Objectives Rapid recovery from injectable anaesthesia benefits cat shelter neutering programmes. The effects of medetomidine, dexmedetomidine and atipamezole on recovery were evaluated in adult cats and kittens (⩽6 months old). Methods One hundred healthy male cats (age range 2-66 months, weight range 0.7-5.3 kg) admitted forneutering were randomly allocated to groups of 25. Anaesthesia was induced with 60 mg/m ketamine, 180 µg/m buprenorphine, 3 mg/m midazolam and either 600 µg/m medetomidine (groups M and MA) or 300 µg/m dexmedetomidine (groups D and DA) intramuscularly (IM). Groups MA and DA also received 1.5 mg/m atipamezole IM after 40 mins. Preparation time, surgical time, and times to sternal recumbency and standing were recorded. Data were analysed using the Kruskall-Wallis test, unpaired t-tests and ANOVA. Statistical significance was deemed to be P ⩽0.05. Results Groups did not differ significantly in age, body weight, preparation or surgical time. The time to sternal recumbency in group MA (64 ± 34 mins) was less than in group M (129 ± 32 mins), and in group DA it was less than in group D (54 ± 6 mins vs 110 ± 27 mins) ( P <0.001). There were no differences in duration of recovery to sternal recumbency between groups M and D or MA and DA. The time to standing in group MA (79 ± 51 mins) was less than in group M (150 ± 38 mins) ( P <0.001), and in group DA it was less than in group D (70 ± 22 mins vs 126 ± 27 mins) ( P <0.01). Time to standing in group D (126 ± 27 mins) was less than in group M (150 ± 38 mins) (P <0.05). Time to standing in groups DA and MA were not different. Kittens recovered faster than adults after atipamezole. Minimal adverse effects were seen. Conclusions and relevance Atipamezole reliably reduced recovery time after anaesthesia incorporating either dexmedetomidine or medetomidine; however, the choice of dexmedetomidine or medetomidine had little effect. Recovery was faster in kittens.

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Summary A 12‐year‐old Thoroughbred cross Dartmoor mare was referred to the clinic with marked lameness and swelling involving the left stifle region. There was poor initial response to medical management and arthroscopic examination of the stifle joint was performed under general anaesthesia. Following surgery, the lameness and swelling worsened and extremity compartment syndrome was suspected. A multimodal analgesia protocol was instigated to provide adequate analgesia and improved mobility, aiding the use of physical therapy in resolving the swelling. This report demonstrates the successful combination of nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatories, paracetamol, ketamine infusion and epidural opioid administration to manage the clinical signs. The mare was discharged from hospital after 15 days and at short‐term follow‐up (3 months), there was no reported residual swelling or lameness.

Nine dogs undergoing general anaesthesia for various procedures between April and May 2015 at the University of Liverpool Small Animal Teaching Hospital experienced suspected anaphylaxis following intravenous administration of 20 mg/kg amoxicillin clavulanate. Common clinical signs, which developed during or immediately after antibiotic administration, included periorbital and muzzle oedema, erythematous wheals and moderate to severe hypotension. Each of these cases was anaesthetised by different people so a standardised intervention protocol was not employed. However, treatment generally consisted of discontinuation of antibiotic administration, anti-histamine administration, intravenous crystalloid fluid therapy and sympathomimetic drugs depending on severity of hypotension. All nine dogs recovered uneventfully from general anaesthesia although some mild dermatological signs persisted for several hours after recovery. No long-term complications have been reported. The two most severely affected cases are described in detail in this report and the rest are summarised in Table 1.

Objectives The aim of this study was to establish the optimum dosage and timing of administration of atipamezole in cats undergoing general anaesthesia incorporating ketamine to provide the shortest recovery possible without unacceptably compromising recovery quality. Methods In total, 128 healthy male cats (age range 2–108 months, weight range 0.56–5.22 kg) admitted for castration were randomly allocated to groups of 32. Anaesthesia was induced with 60 mg/m2 ketamine, 180 µg/m2 buprenorphine, 3 mg/m2 midazolam and 600 µg/m2 medetomidine intramuscularly (IM). Cats received 600 µg/m2 (groups 1ATI20 and 1ATI40) or 1.5 mg/m2 (groups 2.5ATI20 and 2.5ATI40) atipamezole IM either 20 (groups 1ATI20 and 2.5ATI20) or 40 mins (groups 1ATI40 and 2.5ATI40) after the ‘quad’. Preparation time, surgical time, auricular temperature, times to sternal recumbency and first standing, and recovery quality score were recorded. Data were analysed using ANOVA, Kruskal–Wallis, Mann–Whitney U-tests and χ2 tests. Statistical significance was deemed to be P ⩽0.05. Results Groups did not differ significantly in preparation or surgical time. Auricular temperature decreased significantly over time ( P <0.01) but did not differ between atipamezole treatment groups. Time to sternal recumbency in group 2.5ATI20 (52.9 ± 22.3 mins) was faster than group 1ATI20 (65.7 ± 24.7 mins) ( P ⩽0.05), but there were no significant differences between other groups. Time to first standing and recovery quality scores did not differ significantly between groups. Minimal adverse effects were seen. Conclusions and relevance Atipamezole administration after 20 mins did not reduce recovery time but neither was recovery quality adversely affected compared with when it was administered after 40 mins, following datasheet recommendations with concurrent ketamine administration. The results of this study also suggest that an atipamezole:medetomidine dose ratio of 2.5:1 is more effective than 1:1 in reducing recovery time, regardless of timing of administration, although this only reached statistical significance for time to sternal recumbency when atipamezole was administered after 20 mins.