Description
Xylapan is an injectable solution used in veterinary medicine as a sedative with analgesic and muscle relaxant properties. Its also a premedication for minor surgical interventions and for anesthesia in combination with other analgesics, narcotics and inhalant anesthetics.
For use in horses, cattle, dogs and cats where sedation is required. The main indications for use include the following:
General handling and transport of nervous or fractious animals.
Medical examinations and treatments such as X-rays or oral, genital and rectal examination.
Dosage And Administration
Syringes and needles must be sterile. Clean area of injection site and swab with spirit.
It should be noted that dosage and routes of administration vary widely between species.
An appropriately graduated syringe must be used to allow accurate administration of the required dose volume. This is particularly important when injecting small volumes.
Cattle
Administer by intramuscular injection.
The dose rate is 0.05-0.3 mg/kg bodyweight (0.25 – 1.5 ml/100 kg bodyweight) according to the degree of sedation required. Very fractious animals may require the higher dose rates not exceeding 0.3 mg/kg bodyweight (Dose rate 4).
Horses
Administer by slow intravenous injection, taking from one to two minutes. The dose rate is 0.6 – 1 mg/kg bodyweight (3-5 ml/100 kg bodyweight) according to the degree of sedation required and the response of the animal.
Depending on the dosage, light to deep sedation with individually variable analgesia is obtained. The horse does not become recumbent.
Nervous or highly excitable animals generally require the higher dose.
Older horses and those that have undergone severe physical exertion before treatment respond more readily to xylazine.
Animals should not be disturbed until xylazine has taken its full effect. This is usually within five minutes of intravenous injection and lasts for approximately 20 minutes.
If the required depth of sedation is not achieved it is unlikely that repetition of the dose will prove more effective. Repeating the procedure with a higher dose after 24 hours is recommended.
For painful operations, additional local or regional anesthesia should be used.
The product can also be administered to horses as premedication for operations on the recumbent animal using chloral hydrate, barbiturates, ketamine or halothane.
Cats
Administer intramuscularly at a dose rate of 3 mg/kg bodyweight. (0.15 ml/kg bodyweight). The effect is adequate for procedures that are not associated with any considerable degree of pain. Premedication with atropine is advantageous. When used in conjunction with ketamine, xylazine premedication eliminates muscular stiffness during anaesthesia and maintains sedation throughout the recovery period. Barbiturate anesthesia should not be induced until sedation is at its deepest, i.e. about 20 minutes after administration of xylazine. Under these conditions the dose of barbiturates is reduced by about half.
Dogs
Administer intramuscularly at a dose rate of 1-3 mg/kg bodyweight (0.05-0.15 ml/kg bodyweight). Other routes of administration may be used, but the effect is less predictable. Good sedation is usually achieved at the lower end of the dose range given above, but excitable or vicious animals require a higher dose. The effect is adequate for procedures that are not associated with any considerable degree of pain. For painful procedures the product may be used in combination with a local anesthetic.
