Investigation of the Effects of Spinal Dexamethasone Injection as a Premedication in Rabbit Anesthesia

Anesthesia and analgesia are important in human and veterinary medicine, especially in surgical procedures. Rodents, avians, and exotic species are required to be anesthetized using an appropriate anesthetic regimen. This study aimed to suggest a new anesthetic drug and method in order to facilitate anesthesia as well as analgesia among rabbits, laboratory animals, and humans. Spinal injection of dexamethasone combined with intramuscular ketamine among rabbits can play the role of premedication agents. A total of 24 healthy white adult rabbits from New-Zealand were equally assigned into four groups. Groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 were subjected to spinal xylazine (5mg/kg) with ketamine (35mg/kg,IM), spinal dexamethasone (0.37mg/kg-four times diluted) with ketamine (35mg/kg,IM), dexamethasone (4mg/kg,IM) with ketamine (35mg/kg,IM), and spinal dexamethasone (0.37mg/kg-four times diluted), respectively. The results showed that there was a significant difference in terms of clinical reflexes recorded for group 2, compared to groups 1 and 3. A significant difference was also observed regarding clinical reflexes between group 2 and the other groups. Furthermore, no abnormality was observed in terms of histological sections within groups 2 and 4. Spinal dexamethasone can be used as a premedication combined with ketamine in rabbit anesthesia.