[Anesthesia in cats using tiletamine/zolazepam in minimal doses]

The object of this study was to evaluate minimal dose anesthesia with Tiletamine/Zolazepam for castration, dental treatments and other minor surgical procedures in cats. The study included 264 cats treated either at the Department of Veterinary Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich or under private practice conditions, in a small animal clinic in Hamburg (Germany). The drug dose needed for anesthesia for a 10 minute surgical procedure was calculated in each case using a formula. Side effects that occurred with doses recommended by the manufacturer could not be eliminated by decreasing the drug dose, but could be reduced considerably in severity and duration. Tiletamine/Zolazepam was found to be a useful drug for short anesthesia in cats at an average dose of 4.2 mg/kg.