XylaMed for Horses, Deer & Elk - Injection (50 mL) - [Relaxant]

XylaMed should be used in horses and Cervidae (Fallow Deer, Mule Deer, Sika Deer, White-Tailed Deer and Elk) when it is desirable to produce a state of sedation accompanied by a shorter period of analgesia.

Key Benefits

• Facilitates the handling of aggressive or nervous animals, reducing physical stress and risk to both animal and practitioner.
• Successfully used in conducting diagnostic procedures, Orthopedic procedures, Dental procedures & minor surgical procedures of short duration.
• Therapeutic medication for relief of pain following injury or surgery.
• Preanesthetic to general anaesthesia or in conjunction with local anesthetics during major surgical procedures.
• Safe: Approved by FDA

How It Works

XylaMed a non-narcotic compound, is a sedative and analgesic as well as muscle relaxant. The sedative and analgesic activity of XylaMed is similar to what is seen with other medication, which cause central nervous system depression. Its muscle-relaxant effect is based on inhibition of the intraneural transmission of impulses in the central nervous system. The principal pharmacological activities develop within 10 to 15 minutes after intramuscular injection, and within 3 to 5 minutes following intravenous administration in horses.

Indications

XylaMed should be used in horses and Cervidae (Fallow Deer, Mule Deer, Sika Deer, White-Tailed Deer, and Elk) when it is desirable to produce a state of sedation accompanied by a shorter period of analgesia.

Horses: XylaMed has been used successfully as follows:

1. Diagnostic procedures-oral and ophthalmic examinations, abdominal palpation, rectal palpation, vaginal examination, catheterization of the bladder and radiographic examinations.
2. Orthopedic procedures, such as application of casting materials and splints.
3. Dental procedures.
4. Minor surgical procedures of short duration such as debridement, removal of cutaneous neoplasms and suturing of lacerations.
5. To calm and facilitate handling of fractious animals.
6. Therapeutic medication for sedation and relief of pain following injury or surgery.
7. Major surgical procedures:
• When used as a preanesthetic to general anesthesia.
• When used in conjunction with local anesthetics.

Cervidae: XylaMed may be used for the following:

• To calm and facilitate handling of fractious animals.
• Diagnostic procedures.
• Minor surgical procedures.
• Therapeutic medication for sedation and relief of pain following injury or surgery.
• As a preanesthetic to local anesthesia.

XylaMed at the recommended dosages can be used in conjunction with local anesthetics, such as procaine or lidocaine.

View XylaMed Drug Facts Sheet.

Horses:

Dosage:

1. Intravenously 0.5 mL/100 lbs body weight (0.5 mg/lb) Intramuscularly 1.0 mL/100 lbs body weight (1.0 mg/lb)

   Following injection of XylaMed the animal should be allowed to rest quietly until the full effect has been reached.

   These dosages produce sedation which is usually maintained for 1 to 2 hours, and anal gesia which lasts for 15 to 30 minutes.

2. Preanesthetic to Local Anesthesia:XylaMed at the recommended dosages can be used in conjunction with local anesthetics, such as procaine or lidocaine.
3. Preanesthetic to General Anesthesia: XylaMed at the recommended dosage rates, produces an additive effectto central nervous system depressants such as pentobarbital sodium, thiopental sodium and thiamylal sodium. Therefore, the dosage of such compounds should be reduced and administered to the desired effect. In general, only 1/3 to 1/2 of the calculated dosage of the barbiturates will be needed to produce a surgical plane of anesthesia. Post-anesthetic or emergence excitement has not been observed in animals preanesthetized with XylaMed.

XylaMed has been used successfully as a pre-anesthetic agent for pentobarbital sodium, thio-pental sodium, thiamylal sodium, nitrous oxide, ether, halothane, glyceryl guaiacolate, and me-thoxyflurane anesthesia.

Cervidae:

Administer intramuscularly, by either hand syringe or syringe dart, in the heavy muscles of the croup or shoulder.

Dosage Range:

Fallow Deer (Dama dama) ? 2.0 to 4.0 mL/100 lbs body weight (2.0 to 4.0 mg/lb).

Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) ? 1.0 to 2.0 mL/100 lbs body weight (1.0 to 2.0 mg/lb).

Sika Deer (Cervus nippon) ? 1.0 to 2.0 mL/100 lbs body weight (1.0 to 2.0 mg/lb).

White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) ? 1.0 to 2.0 mL/100 lbs body weight (1.0 to 2.0 mg/lb).

Elk (Cervus canadensis) ? 0.25 to 0.5 mL/100 lbs body weight (0.25 to 0.5 mg/lb).

Following injection of XylaMed the animal should be allowed to rest quietly until the full effect has been reached.

These dosages produce sedation which is usually maintained for 1 to 2 hours and analgesia which lasts for 15 to 30 minutes.

Cautions:

Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian. Do not use in Cervidae less than 15 days before, or during the hunting season.

