Details
About Acepromazine
Acepromazine is one of the top tranquilizer and neuroleptic agents for dogs, cats, and horses. With administration directions from your veterinarian, you can use this medicine for a variety of problems that your pet may have.
Acepromazine has many uses, and doctors often prescribe it with other drugs. It is most often used to calm or sedate aggressive or nervous animals. The medicine is also administered by veterinary surgeons as a preanesthetic to depress the pet's central nervous system and to drop the animal's blood pressure.
Acepromazine's anitarrhythmic properties also work to stabilize the pet's heart rate. It is even used as an antihistamine, reducing itching, scratching, and other allergy-related symptoms.
In horses, it is used to treat laminitis, and is also used to prevent and treat horses that are prone to exertional rhabdomyolysis.
Key Benefits of Acepromazine
The top tranquilizer and neuroleptic agents for dogs, cats, and horses Can be used as an antihistamine Stabilizes heart rate
Who's Acepromazine For?
A popular tranquilizer in veterinary medicine, used to calm or sedate aggressive or nervous animals
Often employed by veterinary surgeons as a preanisthetic (preparation for general anesthesia), depressing the central nervous system and dropping the animal's blood pressure
Anitarrhythmic properties are helpful in stabilizing heart rate
An effective antiemetic (prevents nausea and motion sickness)
Also utilized as an antihistamine, reducing itching, scratching, and other allergy-related symptoms
Used in horses in the early treatment of laminitis for its antispasmodic effects
Used as a preventative and treatment for horses prone to exertional rhabdomyolysis
Side Effects and Warnings
The depression of the central nervous system can cause sedation, depression, lack of coordination, low blood pressure, slower heart rate and breathing; there have been instances of profound hypotension (low blood pressure), bradycardia, and collapse in individual animals. In some cases, the opposite may occur, and uses of acepromazine may trigger aggression and hyperactivity.
Acepromazine also displays anti-cholinergic and alpha-adrenergic blocking properties, and affects thermoregulation, possibly leading to either hypothermia or hyperthermia.
In rare cases, penile paralysis can occur in horses administered acepromazine.
Pale gums are a recognized side effect, and as with any phenothiazine, this medication may color the urine pink.
Due to its effect on heart rate, acepromazine is not recommended for geriatric animals or those in a weakened state. Some studies suggest that the boxer breed of dog is particularly sensitive, though this has been rebutted as well. It is recommended that acepromazine be used cautiously in sighthounds, and in animals prone to seizures.
