Comparison of the effects of buprenorphine and methadone in combination with medetomidine followed by intramuscular alfaxalone for anaesthesia of cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy.

The aim of this study was to compare the quality of anaesthesia and analgesia between methadone and buprenorphine in combination with medetomidine after induction with intramuscular (IM) alfaxalone in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy. Fifty-one female cats (American Society of Anesthesiologists status I-II), with a median age of 12 months (range 2-60 months), weighing a mean ± SD of 2.5 ± 0.5 kg, were recruited to the study. Cats were randomly allocated to receive medetomidine (600 µg/m Forty-one cats completed the study. No significant differences were detected between groups before or during anaesthesia. No cats required rescue analgesia. DIVAS scores at 10 mins were significantly less in the MM group compared with the MB. No differences between groups at any other time points were detected using the four metrology instruments. Both protocols provided good anaesthesia conditions for ovariohysterectomy in the cat.