Side Effects:

XylaMed, in horses and Cervi-dae, used at recommended dosage levels may occasionally cause slight muscle tremors, brady-cardia with partial A-V heart block and a reduced respiratory rate. Movement in response to sharp auditory stimuli may be observed. In horses, sweating, rarely profuse, has been reported fol-lowing administration. In Cervidae, salivation, vari-ous vocalizations (bellowing, bleating, groaning, grunting, snoring) on expiration, audible grinding of molar teeth, protruding tongue and elevated temperatures have also been noted in some cases.

Precautions:

Careful consideration should be given before administering to horses or Cervidae with significantly depressed respiration, severe pathologic heart disease, advanced liver or kidney disease, severe endotoxic or traumatic shock, or stress conditions such as extreme heat, cold, high altitude or fatigue.

Do not use XylaMed in conjunction with tran-quilizers.

Analgesic effect is variable, and depth should be carefully assayed prior to surgical/clinical proce-dures. Variability of analgesia occurs most frequent-ly at the distal extremities of horses and Cervidae.

In spite of sedation, the practitioner and han-dlers should proceed with caution since de-fense reactions may not be diminished.

Horses:

Since an additive effect results from the use of XylaMed and the barbiturate compounds, it should be used with caution with these central nervous system depressants. Products known to produce respiratory depression or apnea, such as thiamylal sodium, should be given at a reduced dosage and, when injected intravenously, should be administered slowly. When intravenous admin-istration is desired, avoid perivascular injection in order to achieve the desired effect. Studies have shown negligible evidence of tissue irritation, how-ever, following perivascular injection of xylazine.

Intracarotid Arterial Injection Should Be Avoided.

As with many compounds, including tranquilizers, immediate violent seizures followed by collapse may result from inadvertent administration into the carotid artery. Although the reaction with Xy-laMed is usually transient and recovery may be rapid and complete, special care should be taken to assure that the needle is in the jugular vein rather than the carotid artery.

Bradycardia and arrhythmia in the form of incom-plete atrioventricular block have been reported fol-lowing xylazine administration. Although clinically the importance of this effect is questioned a standard dose of atropine given prior to or follow-ing xylazine will greatly decrease the incidence.

Sedation for transport is most successful if actual transportation is begun after the full effect of the drug has been reached and the animal's stability is maintained while standing. In addition, it should be noted that animals under the influence of Xyl-aMed can be aroused by noise or other stimuli and this may increase the risk of injury.

Cervidae:

As in all ruminants, it is preferable to administer XylaMed to fasted Cervidae as a safeguard against aspiration of food material into the lungs and/or bloat during deep sedation.

Care should be taken to administer XylaMed in the heavy muscles of the croup or shoulder. Injec-tions given subcutaneously, intraperitoneally or into fat deposits will give unpredictable results.

Intra-arterial injection should be avoided. As with many compounds, including tranquilizers, immedi-ate violent seizures followed by collapse may re-sult from inadvertent administration into an artery.

The animal should not be disturbed during induc-tion or until the full effect of the drug has been reached, which is usually 10 to 15 minutes follow-ing injection.

The usual time to initial effect of the drug is 2 to 5 minutes. The administrator of the drug should be fully cognizant of this interval prior to administration of drug to free-ranging deer or elk, especially at night or in heavily wooded areas.

If the animal has been underdosed (faulty injection or miscalculation of weight) it is advisable to wait one hour before administering a second dose.

Adequate ventilation, especially in cages or crates, is mandatory; keep head and neck in position to insure patent air passage and to prevent aspiration of stomach contents.

During sedation animals should be prevented from assuming lateral recumbency. A sternal recumbent position is desirable.

While under the effects of XylaMed the animal should be protected from an extremely hot or cold environment.

Efforts should be made to prevent patient from ris-ing until almost complete recovery is attained.

The transportation of Cervidae given XylaMed should be carefully monitored to prevent excessive struggling, injury, or death.

Hyperthermic reactions may occur, especially if the subject is in a highly excited state when the drug is administered. Hosing the head and entire body with cold water has usually proven to be an effec-tive deterrent.

The safety of XylaMed has not been demonstrated in pregnant Cervidae. Avoid use during the breeding season.

Cervidae should be observed closely until all of the sedative effects of XylaMed are gone.

Care should be taken at all times when administering XylaMed to Cervidae.This is due to the method of administration (usually darting), the difficulty in estimating body weights and the accepted theory that wild animals are more unpredictable in their response to sedatives and analgesics than the domesticated species.

Safety:

XylaMe is tolerated at 10 times the recommended dose in horses, and at doses above the recommended range in Cervidae. However, some elevated doses produced muscle tremors and long periods of sedation.

Warning:

This drug should not be administered to domestic food-producing animals. Not for use in horses intended for food.Avoid accidental administration to humans. Should such exposure occur, notify a physician immedi-ately. Artificial respiration may be indicated.In Cervidae, occasional capture-associated deaths occur. Clinical trials reveal a mortality rate of ap-proximately 3.5% attendant with the administra-tion of xylazine.

Storage:

: Store at 20°C - 25°C (68°F - 77°F). Do not freeze.