# ACP Sedative



## paddyjulie (May 9, 2009)

I have been give two sedatives for Mavis tomorrow as she needs to go for blood tests....i have done the worst thing ..the thing that i say you should never do...i googled about them....

worried about giving her them now

has anyone any experience with these sedatives

juliex


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## Dally Banjo (Oct 22, 2009)

No sorry  Banjo just lets them take it as long as he can wag his tail & lick them to death he does'nt mind.

I think Holly would need them though  Hope Mavis is ok x


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## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

Quite a lot actually. Joshua has a serious terror of anyone going under his tail and will bite, very badly, if you try. Being as he is so furry, he sometimes gets a mucky bum and the only way I can clean him up is to give him ACP so that he is nearly asleep, or pay £120 for the vet to do it. I prefer the vet but not always possible.

Joshua needs four of these to send him off to sleep, but then he is a very big dog. He has always been fine, slept for the rest of the day, then woken in the morning perky as anything.

He had to have a bloodtest a little while ago and the vet gave me some to give him, but I didn't and he was fine, didn't bat an eyelid.

What did you find out about them that has you so worried?


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## paddyjulie (May 9, 2009)

newfiesmum said:


> Quite a lot actually. Joshua has a serious terror of anyone going under his tail and will bite, very badly, if you try. Being as he is so furry, he sometimes gets a mucky bum and the only way I can clean him up is to give him ACP so that he is nearly asleep, or pay £120 for the vet to do it. I prefer the vet but not always possible.
> 
> Joshua needs four of these to send him off to sleep, but then he is a very big dog. He has always been fine, slept for the rest of the day, then woken in the morning perky as anything.
> 
> ...


just when i googled it came up on a forum...and one dog has died from them and others have really struggled to come out of it...
but if you have had good results with them that settles my mind a little...thankyou


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

Not 100% positive but Im pretty certain that ACP is used as a pre med for most ops. That being the case, when you think of all the ops and all the vets that are giving it daily the percentage of incidents compared too adverse reactions must be pretty minor I would have thought.


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## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

paddyjulie said:


> just when i googled it came up on a forum...and one dog has died from them and others have really struggled to come out of it...
> but if you have had good results with them that settles my mind a little...thankyou


Well, I expect like people different medication can affect different dogs in a different way. My vet says they give ACP to a lot of dogs that come in to calm them down, but Joshua does need a lot due to his particular problem. No way you could just calm him down, which is why last time I got the vet to do him. He gave him an injection of something, then when done, revived him, but it was an expensive business.

Just enough ACP to settle him a bit for a bloodtest shouldn't hurt. Mind you, when Joshua went for his bloodtest I told the vet that he had not had the ACP, and he commented that that was good because it can sometimes make it hard to find a vein! Has he had a bloodtest before? What makes everyone think he is going to play up?


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## Mum2Heidi (Feb 17, 2010)

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing

If you try hard enough you can find bad about more or less anything.
When I had my arab OH used to laugh because he hated the rain and you may depend, I found a forecast for rain when no one else did:lol:

I would put it to the back of your mind and stay positive about tomorrow, ACP and all. Wont tell you the number of times my lad was stabled all on his own and it never rained


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## paddyjulie (May 9, 2009)

Thankyou so much everyone... I feel much better about giving her them now ...


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## Twiggy (Jun 24, 2010)

Try not to worry too much.

ACP has been used for years and years, in fact until recently vets would prescribe it for fear of fireworks etc.

As has already been said, it is still widely used as a pre-op and I've used it many times with my dogs over the years.

I think these days are better alternatives available and you will always hear 'horror' stories of dogs dying whatever is used.

I had a very heated discussion with a consultant a few years ago when he prescribed Rimadyl for my bitch but as he rightly said "yes its had bad press but for the few dogs that have had an adverse reaction, what about the thousands and thousands that its helped".....


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## Malmum (Aug 1, 2010)

Don't worry Mavis will be fine with ACP - Flynn had to have 30mg three times a day when he had his hip replacement for the first six weeks and I don't know how he'd have coped without them. For the following four weeks or so I cut the dose down to keep him calm but not out of it and they worked a treat.

The thing I noticed most was that his eyes looked a little smaller, you know sleepy really and though I didn't like that look it was just a look and no other worries, better than having a stressed out dog.


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## Doolally (Oct 12, 2010)

Your vet wouldn't have given you them if there was any worry.

As has been said, it's the sedative given in the common standard pre-meds along with a pain killer.

It should be used only in low doses in boxers (and other short muzzled/brachycephalic breeds) as it can cause an increase in vagal tone in them which lowers the heart rate and in turn causes them to faint.

