Excitatory movements in a dog following propofol anesthesia

A two-year-old, neutered male Labrador retriever was anesthetized with intravenous propofol for bronchoscopy to remove a bronchial foreign body. The dog previously had been diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy. During anesthetic recovery, the dog exhibited excitatory movements characterized by forelimb extensor rigidity, opisthotonos, generalized tremors, paddling, horizontal nystagmus, and facial twitching. Intravenous administration of pentobarbital temporarily stopped the motor activity. The excitatory movements persisted for 20 hours. The dog went on to recover completely, although he remained an epileptic, having one brief, generalized grand mal seizure every three-to-four months.