Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Comparison of two intramuscular sedation protocols on sedation, recovery and ease of venipuncture for cats undergoing blood donation.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of ten healthy cats were sedated for blood donation using two different sedation methods: one with alfaxalone and butorphanol, and the other with dexmedetomidine and butorphanol. Both methods were well-tolerated, but the cats sedated with dexmedetomidine showed better muscle relaxation. There were no significant differences in how quickly the cats settled down or how easily blood was drawn. Overall, both sedation protocols were effective, and alfaxalone is a good alternative to dexmedetomidine for this procedure. One cat did experience vomiting after the dexmedetomidine sedation.
People also search for: cat blood donation sedation · alfaxalone vs dexmedetomidine for cats · cat vomiting after sedation
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the quality of sedation and recovery, and ease of venipuncture following sedation for feline blood donation using two intramuscular (IM) sedation protocols: alfaxalone/butorphanol (AB) and dexmedetomidine/butorphanol (DB). METHODS: This was an experimental randomized, blinded, crossover study. Ten client-owned healthy cats were recruited to participate in the study. Cats were sedated with AB (alfaxalone 2 mg/kg and butorphanol 0.2 mg/kg) for one donation and DB (dexmedetomidine 10 μg/kg and butorphanol 0.2 mg/kg) for another. Reaction to injection, quality of sedation and quality of recovery were assessed by a blinded observer. Time to lateral recumbency, number of venipuncture attempts, time required for blood collection and time to return to sternal recumbency were recorded. Cats were monitored for evidence of gastrointestinal distress. Each donation consisted of a maximum of 53 ml whole blood drawn over 3-22 mins. Donors received 100 ml subcutaneous lactated Ringer's solution in recovery. Owners, unaware of sedation protocol, were asked to complete a questionnaire evaluating their cat's behavior following sedation. RESULTS: IM injections were well tolerated by both treatment groups. There was no significant difference between treatment groups in sedation scores for posture ( P = 0.30) or behavior ( P = 0.06). Cats sedated with DB had significantly higher muscle relaxation scores ( P = 0.03) compared with AB. There was no significant difference between treatment groups in time to lateral recumbency ( P = 0.12), number of venipuncture attempts ( P = 0.91) and time for blood draw ( P = 0.29). There was no difference in quality of recoveries between treatment groups based on simple descriptive scores ( P = 0.18) and owner evaluation 24 h following sedation. One cat vomited following administration of DB. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Alfaxalone is a suitable alternative to dexmedetomidine when combined with butorphanol and used as part of an IM sedation protocol for cats undergoing blood donation.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29512429/