Study on haemoglycemic effects of xylazine, diazepam and ketamine in surgically treated dogs

Individual effects of xylazine, diazepam and ketamine were studied on haemoglycemic values of 30 minor surgical cases of adult dogs. Dogs having similar weight and age were divided into three groups (A, B, C), each with 10 dogs. Groups A, B and C were treated with selected dosages of xylazine (1.1 mg/kg, i.v), diazepam (0.5 mg/kg, i.v) and ketamine (10 mg/kg, i.v), respectively. Blood sampling was carried at regular time intervals before and after drug administration as follows: 0 minute, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours, and 8 hours followed by serological assay using 'Glucose Liquicolor kit' to determine the haemoglycemic values. Test results revealed that xylazine, diazepam and ketamine cause significant increase in serum glucose level as compared to the base line reference value when used intravenously (P<0.05). It is concluded that xylazine, diazepam and ketamine along with the surgical stress raise the haemoglycemic level so extra care should be taken when using these drugs especially in cases already showing high haemoglycemic values.