• Fabiana Micieli, Bruna Santangelo, Fabiana Reynaud, Alessandro Mirra, Giusy Napoleone, Giovanni Della Valle, Karine G Portier, and Giancarlo Vesce.
• Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy. Electronic address: fabiana.micieli@unina.it.
• Vet Anaesth Analg. 2017 Jul 1; 44 (4): 703-709.

ObjectiveTo compare the clinical effects and sedation scores following either intranasal (IN) or intramuscular (IM) administration of dexmedetomidine in dogs.Study DesignProspective, blinded, randomized, clinical study.AnimalsA total of 20 client-owned dogs scheduled for noninvasive diagnostic procedures.MethodsDogs were allocated to be administered dexmedetomidine 0.02 mg kg-1 IN (IN group) or IM (IM group). Sedation was scored before and at 5 minute intervals (for 45 minutes) after drug administration using a composite simple descriptive sedation scale giving a score of 0 (not sedated) to 13 (well sedated). Respiratory frequency (fR), heart rate, haemoglobin oxygen saturation (SpO2) and noninvasive arterial blood pressure were recorded every 5 minutes for 45 minutes. Normally distributed data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and post hoc Sidak's multiple comparison test. Non-normally distributed data were compared using the Scheier Ray Hare test and post hoc Mann-Whitney U test. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05.ResultsWeight, age and sex were not different between groups. Dexmedetomidine onset of action after IN administration was not shorter compared to IM administration (6.3±3.3 versus 9.4±4.6 minutes, p=0.120). Sedation score in the IN group was higher [10 (0-11)] compared to the IM group [6 (0-8)] (p<0.001). At time of peak sedation, heart rate decreased 56% from baseline values in the IM group, and 18% in the IN group. No significant differences in SpO2 and fR were found between the two groups at any time point. No undesirable effects were observed.Conclusions And Clinical RelevanceIntranasal dexmedetomidine 0.02 mg kg-1 produced effective sedation with less bradycardia and more profound sedation compared to IM administration in healthy dogs and may be considered as an alternative route for dexmedetomidine administration in dogs.Copyright © 2017 Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists and American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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