ACEPRONAZINE IN BOXERS myth or fact.

Kevin · New member Joined: 12 Feb 2005 Posts: 8 Location: nebraska

Do boxers have a problem if given acepromazine. If so please let me know I had my 10 week old puppy die during surgery.

DeLaUK · Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:19 pm Post subject:

I havent heard of it being a problem for Boxers and I know we've used it on a lot of them, I do know that for German Shepherds most vets will only use half the dose, if no one else answers this for you I will make a few phone calls and post the information I get. Is this the Boxer that went in for the ear crop?

Aqueous · Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 8:53 pm Post subject:

I don't know if this will be of much help but I know that Boxer Rescue Canada and some other boxer rescues say not to use acepromazine on Boxers

DeLaUK · Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 8:56 pm Post subject:

Theres a lot of info on the web about this, just go to google and put in acepromazine+boxers. It seems to act the same way in Boxers as in GSD's, we always use to give atropine with the ace so that would 'probably' take care of any potential problems.

duckling · Member Joined: 11 Apr 2004 Posts: 46

Sadly, I have heard that there is some evidence that boxers may be more sensitive to ACE than other breeds. I really don't know much about it, but here are two links:

http://www.jlhweb.net/BOSS/ace.htm

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=570&S=1&SourceID=52

I'm so sorry that you lost your pup.

Shineillusion · Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2005 4:39 am Post subject:

A lot of vets are avoiding Ace in any breed, because it causes too many problems. It can lower blood pressure to a dangerous level. It causes hallucinations. It can trigger seizures. It can have the opposite effect than intended, making dogs more aggressive, more unpredictable, and harder to control.

For a tranquilizer, the vets I've worked for have switched to Valium. And for pre-surgical sedation, Ketamine.

Personally, I wouldn't allow a vet to give any of my animals Ace. It's just too dangerous. And I won't groom an animal that's been given Ace, either.

DeLaUK · Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2005 9:47 am Post subject:

I have to admit that in the 15 years or so as a vet tech I haven't seen many bad reactions with Ace in dogs except GSD's but saying that most vets that Ive worked with that were using it as a pre-med combine it with Atropine and only use 'a trace of ace' so they are under dosing but using enough to take the edge off. I think that if its used sparingly and as with any drugs or anaesthesia given monitoring is vital then it should be okay, I know that every year before July 4th and New Years we always get a lot of calls in from clients requesting it so the dogs dont get too stresssed out with fireworks but in this case the request is mostly declined for the simple fact that the client very often does not know what signs to look for if a problem should arise. I saw one vet use it regularly in cats though and every single cat would have about a 3 or 4 second seizure.

seaecho · Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 7:21 pm Post subject:

Some more input here - in my 12 years as a vet tech, I also didn't see any problems with Ace - certainly no deaths. I did see a few cases of oversedation, but not to the point to where respiration was compromised or the dog did not recover in a few hours. Boxers do tend to be sensitive to some drugs - that much I know. Not to the extent that sighthounds are affected, but you do have to use caution in the breed. The atropine is given to regulate the heartbeat, and it does help. On the other hand, I've seen problems with Ketamine, mainly with cats. I've seen them hallucinate and totally freak out when waking up. So sorry about your Boxer. How sad. This so rarely happens, from what I've seen. In the future, if you ever get another Boxer, be sure to find a vet who is very familiar with the breed, or even specializes in Boxers. Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions either. Lots of vets (which is really hard to believe) are not aware that Boxers are sometimes medication sensitive.

midas · New member Joined: 29 Jan 2008 Posts: 1

I own a 4 year old male boxer. Gorgeous, strong and perfectly healthy. Went in to the vet and MIDAS was injected with Acepromazine. My vet is awesome, but he was unaware of the problems boxers have with this tranquilizer. MIDAS collapsed, heart rate and breathing slowed so much it was unremarkable. His mouth and gums went white, lost the color in his skin and almost died. I am 245lbs, 6'3" and I buckled to my knees and wept. The vet was scared also. We didn't know what to do. We just stood there, waiting and praying for it to pass. God Bless, it did. MIDAS was 'set back' for well over a month before he started to act normal again.
Please, please, please....NEVER let anyone tell you ACE is ok for boxers. If a vet tells you this...simple....take your boxer and LEAVE!!! No exceptions. You owe your 'best friend' that much! Don't let them suffer or die b/c of your lack of knowledge. I can say this harsh statement b/c I have made this horrible mistake already. Learn from my mistake and save your boxer.