Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Seizure risk in dogs given acepromazine before myelography
By Drynan, Eleanor A et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary emergency and critical care (San Antonio, Tex. : 2001)·2012·Department of Anaesthesia, Australia·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Incidence of seizures associated with the use of acepromazine in dogs undergoing myelography.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 66 dogs, aged 4 months to 15 years, underwent a procedure called myelography, which involves injecting a contrast dye into the spine. Some dogs were given a combination of methadone and acepromazine as a sedative, while others received only methadone. The study found that about 14% of the dogs given the combination experienced seizures, compared to 13% of those who only received methadone, indicating that the addition of acepromazine did not significantly increase seizure risk. Overall, both groups had similar seizure rates, suggesting that using acepromazine with methadone is safe for this procedure.
People also search for: dog seizure after anesthesia · myelography in dogs · acepromazine side effects in dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the frequency of seizures associated with acepromazine administration when used as a premedicant with methadone for dogs undergoing myelography. DESIGN: Retrospective clinical case study. SETTING: University veterinary teaching hospital. ANIMALS: Sixty-six dogs (mixed and pure breeds), aged between 4 months and 15 years, weighing between 3.5-61 kg. All animals were classified as ASA score I or II. INTERVENTIONS: Forty-three animals were premedicated with methadone (0.1-0.5 mg/kg) and acepromazine (0.01-0.05 mg/kg) intramuscularly. Twenty-three animals were premedicated with methadone alone (0.1-0.5 mg/kg) intramuscularly. Anesthesia was induced with propofol intravenously and maintained with isoflurane delivered in 100% oxygen. All animals received a balanced isotonic crystalloid solution intravenously at a rate of 10 mL/kg/h. Blood pressure, end-tidal CO(2) , oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, and heart rate were monitored throughout anesthesia. Animals requiring surgery immediately following myelography were excluded from the study. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The frequency of seizures was 14% (CI: 3.6-24.3%) and 13.0% (CI: 0.7-27%) in dogs that received methadone/acepromazine and methadone alone, respectively. There was no significant difference in the frequency of seizures between dogs receiving methadone/acepromazine or methadone alone (P = 1). Analysis of the association of site of injection of the contrast and the frequency of seizures in dogs receiving methadone/acepromazine showed no significant difference in the frequency of seizures following cervical injection (25%; CI: 0.5-24.5%) or lumbar injection (9.7%; CI: -0.7-20.1%). CONCLUSIONS: The administration of acepromazine combined with methadone as a premedicant used with propofol and isoflurane anesthesia did not significantly increase the frequency of seizures following myelography compared to dogs who received methadone alone.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22487256/