The development of a residue-poor anesthesia in swine

The intention of this study was to develop an intramuscular injectable anesthesia for swine. Therefore the clinical signs of several sedative or anesthetic drugs and their combinations were tested. The combinations of the phencyclidines ketamine and tiletamine with different benzodiazepines were most effective. The phencyclidines induced a rapid immobilisation of sufficient length. The benzodiazepines produced muscle relaxation, prolonged the immobilisation and suppressed the side effects of the phencyclidines like excitation. The analgetic action of the combinations were insufficient. Trials to improve analgesia by supplementation with opiates were only in the combination ketamine/climazolam/levomethadone successful. In other combinations opiates caused postanesthetic excitations with hyperthermia. The trials to improve the analgetic effect by combining tiletamine/zolazepam with imidazolidine-derivatives were only partly successful. But the tiletamine/zolazepam/imidazolidines-combinations caused severe hypothermia and other side effects. Because of postanesthetic excitations, the combination of ketamine with xylazine can not be recommended as a good anesthesia for swine. The action of ketamine with azaperone or different phenothiazine-derivatives was insufficient.