Evaluation of Etomidate as an Intravenous Anesthetic Drug in Dogs: Using Midazolam and Methocarbamol in Premedication

Objective- The aim of this study was to evaluate etomidate as an injectable anesthetic in dogs and to use midazolam and methocarbamol in premedication. Design- Experimental Study. Animals- Fourteen native young female dogs Procedure- Dogs were randomly allocated to one of two groups to receive midazolam (0.5 mg/kg; MiE group) or methocarbamol (20 mg/kg; MeE group) 5 minute before etomidate (2 mg/kg) administered intravenously. In addition to recording anesthesia plan times, some physiological and hematobiochemical parameters were also measured at different times in the two groups. Results- It was found that there was no significant difference between the two groups at both induction and recovery time. Heart rate, respiratory rate, and rectal temperature changes in the MiE group were noticeably fluctuating, unlike the MeE group. There was a significant difference in the values of hematocrit, total protein, glucose, and cortisol between the two groups at some times. Significant increase in ALT and AST activity was observed in MeE group compared to MiE group at some times. Conclusion and Clinical Relevance- Intramuscular administration of methocarbamol such as midazolam prior to induction of anesthesia by etomidate in dogs, while providing similar anesthesia and recovery time, has minimal cardiopulmonary effects and hematobiochemical changes in dogs under anesthesia.