Evaluation of Xylazine Ketamine Anesthesia in Rabbits Undergoing Tendon Surgery: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Study

: This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of xylazine-ketamine anesthesia on reflexes and vital signs during and after tendon surgery in rabbits. Twenty healthy adult male rabbits (2-2.5 kg) were randomly assigned to two groups Xylazine-ketamine (XK) group and ketamine (K) group. Intramuscular injections of xylazine (5 mg/kg) and ketamine (35 mg/kg), were given to rabbits. The clinical parameters including rectal temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate were estimated prior to injection 0, 5, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, and 120 minutes post-anesthetic injection, As well as reflexes ear pinch reflex, and pedal reflex were measured before and after anesthetic injection. In the XK group, we observed that rectal temperature increased considerably (P < 0.05) at 5 and 15 minutes after induction and then gradually fell to preanesthetic control values. During the anesthetic phase, both groups’ heart rates and respiration rates were reduced significantly. In XK-injected rabbits, the return of reflexes was delayed compared to K injected groub. Surgical anesthesia in XK group lasted longer than K group. The XK combination provided sufficient anesthesia for rabbits, as evidenced by a prolonged anesthetic period, and good cardiovascular and other clinical indices.