Had one of my dogs sedated yesterday for some investigations to take place and I am wondering how long it takes for the effects to wear off. If he had had a GA he would be back to normal today but he is still very subdued and quite.

Henry has had 3 sedations and they always make him very groggy and mardy for about 2days. Ga is like yours you can still tell he's had one but no where near as dozy.  Hope your dogs feeling better soon :)

Thank you for the reply, was a bit worried I can remember a time when giving sedation was far more dangerous than a GA and I have always avoided. Was worried because he is so very down and depressed.

Mine take a couple of days to fully recover. They are whingy and down for a good while. The vets let them home when they have come round fully but it takes a couple of days for the liver to process it completely.

I always make sure my dogs have plenty to drink after they've been knocked out - giving milky drinks and the like. I'm sure it helps the body to get rid of the drugs

I must have got a raw deal lol, mine bouded out of the vets after hip score under sedation, but i assume they didnt have to put her under as deep ?

He is still not right but is interested in eating so guess there is not too much wrong. He went in for investigation because over night he started to carry one leg, vet decided it was infection from a puncture wound and gave him ABs don't know if they are starting to work or because he is so spaced out he has forgotten how to limp, pesky dogs they are a worry.

Well he is a bit brighter this morning and the ABs do seem to have done the trick but I am amazed how much the sedative has taken out of him reckon I will go for a GA should then need occur again.

Pleased to hear that he is feeling brighter this morning

I'm being obtuse but thought a sedative was given before a GA anyway, If not what is the injection given when I have stayed with the dogs before they are taken away for their investigation/operation under GA?

My old girl was sedated yesterday, when she came out the vets i was so surprised as she was 'buzzing'. She walked around the house most the night and wanted to play. Last time she was so sleepy. Got up this morning she is really sleepy and subdued. She has only got out her bed for a wee and some breakfast. If i remember rightly it takes a couple of days to recover from it. I know it does me when i have been to the dentist lol.

I dont know about dogs but the last time i was sedated at the dentist they put some injection in my arm??

Think they do give what we call a pre med but it can't be the same thing or if it is it is a tiny dose.

After a GA this boy is dozy but recovers during the first 2 or 3 hours he is home but with the sedation he seemed well awake when I collected him but then seemed to go down hill from then on - guess it is the effect of adrenaline that makes them seem OK to start with but I really was worried and even today (2 days on) he is defiantly not himself and seems very depressed.

If I were you I'd definitely let your vet know, there may be something else that they can give if there has to be a next time.
He may have reacted to the sedation and there may be other options that they could try.

Hope he will soon be better

Yes, I agree, you should let your vet know as soon as possible. I don't want to worry you but, years ago, one of my dogs had the same kind of reaction after being given sedatives. It turned out the dosage was too high (although the vet disagreed). The outcome wasn't good, I'm afraid.

Hope he improves soon.

He is improving slowly and I think he will be back to normal tomorrow - I was so surprised that the reaction was so much worse than a GA I will not do it again.

I know certainly with Boxers a common sedation drug used on other dogs is a big no no for our breed (& some others).
That is ace promazine/ace/ACP.

In days past it was an often used drug but as far as I can remember was not popular because it could cause aggression in the dog even though they were sedated I do not know what he was given but I doubt it was ACP.

I have had my last few given a  reversible sedative for Hip Scoring and they have been perfectly normal by the time I got them home (a couple of hours drive).

As others have said get it on his records that this particular sedative disagrees with him.

> I'm being obtuse but thought a sedative was given before a GA anyway

I don't think it is given routinely only when the animal is showing signs of stress.
Sedation used to be given pretty routinely to humans prior to surgery but is not now because a) it is not generally necessary and b) it was often the sedation that made people groggy and sick for hours.

Hi Brainless, will tell the vet, he was normal when I picked him up except quiet for Solli but the next morning he was very spaced out and although he is more or less back to normal now I was worried because he has never had a problem like this with GA. Should he need to be knocked out in future I think I will go with the GA as it seems, for him at least, sedation does not give a reliable recovery period and at his age I need him steady on his feet even if it is only 3 - mind you we are back on 4 now and the original problem seems well on the mend but I reckon it will be about 5 days before he is right back to normal, it has been unaccustomedly peaceful though just shows who is responsible for the noise.

>Had one of my dogs sedated yesterday for some investigations to take place and I am wondering how long it takes for the effects to wear off.

When mine have been sedated for hip-scoring or BAER they've been walking out of the surgery within 15 minutes of the reversing agent and certainly running about normally after a couple of hours.

May well just be this dog JG but I would not risk it again.

I found it really weird reading this thread. My girl went in for xrays about 3 weeks ago. She is nearly 10. I always stay when she has had the pre med until they are ready for her. Normally it has little effect. Last time was about 18 months ago, she had a lump on her tail removed. She was still arguing with us on the operating table about having the anaesthetic!  This time within a matter of 5-10 minutes she dropped like a stone. I was in their garden with her. I freely admit I began to panic. Never seen it happen before, not with her anyhow. I went in and fetched them to check on her. They checked her heart rate, gums, breathing etc. All OK. She didn't even raise her head when I left her laying on the grass to fetch them. She's a GSD, that just doesn't happen! She was out of it.  When they were ready for her, we had to stretcher her in. That was almost an hour later. She was a bit more aware by then, but just a bit. Could lift her head and open her eyes.  Scared the hell out of me, and ratcheted up my stress levels for the rest of the day. I couldn't collect her until about 6pm. She went in for the xrays about 1pm. She was still very, very wobbly when I picked her up and it took her a couple of days to get back to normal.

I have been meaning to check with them what they used for pre-med, and whether it was different from before. I know they have noted their records, but I would like to know.

It sounds as if it's the reversing agent that makes the difference.  Perhaps not all vets give them ?  Mine certainly didn't.

Yes, I know that mine did.