Careful consideration should be given before administering to horses and Cervidae with significantly depressed respiration, severe pathologic heart disease, advanced liver or kidney disease, severe endotoxic or traumatic shock, or stress conditions such as extreme heat, cold, high altitude or fatigue.
Do not use Rompun® in conjunction with tranquilizers.
Analgesic effect is variable, and depth should be carefully assayed prior to surgical/clinical procedures. Variability of analgesia occurs most frequently at the distal extremities of horses and Cervidae.
Horses: Since an additive effect results from the use of Rompun® and the barbiturate compounds, it should be used with caution with these central nervous system depressants. Products known to produce respiratory depression or apnea, such as thiamylal sodium, should be given at a reduced dosage and, when injected intravenously, should be administered slowly. When intravenous administration is desired, avoid perivascular injection in order to achieve the desired effect. Studies have shown negligible evidence of tissue irritation, however, following perivascular injection of xylazine.
Intracarotid Arterial Injection Should Be Avoided. As with many compounds, including tranquilizers, immediate violent seizures followed by collapse may result from inadvertent administration into the carotid artery. Although the reaction with Rompun® (xylazine injection) is usually transient and recovery may be rapid and complete, special care should be taken to assure that the needle is in the jugular vein rather than the carotid artery.
Bradycardia and an arrhythmia in the form of incomplete atrioventricular block have been reported following Rompun® (xylazine injection) administration. Although clinically the importance of this effect is questioned,1,2,3,4 a standard dose of atropine given prior to or following Rompun® (xylazine injection) will greatly decrease the incidence.
Sedation for transport is most successful if actual transportation is begun after the full effect of the drug has been reached and the animal's stability is maintained while standing. In addition, it should be noted that animals under the influence of Rompun® (xylazine injection) can be aroused by noise or other stimuli and this may increase the risk of injury.
Cervidae: As in all ruminants, it is preferable to administer Rompun® (xylazine injection) to fasted Cervidae as a safeguard against aspiration of food material into the lungs and/or bloat during deep sedation.
Care should be taken to administer Rompun® (xylazine injection) in the heavy muscles of the croup or shoulder. Injections given subcutaneously, intraperitoneally or into fat deposits will give unpredictable results.
Intra-arterial injection should be avoided. As with many compounds, including tranquilizers, immediate violent seizures followed by collapse may result from inadvertent administration into an artery.
The animal should not be disturbed during induction or until the full effect of the drug has been reached which is usually 10 to 15 minutes following injection.
The usual time to initial effect of the drug is 2 to 5 minutes. The administrator of the drug should be fully cognizant of this interval prior to administration of drug to free ranging deer or elk, especially at night or in heavily wooded areas.
If the animal has been underdosed (faulty injection or miscalculation of weight) it is advisable to wait one hour before administering a second dose.
Adequate ventilation, especially in cages or crates, is mandatory; keep head and neck in position to insure patent air passage and to prevent aspiration of stomach contents.
During sedation animals should be prevented from assuming lateral recumbency. A sternal recumbent position is desirable.
While under the effects of Rompun® (xylazine injection) the animal should be protected from an extremely hot or cold environment.
Efforts should be made to prevent patient from rising until almost complete recovery is attained.
The transportation of Cervidae given Rompun® (xylazine injection) should be carefully monitored to prevent excessive struggling, injury or death.
Hyperthermic reactions may occur, especially if the subject is in a highly excited state when the drug is administered. Hosing the head and entire body with cold water has usually proven to be an effective deterrent.
The safety of Rompun® (xylazine injection) has not been demonstrated in pregnant Cervidae. Avoid use during the breeding season.
Cervidae should be observed closely until all of the sedative effects of Rompun® (xylazine injection) are gone.
Care should be taken at all times when administering Rompun® (xylazine injection) to Cervidae. This is due to the method of administration (usually darting), the difficulty in estimating body weights and the accepted theory that wild animals are more unpredictable in their response to sedatives and analgesics than the domesticated species.