Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Sedation effects of IV butorphanol in dogs with brain lesions
By Sansby, Emma et al.Ā·Published in Veterinary anaesthesia and analgesiaĀ·2025Ā·Lumbry Park Veterinary Specialists, United KingdomĀ·View original on PubMed ā
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Original publication title: The sedative effect of intravenous butorphanol in dogs with intracranial space occupying lesions or indicators of intracranial hypertension.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs undergoing brain MRI were given an intravenous sedative called butorphanol to see how it affected their sedation levels and ability to lie down. Dogs with brain lesions or signs of increased pressure in the skull were more sedated and more likely to lie down quickly compared to those without these issues. Specifically, 90% of dogs with signs of increased pressure became recumbent, while only about 47% of those without did. This suggests that butorphanol can help veterinarians identify serious brain conditions in dogs before anesthesia.
People also search for: dog brain MRI sedation Ā· butorphanol for dogs Ā· signs of increased pressure in dog's head
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether dogs with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-determined intracranial space occupying lesions (MRI-iSOLs) or intracranial hypertension (MRI-ICH) had greater sedation scores and quicker onset of recumbency following premedication with intravenous (IV) butorphanol in comparison with dogs which had normal MRI findings. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, observational study. ANIMALS: A total of 53 dogs presenting for brain MRI were included. METHODS: Each dog was sedated with 0.2 mg kgbutorphanol IV, and the quality of sedation and the onset of recumbency were scored before drug administration and every 5 minutes after IV butorphanol administration for 15 minutes using a modified sedation scale. The maximum sedation score was 18, and onset of recumbency was recorded when a dog lay down without the ability to stand. Each MRI was assessed for the presence or absence of MRI-iSOL and MRI-ICH using T2-weighted sequences. Data were analysed using the Wilcoxon rank sum test or the chi-square test. RESULTS: Dogs with MRI-iSOL had significantly higher median sedation scores than dogs without MRI-iSOL (12 versus 5, respectively) 15 minutes after butorphanol administration (T15, p < 0.01). A greater number of dogs with MRI-ICH achieved recumbency (n = 9/10; 90%) than those without MRI-ICH (n = 20/43; 46.5%; p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: When intracranial disease is suspected, the administration of butorphanol as a premedicant for anaesthesia could be used to predict the presence of MRI-iSOL and MRI-ICH. If a dog becomes recumbent or has a sedation score > 10 within 15 minutes of butorphanol administration, the animal should be treated with an anaesthesia protocol adapted to the presence of ICH.
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Search related cases āOriginal publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39690053/