Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How medetomidine sedation affects dog tear test readings
By Sanchez, R F et al.·Published in Veterinary ophthalmology·2006·Institute for Comparative Medicine, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effects of medetomidine and medetomidine-butorphanol combination on Schirmer tear test 1 readings in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs was sedated for a procedure using either medetomidine alone or a combination of medetomidine and butorphanol, and their tear production was measured before and after sedation. The results showed that sedation significantly reduced tear production shortly after the drugs were given, but most dogs returned to their normal tear levels within 15 minutes after the sedative was reversed. To help protect their eyes during this time, it's advised to use artificial tears from the moment the sedative is administered until at least 15 minutes after it is reversed.
People also search for: dog eye tear production · sedative effects on dog eyes · artificial tears for sedated dogs
Abstract
Medetomidine is a commonly used sedative in veterinary medicine whether administered alone or in combination with an opioid such as butorphanol. There are no previous studies that look at the effects of this drug on sequential Schirmer tear test (STT) 1 readings in dogs, including effects on tear production after reversal of the drug. The present study looked at two groups of 10 dogs each that were sedated with intravenous medetomidine or a combination of medetomidine and butorphanol. All dogs had tear readings taken presedation, 15 min postsedation, and 15 min after reversal of medetomidine with atipamezole. Results revealed that intravenous sedation with medetomidine and medetomidine-butorphanol in dogs with no history of ophthalmic disease and presedation STT 1 readings above 15 mm/min, causes a significant decrease in tear production that is measurable at 15 min postsedation. Readings returned to near presedation values within 15 min postreversal in most cases. It is therefore recommended that all eyes be treated with a tear substitute from the time the sedative is given until at least 15 min after reversal.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16409243/