Introduction

• The aim of anesthetic premedication is to calm the patient and ease preoperative restraint, to provide analgesia and muscle relaxation during the procedure, and to contribute to the quality of both maintenance phase and recovery.

Preanesthetic medication

Drugs used for preanesthetic medication

Neuroleptanalgesia

General considerations

Further Reading

Publications

Refereed papers

• Recent references from PubMed and VetMedResource.
• Raillard M, Michaut-Castrillo J, Spreux D et al (2017) Comparison of medetomidine-morphine and medetomidine-methadone for sedation, isoflurane requirement and postoperative analgesia in dogs undergoing laparoscopy. Vet Anesth Analg 44(1), 17-27 PubMed.  
• Mair A, Kloeppel H, Ticehurst K (2014) A comparison of low dose tiletamine-zolazepam or acepromazine combined with methadone for pre-anaesthetic medication in cats. Vet Anesth Analg 41(6), 630-635 PubMed. 
• Hunt J R, Attenburrow P M, Slingsby L S et al (2013) Comparison of premedication with buprenorphine or methadone with meloxicam for postoperative analgesia in dogs undergoing orthopaedic surgery. JSAP 54(8), 418-424 PubMed. 
• Raszplewicz J, Macfarlane P, West E (2013) Comparison of sedation scores and propofol induction doses in dogs after intramuscular premedication with butorphanol and either dexmedetomidine or medetomidine. Vet Anesth Analg 40(6), 584-589 PubMed. 
• Grint N J, Burford J, Dugdale A H (2009) Investigating medetomidine-buprenorphine as preanaesthetic medication in cats. JSAP 50(2), 73-81 PubMed. 
• Gurney M, Cripps P, Mosing M (2009) Subcutaneous pre-anesthetic medication with acepromazine-buprenorphine is as effective as and less painful than the intramuscular route. JSAP 50 (9), 474-477 PubMed.
• Slingsby L S, Taylor P M, Monroe T (2009) Thermal antinociception after dexmedetomidine administration in cats: a comparison between intramuscular and oral transmucosal administration. J Feline Med Surg 11 (10), 829-834 PubMed.
• Granholm  M, McKusick B C, Westerholm F C et al (2006) Evaluation of the clinical efficacy and safety of dexmedetomidine or medetomidine in cats and their reversal with atipamezole. Vet Anaesth Analg 33 (4), 214-223 PubMed.
• Sinclair M D (2003) A review of the physiological effects of alpha2-agonists related to the clinical use of medetomidine in small animal practice. Can Vet J 44 (11), 885-897 PubMed.
• Balmer T V, Irvine D, Jones R S et al (1998) Comparison of carprofen and pethidine as postoperative analgesics in the cat. JSAP 39 (4), 158-164 PubMed.
• Mathews K A (1996) Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory analgesics to manage acute pain in dogs and cats. Comp Cont Ed Prac Vet 18 (10), 1117-1123 VetMedResource.
• Hashim M A & Waterman A E (1993) Effects of acepromazine, pethidine and atropine premedication on lower oesophageal sphincter pressure in anaesthetized cats. Vet Rec 133 (7), 158-160 PubMed.

Other sources of information

• Murrell J C (2016) Pre-anaesthetic medication and sedation. In: BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Anaesthesia and Analgesia, 3rd ed. BSAVA, Quedgeley, UK. Eds. Duke-Novakovski T, de Vries M and Seymour C. Ch. 13, pp 170-190 
• Dugdale A (2010) Small animal sedation and premedication. In: Veterinary Anaesthesia Principles to Practice, Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, UK. Ed. Dugdale A. Ch. 4, pp 30-45.