ketamin/xylazine?

[Guest]

Dear sir,
im using ketamine/xylazine for 2vo surgery in male sprogue dawely rat, I
lose a lot of my rats post-operatively, the problem how much time dose the
rat require to have adequate temperature(isnt it within 4-5 hours
postoperatively), and about the fluid supplement is recommended to give all
the rats 10 ml normal saline.

[Guest]

I'm not sure what 2vo refers to, but I've done quite a few surgeries on
rats. However, the best person to consult in the matter would be a
Veterinary Technician or a Veterinarian if you have access to one.

Rats should be able to push themselves up (and have control over their body
temperature) about 4-5 hours after the last dose of anesthesia. And 5-10ml
of Lactated Ringer's saline (0.9% NaCl) is also typical.

If your rats aren't waking up at all, some things to consider in your case
could be:

Anesthisia
-Are the rats receiving the correct dose of anesthesia before surgery
(should be about 40-80mg/kg Ketamine with 5-10mg/kg Xylazine)?
-And if your surgery lasts more than an hour, are they receiving the correct
maintainance doses (maintanance doses are lower, usually the inital volume
multiplied by about 0.38)?

Temperature Maintanance
-Are they kept warm (but not too warm) during the surgery?

Blood loss
-Are the rats bleeding a lot during your surgery, and is the bleeding
stopped before the end of surgery?

[Stephen Jones]

The most widely used dose of Ketamine/Xylazine for mouse surgery is 100 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg body weight, respectively (Flecknell 1993). Duration of the effect may be extended by increasing the proportion of Xylazine or by an additional dose of Ketamine.

Thanks in advance,
Stephen