Grey's And Ace Promezine

[JJNg]

As many others have said, there are no particular contraindications for using acepromazine in greyhounds. Like any drug, some individuals are more sensitive and have undesired responses, but's not a 'bad' medication and there's nothing wrong with using it responsibly.

 

I do agree with greysmom's post, and my objections to ace are when it's used to 'control' patients that are experiencing pain (without also using appropriate pain meds), or when it's recommended for anxiety. I use acepromazine regularly as a pre-anesthetic medication, and I also prescribe it for dogs that are hyper and excitable for situations like travel if the owner can't manage the dog any other way.

 

However, if there is any anxiety involved, I feel that there are much better options available. While some dogs may seem to relax and truly be less anxious on ace, it really doesn't have an anti-anxiety effect (sedating/tranquilizing is not the same as relieving anxiety). Given the risk of sensitization and making problems worse, I prefer to use other medications that are truly anxiolytic. If you've found that your dog does well on ace, I wouldn't see any reason to switch, but I would be very careful to monitor body language and make sure it is truly relaxation and not just sedation.

 

Like BlackandBrindle, I would have to disagree with using pain to keep dogs from hurting themselves. This was the common view even among vets 20 years ago, but the emphasis these days in on the importance of proper pain management. In addition to just keeping the post-op patient comfortable, it has been shown that pain interferes with immune response and delays healing. Pain should always be managed as much as possible.

 

Limiting activity to prevent injury is our responsibility and can be achieved with leash walking, confining in a small area, etc. Splints should not break under normal weight-bearing. A dog who is thrashing around in pain might break a splint. Or a young, hyper dog might break a splint when bouncing around. In the latter case, using a sedative like acepromazine might actually be appropriate to keep the dog quiet. I once treated a very hyper, active young foxhound for heartworms and prescribed ace on a daily basis to keep the dog quiet for the post treatment period.

 

Ace is actually just used as a pre-anesthetic medication (pre-med), not for anesthesia induction. So the injectable dosing in this circumstance is actually much lower than the oral doses typically used for sedation. The typical pre-med dose is 0.03-0.05 mg/kg. For greyhounds, I go lower and use closer to 0.02 mg/kg. So an average greyhound would get 0.5-1 mg.

 

Acepromazine tablets come in 10 mg or 25 mg, and most people use the 25 mg for large dogs. The recommended dose on the label for sedation, and what most vets use when they prescribe it, is 0.55-2.2 mg/kg. Giving a greyhound 1/2 of the 25 mg tablet is lower than this dose range, but still much higher than the pre-med dose. I suspect some of this may be a difference in absorption of the injectable vs the oral forms, but the product label gives a dose of 0.55-1.1 mg/kg even for the injectable.

[Guest greytkidsmom]

Like any other drug, ace doesn't affect all animals the same way. There is some thinking that sighthounds are more sensitive to it and should be dosed much lower to start with. You also get a more predictable reaction with the injectable than with oral.

 

I can't take Ibuprofen. Doesn't mean it's a bad drug or that no graying brunettes of northern European heritage should ever take it.

 

Well said.

[Guest mommyx5]

I trust Dr. Stack implicitly, so if she said to give the dog Ace than I would.

 

 

As far as feeling pain to keep her quiet, I'm going to respectfully disagree. I would personally contain her in a crate or expen and only take her on leash outings, even in the yard. While in Sandy Paws the vet who gave several talks was saying that pain/stress can be harmful and keep your dog from healing. I agree with the sentiment.

 

Of course only you know your dog and circumstances so if that's not feasible I do understand. I mean no offense by my statement, just passing along what I've been told.

 

I hope Sky Rocket has a quick and uneventful healing!

