PetCaseFinder

Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Best propofol dose for safely putting dogs under anesthesia

By Musk, G C et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·2005·Institute of Comparative Medicine, United Kingdom·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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Target-controlled infusion of propofol in dogs--evaluation of four targets for induction of anaesthesia.

Species:
dog
Dog coughingBreathing & coughDogs

Plain-English summary

A group of 80 dogs underwent anesthesia using a medication called propofol, with varying target levels to see which worked best. The results showed that a target level of 3.5 micrograms per milliliter was the most effective for safely inducing anesthesia without causing breathing problems, as it had the lowest rate of post-induction apnea (temporary cessation of breathing). Higher doses led to more cases of apnea, but all dogs were successfully anesthetized at the right levels. This study suggests that 3.5 micrograms per milliliter is a good choice for anesthesia in dogs.

People also search for: dog anesthesia safety · propofol for dogs · dog breathing problems after anesthesia

Abstract

Four groups of 20 dogs were anaesthetised by means of target-controlled infusions of propofol designed to achieve 2.5 microg/ml, 3.0 microg/ml, 3.5 microg/ml or 4.0 microg/ml of propofol in blood. The dogs' pulse rate and respiratory rate were recorded before premedication and induction, immediately after endotracheal intubation and three and five minutes later (times 0, 3 and 5, respectively), and their arterial blood pressure was recorded oscillometrically just before induction and at times 0, 3 and 5. The targets of 2.5, 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0 microg/ml resulted in the successful induction of anaesthesia in 13 (65 per cent), 16 (80 per cent), 20 (100 per cent) and 20 (100 per cent) of the dogs, respectively. The incidence of postinduction apnoea was 0 (0 per cent), one (5 per cent), two (10 per cent) and eight (40 per cent) at time 5 for groups 2.5, 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0 mug/ml, respectively, and its incidence at time 5 was significantly higher in the 4.0 microg/ml group (P<0.05) than in the other groups. In all the groups there was a significant (P<0.05) decrease in blood pressure between just before induction and the later measurements. Although there were no statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of inducing anaesthesia at a specific target, a target of 3.5 microg/ml appears to ensure a successful induction of anaesthesia without a significant increase in the incidence of apnoea.

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/16339979/