Jch. Ko et al., EVALUATION OF SEDATIVE AND CARDIORESPIRATORY EFFECTS OF DIAZEPAM-BUTORPHANOL, ACEPROMAZINE-BUTORPHANOL, AND XYLAZINE-BUTORPHANOL IN FERRETS, The Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, 34(3), 1998, pp. 242-250
Ten ferrets were used in a crossover Study to determine the sedative e
ffects of intramuscularly (IM) administered diazepam (3 mg/kg body wei
ght)-butorphanol (0.2 mg/kg body weight), acepromazine (0.1 mg/kg body
weight)-butorphanol (0.2 mg/kg body weight), or xylazine (2.0 mg/kg b
ody weight)-butorphanol (0.2 mg/kg body weight). All ferrets became la
terally recumbent following the administration of each drug combinatio
n. The xylazine-butorphanol combination caused a significantly longer
(p less than 0.05) duration of analgesia than the diazepam-butorphanol
and acepromazine-butorphanol combinations. None of the ferrets could
be intubated with any of the drug combinations. The time from inductio
n to recovery was significantly shorter in the acepromazine-butorphano
l-treated ferrets. A significantly lower heart rate was observed in th
e xylazine-butorphanol-treated ferrets; however, an acceptable systoli
c blood pressure was maintained. Ventilatory function was more depress
ed in the diazepam-butorphanol- and xylazine-butorphanol-treated ferre
ts than in the acepromazine-butorphanol-treated ferrets. Xylazine-buto
rphanol was found to be the best combination for use in ferrets.