 

 

I mis-spoke a bit. She is contained -- she has taken over the laundry room and is baby-gated in. She is on leash restriction for 8 weeks -- only allowed to pee and poop. The amount of meds they had Sky Rocket on had her so "Drunk," she didn't know where she was or that she was hurt. She was trying to use the use the broken rear right hock like nothing was wrong with it. Instead of 100 mg's of Tramadol, she gets 50 mg's. And, 5 mg's of Ace instead of 10 every 8 hours. She is very comfortable and alert. Of course, when bones are healing, things could change in a heart beat. So, I am staying in earshot and sight of her. The laundry room is the coolest in the house and best insulated as it doubles as the hurricane room. The other dogs in the house are respecting her space and her injury. She is a very communicative girl -- she'll scream bloody murder in normal circumstances if she thinks you Might step on one of her very long toes...

This has been a very helpful discussion and I value everyones' input.

[Shaysmom]

My greyhound had a very bad reaction to Ace. He had seriously injured his leg (didn't get a correct diagnosis of a ruptured Achilles for several weeks), and he came home with fentanyl patches for pain. This made him so disphoric that he was inconsolable, extremely anxious, and would not stop wailing. To help him calm down and sleep, the vet gave me Ace to give him. I gave him just half of what she recommended, and it doped him out so bad that he couldn't even stand up, let alone walk on his own to go out and pee. He didn't know where he was, and his breathing was so slow, I was terrified all night that he might stop breathing. It was awful, and one of the most frightening experiences I have had with him. Each dog is different, but I will never give Seamus Ace ever again.

[Guest BrianRke]

As many others have said, there are no particular contraindications for using acepromazine in greyhounds. Like any drug, some individuals are more sensitive and have undesired responses, but's not a 'bad' medication and there's nothing wrong with using it responsibly.

 

I do agree with greysmom's post, and my objections to ace are when it's used to 'control' patients that are experiencing pain (without also using appropriate pain meds), or when it's recommended for anxiety. I use acepromazine regularly as a pre-anesthetic medication, and I also prescribe it for dogs that are hyper and excitable for situations like travel if the owner can't manage the dog any other way.

 

However, if there is any anxiety involved, I feel that there are much better options available. While some dogs may seem to relax and truly be less anxious on ace, it really doesn't have an anti-anxiety effect (sedating/tranquilizing is not the same as relieving anxiety). Given the risk of sensitization and making problems worse, I prefer to use other medications that are truly anxiolytic. If you've found that your dog does well on ace, I wouldn't see any reason to switch, but I would be very careful to monitor body language and make sure it is truly relaxation and not just sedation.

 

Like BlackandBrindle, I would have to disagree with using pain to keep dogs from hurting themselves. This was the common view even among vets 20 years ago, but the emphasis these days in on the importance of proper pain management. In addition to just keeping the post-op patient comfortable, it has been shown that pain interferes with immune response and delays healing. Pain should always be managed as much as possible.

 

Limiting activity to prevent injury is our responsibility and can be achieved with leash walking, confining in a small area, etc. Splints should not break under normal weight-bearing. A dog who is thrashing around in pain might break a splint. Or a young, hyper dog might break a splint when bouncing around. In the latter case, using a sedative like acepromazine might actually be appropriate to keep the dog quiet. I once treated a very hyper, active young foxhound for heartworms and prescribed ace on a daily basis to keep the dog quiet for the post treatment period.

 

Ace is actually just used as a pre-anesthetic medication (pre-med), not for anesthesia induction. So the injectable dosing in this circumstance is actually much lower than the oral doses typically used for sedation. The typical pre-med dose is 0.03-0.05 mg/kg. For greyhounds, I go lower and use closer to 0.02 mg/kg. So an average greyhound would get 0.5-1 mg.

 

Acepromazine tablets come in 10 mg or 25 mg, and most people use the 25 mg for large dogs. The recommended dose on the label for sedation, and what most vets use when they prescribe it, is 0.55-2.2 mg/kg. Giving a greyhound 1/2 of the 25 mg tablet is lower than this dose range, but still much higher than the pre-med dose. I suspect some of this may be a difference in absorption of the injectable vs the oral forms, but the product label gives a dose of 0.55-1.1 mg/kg even for the injectable.

Thank you for this accurate information. Hopefully it clears up any confusion some people on here have about the drug.