Since distinct physiological characteristics are exhibited by dogs of various ages, the effects on cardiopulmonary function, hepatic and renal metabolism, vary depending on the induction anesthesia protocol employed. Butorphanol-midazolam-propofol (BMP) and dexmedetomidine-tiletamine-zolazepam (DZ) are the most commonly adopted induction anesthesia protocols for canines. In this study, induction effects and cardiopulmonary impacts of BMP and DZ anesthesia protocols in young (Y) and adult (A) dogs were investigated. Twelve adult and twelve young dogs were allocated into four groups: DZ-A, BMP-A, DZ-Y, and BMP-Y. In DZ protocol, tiletamine-zolazepam and dexmedetomidine were injected intravenously. In BMP protocol, butorphanol, midazolam and propofol were used for anesthesia induction. Following tracheal intubation, the anesthesia was sustained using isoflurane. Post-intubation, non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP), heart rate (HR), peripheral hemoglobin oxygen saturation (SpO₂), respiratory rate (RR), end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO₂), and body temperature (BT) were monitored at 0 - 60 minutes. Time from induction to intubation, duration of anesthesia, time from sternal recumbency to standing, and induction, intubation, and recovery scores were also recorded. Results demonstrated that the DZ-A and DZ-Y groups exhibited significantly better induction, recovery, and intubation success rates compared to the BMP-A and BMP-Y groups, respectively. Additionally, NIBP and HR of the DZ-Y group were lower than those of the BMP-Y group. Other physiological parameters and indicators of liver and kidney function for the four treatment groups remained unaffected, with values were within normal ranges. In conclusion, both the BMP and DZ protocols are viable options for young dogs; however, the DZ protocol has a lesser impact on HR and NIBP. In adult dogs, the DZ protocols demonstrates superior efficacy for induction than BMP protocol.

To Cite This Article: Bai1 H, Gao R, Li R, Ma T, Du S and Zhang Z, 2025. Evaluation of cardiopulmonary effects in young and adult dogs under anesthesia induced by butorphanol-midazolam-propofol versus dexmedetomidine-tiletamine-zolazepam. Pak Vet J. http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2025.236