Comparison of propofol with ketofol, a propofol-ketamine admixture, for induction of anaesthesia in healthy dogs

Objective To compare anaesthetic induction in healthy dogs using propofol or ketofol (a propofol-ketamine mixture). Study design Prospective, randomized, controlled, ‘blinded’ study. Animals Seventy healthy dogs (33 males and 37 females), aged 6–157 months and weighing 4–48 kg. Methods Following premedication, either propofol (10 mg mL−1) or ketofol (9 mg propofol and 9 mg ketamine mL−1) was titrated intravenously until laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation were possible. Pulse rate (PR), respiratory rate (fR) and arterial blood pressure (ABP) were compared to post-premedication values and time to first breath (TTFB) recorded. Sedation quality, tracheal intubation and anaesthetic induction were scored by an observer who was unaware of treatment group. Mann–Whitney or t-tests were performed and significance set at p ≤ 0.05. Results Induction mixture volume (mean ± SD) was lower for ketofol (0.2 ± 0.1 mL kg−1) than propofol (0.4 ± 0.1 mL kg−1) (p