But your vet will have given you the dosage he is happy for your dog to have, so I wouldn't worry. And it's obviously best for her to have the ACP to calm her down to save her stressing about the vets and bloods


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## Amy-manycats (Jun 15, 2009)

No personal experience but a friend used to use them quite frequently for her dog. She never commented that Annie had problems waking up and she did have them fairly often. 

If you are worried though tell your vet, s/he might prescribe something different or tell you not to bother, it could just be to make his/her life easier not the best for the dog .The confusion sometimes associted with the drugged state is not always reassuring to the dog so it might make her react in a more aggressive way. (Not saying she will be aggressive just that feeling of confusion can make you act totally out of charachter.)


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## Doolally (Oct 12, 2010)

It may actually help in a way other than her being sleepy. Taken from the NOAH compendium.

'Acepromazine is a phenothiazine. It is a central nervous system depressant with associated activity on the autonomic system. Phenothiazines have a central action due to inhibition of dopamine pathways, resulting in alteration of mood, reduction in fear and removal of learned or conditioned responses.'

Diazepam (valium) is an anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) drug that may also be prescribed by the vet for similar situations


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## paddyjulie (May 9, 2009)

Thanks again everyone... The reason she is having them is because of the fear she has when at the vets...


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## tripod (Feb 14, 2010)

ACP/ACE is contra-indicated for fear related behaviour.

Diazapam is much more suitable as it is also a memory supressant so trauma is minimised.

Sorry edited to add this clip from Dr Karen Overall a veterinary behaviourist: 



 Here she discusses the use of ACE/ACP in relation to fears, anxieties and noise phobias.

I am not a vet or veterinary behaviourist and as such work in conjunction with such practitioners when meds are prescribed in relation to behaviour modification.

Please discuss this further with your vet before medicating using ACE/ACP for fear related issues.


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## cinnamontoast (Oct 24, 2010)

I've seen it used countless times on horses (it's originally meant for dogs, I _think_). I have never seen any adverse effects. It does have a depressant effect on anxiety.

I would take my vet's advice and not worry about this. There are contraindications on all medication (headache tablets have a warning that they might give you headaches!). If you check any meds, there are issues. I would administer it and as my husband says, I worry that the sun won't come up!


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## Petloversdigest (Dec 10, 2010)

Amy-manycats said:


> The confusion sometimes associted with the drugged state is not always reassuring to the dog so it might make her react in a more aggressive way. (Not saying she will be aggressive just that feeling of confusion can make you act totally out of charachter.)


I know someone who gives it to their dog every time they go out! Which is bonkers. Anyway, I think it is worth making sure the environment is quiet after you give the dose so that it can be calming rather than making her excitable......


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## cinnamontoast (Oct 24, 2010)

Petloversdigest said:


> I know someone who gives it to their dog every time they go out! Which is bonkers. Anyway, I think it is worth making sure the environment is quiet after you give the dose so that it can be calming rather than making her excitable......


Very true! Sedolin and ACP can be useless if there is lots of noise/activity after it's administered.


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## Petloversdigest (Dec 10, 2010)

I seem to remember ACP affects the blood test results too - but the vets must be accounting for this if they prescribed it....


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## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

Petloversdigest said:


> I seem to remember ACP affects the blood test results too - but the vets must be accounting for this if they prescribed it....


My vet said acp makes it hard to find a vein sometimes.


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## Guest (Jan 14, 2011)

Good luck.........


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## paddyjulie (May 9, 2009)

She was fine:thumbup: no problem at all....a little unsteady on her feet but that was about it, which only lasted a couple of hours...killed two birds with one stone and got her dew claw clipped at the same time...

Just got to wait for the results now...

Thanks peeps

juliexx


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## Twiggy (Jun 24, 2010)

*She was fine no problem at all....a little unsteady on her feet but that was about it, which only lasted a couple of hours...killed two birds with one stone and got her dew claw clipped at the same time...*

Pleased to hear she's OK and it went well.


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## Petloversdigest (Dec 10, 2010)

paddyjulie said:


> She was fine:thumbup: no problem at all....a little unsteady on her feet but that was about it, which only lasted a couple of hours...killed two birds with one stone and got her dew claw clipped at the same time...
> 
> Just got to wait for the results now...
> 
> ...


Glad all went well - fingers crossed that results are normal too.


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## xhuskyloverx (May 5, 2010)

Only just seen this, glad shes ok.

Was going to say bella was on these every night for a few months as she wouldn't sleep, with no side effects at all


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

Glad all went OK. Hope the Blood tests are a good result when they come back.


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## Guest (Jan 15, 2011)

Pleased the pair of you didn't get too stressed, now the nail biting wait for results


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## Dally Banjo (Oct 22, 2009)

Glad the vet trip went well :thumbup: everything crossed for good results x


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## paddyjulie (May 9, 2009)

Thanks everyone xx felt sorry for her last night so I let her sleep on the sofa all night...


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