I wanted to let you read the medical version of how Ace is described..Dogs are like humans, not every one reacts to drugs the same and it is known to have profound reactions...I know a few of our Vets here in town give this drug freely and feel its the answer to motion sickness, agression or fear..We used it once on our Australian SHephard because when he heard fireworks he went crazy with fear...when he was on the Ace, his eyes would roll back in his head, he couldn't move and it scared me to death!!!!We also tried it once on a Cat I was transporting for my daughter to her when she moved off to college..the same reaction, eyes rolling back, unable to move..and after that I said, No More of this crap!!! I'd rather deal with the prob. or find another alternative...Now with our Yorkies, we have one, Bogus that has car sickness..so, I limit his food before the trips..he gets little nibbles of dog biscuits every few hours..and very limited on fluids. Now this is for a 3-4 hour trip...He has to be in the kennel where he can't look out the window and only see us and he does so much better doing these few things...I like the ginger snaps..I'm going to try those next time instead of biscuits....Ace just scares me...Happy New Year!
Steph
Routes IV, IM, Oral
Acepromazine or Acetylpromazine (More commonly known as ACP, Ace, or by the trade name Atravet or "Acezine 2" etc, number depending on mg/ml dose) is one of the phenothiazine derivative psychotropic drugs, used little in humans, however frequently in animals as a sedative and antiemetic. Its principal value is in quietening and calming frightened and aggressive animals. The standard pharmaceutical preparation, acepromazine maleate, is used extensively in equine, feline, and canine; especially as a pre-anesthetic agent often in conjunction with Atropine, and often an opiate such as morphine or buprenorphine. Its depressive cardiopulmonary effects can be profound and as such is not recommended for use in geriatric or debilitated animals, (often substituted with midazolam in these cases, or left out of the premed cocktail all together).
[edit] Administration
Canine: When used as a premedication it is commonly administered via the subcutaneous route. ACP should not be used in sighthounds.
In the Boxer, it tends to cause a problem called first degree heart block, a potentially serious arrhythmia of the heart. It also causes a profound hypotension (severe lowering of the blood pressure) in many Boxers that receive the drug. On the Veterinary Information Network, a computer network for practicing veterinarians, an announcement was placed in the cardiology section entitled "Acepromazine and Boxers." |