Clinical and echocardiographic evaluations of sedative and cardiovascular effects of combination of xylazine-acepromazine versus xylazine-pregabalin in horses.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to compare the sedative and cardiovascular effects of the combination of xylazine-acepromazine versus xylazine-pregabalin - in horses. Four healthy crossbred horses were included in the study and assigned to two treatments. In treatment I (T1), the animals received xylazine hydrochloride (1.00 mg kg) in combination with acepromazine maleate (0.05 mg kg) intravenously. In treatment II (T2), the animals received intragastric administration of pregabalin (4.00 mg kg) followed by xylazine hydrochloride (1.00 mg kg) intravenously after 60 min. Head height above ground (HHAG) and echocardiographic indices were evaluated. In T1, recordings were made 5 minubefore and 5, 15, 30, 60, and 90 minu after drug administration. In T2, recordings were made 5 min before pregabalin, 55 minu after pregabalin administration, and then 5, 15, 30, 60, and 90 min after xylazine hydrochloride acepromazine injection. Analyses of the data showed there were no significant differences regarding HHAG and echocardiographic indices between the two treatments. Intragastric administration of pregabalin prior to xylazine could be considered as an alternative premedication regimen when acepromazine administration is contraindicated or undesirable.
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Publication Date: 2024-06-15 PubMed ID: 39035476PubMed Central: PMC11260224DOI: 10.30466/vrf.2024.2013359.4034Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research investigates the effects of different sedative combinations on horses, namely a combination of xylazine-acepromazine and xylazine-pregabalin. The study found that the two drug combinations had comparable effects on the animals’ cardiovascular condition and level of sedation, suggesting the possibility of using pregabalin before xylazine as an alternative premedication regimen.
The Experiment
- The study included four healthy crossbred horses which were divided into two treatment groups for a comparison of the sedation and cardiovascular effects.
- In the first treatment group (T1), the horses received an intravenous dose of xylazine hydrochloride combined with acepromazine maleate. This was evaluated for changes in the horses’ head height above ground (HHAG) and their cardiovascular conditions illustrated via echocardiographic indices.
- In the second group (T2), the horses were first given an intragastric dose of pregabalin, followed by an intravenous shot of xylazine hydrochloride after 60 minutes. The same HHAG and echocardiographic evaluations were performed as in T1.
The Findings
- Readings were taken at multiple times after the administration of the drugs in both T1 and T2 groups, allowing the effects of the drugs to be measured over time.
- The data collected showed no significant differences in both the HHAG and the echocardiographic indices between the two treatment groups. This means that the level of sedation and cardiovascular conditions were similar regardless of whether the horses received acepromazine or pregabalin as the additional drug to the xylazine.
- This led to the conclusion that the use of intragastric pregabalin before an intravenous dose of xylazine could be seen as a potential alternative premedication regimen, especially in scenarios when the use of acepromazine is contraindicated or not desired.
Implications
- The result of this study could open up possibilities for new pre-sedation processes in managing horses, particularly when the standard usage of acepromazine is not suitable or preferred.
- More research could be conducted in this area to further validate these findings and to investigate any additional benefits or drawbacks associated with the xylazine-pregabalin combination preprocessing.
Cite This Article
APA
Shokrollahi S, Mohammadi R, Sarrafzadeh-Rezaei F, Jalilzadeh-Amin G, Hashemi-Asl SM.
(2024).
Clinical and echocardiographic evaluations of sedative and cardiovascular effects of combination of xylazine-acepromazine versus xylazine-pregabalin in horses.
Vet Res Forum, 15(6), 291-296.
https://doi.org/10.30466/vrf.2024.2013359.4034 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Surgery and Diagnostic Imaging, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
- Department of Surgery and Diagnostic Imaging, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
- Department of Surgery and Diagnostic Imaging, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
- Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
- Department of Surgery and Diagnostic Imaging, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
Conflict of Interest Statement
There is no conflict of interest to declare.
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