A Message for all Boxer Owners

August 4 /07
A Must Read

I recently read of an alert put out by the Veterinary Information Network about a drug called Acepromazine, a tranquilizer often used by veterinarians as a pre-anesthetic agent. Apparently, this drug should NOT be used on Boxers because it can cause some serious adverse reactions, such as "first degree heart block," a potentially life-threatening heart arrhythmia. It is reported to also cause hypotension, a severe lowering of blood pressure. Some Boxers who have been administered the drug, reportedly suffered from collapse, respiratory arrest and profound bradycardia, or a slow heart rate of less than 60 beats per minute.

Acepromazine is said to be the most commonly-prescribed tranquilizer in veterinary medicine, and is also recommended by vets to dog owners who want to sedate their dogs before air travel.

I don't know exactly when this alert was sent out but it is news to me and it may be news to you.

To be safe, you should tell your vet about this and insist that they mark, "NO ACE
" on the outside of your Boxer's medical file. If you must, refer them to "The Handbook of Veterinary Drugs," Section 1993ed. Included is this about Acepromazine: "Boxer dogs are predisposed to hypotensive and bradycardic effects of the drug."

Put the word out to other Boxer owners.

4 comments:

Peanut said...

My chart has said No ace since I was just a puppy.

Chef said...

I am very glad... I will check with Chef's vet on Monday to make sure that his does too. This information was new to me but his vet probably knows about it. Nice to hear from you.

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