Clinical Tools / Anesthesia

Anesthetic protocol calculator

Species-specific anesthetic drug dosing for dogs and cats. Pre-medication, induction agents, maintenance guidance, emergency drugs, and intraoperative fluid rates with clinical safety checks.

Reference-based anesthetic arithmetic for canine and feline patients.
Use it for
Rapid anesthetic drug dose calculation and protocol planning before induction.
It calculates
Pre-med, induction, and emergency drug doses in mg and mL based on common reference concentrations.
It does not decide
Drug selection, protocol choice, or patient-specific anesthetic plan. Always individualize based on full assessment.

Input

Patient details

Enter weight and select relevant risk factors to customize the protocol.

Safety checks

Review before induction

  • Pre-anesthetic workup: Ensure PCV/TP, chemistry, and cardiac assessment are complete per ASA status.
  • Brachycephalic patients: Pre-oxygenate 3–5 minutes, minimize stress, have airway equipment ready.
  • Cardiac disease: Avoid acepromazine in severe cases. Consider opioid-based pre-med with careful titration.
  • Pediatric / geriatric: Reduce doses by 25–50%. Use short-acting reversible agents when possible.
  • Renal / hepatic impairment: Avoid ketamine in significant hepatic disease. Reduce propofol doses and titrate slowly.
  • Stock verification: Confirm concentrations before drawing. Common concentrations vary by manufacturer and region.

Basis

Clinical basis & references

Dosing rationale and reference sources.

  • Pre-medication: Doses from Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook and BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Anaesthesia and Analgesia.
  • Induction: Propofol 4–6 mg/kg IV (dog), 4–8 mg/kg IV (cat). Alfaxalone 2–3 mg/kg IV. Etomidate 1–2 mg/kg IV (cardiac cases).
  • MAC values: Isoflurane MAC dog 1.28%, cat 1.63%. Sevoflurane MAC dog 2.36%, cat 2.58%.
  • Emergency drugs: Atropine 0.02–0.04 mg/kg IV. Ephedrine 0.05–0.1 mg/kg IV. Dopamine 2–10 mcg/kg/min CRI.
  • Fluids: Maintenance 2–5 mL/kg/hr crystalloid during anesthesia. Shock rate 60–90 mL/kg/hr (dog), 45–60 mL/kg/hr (cat).

Math & Method

Calculation audit trail

How doses are computed from weight and reference ranges.

Enter patient details to show the calculation method.

Learn

Anesthetic quick guide

High-yield tips for common scenarios.

  • Cat sensitivity: Cats are more sensitive to opioids and less sensitive to acepromazine. Use lower opioid doses and avoid high acepromazine doses.
  • Propofol: Give slowly to effect (over 60–90 seconds). Apnea is common with rapid administration.
  • Alfaxalone: Excellent for sighthounds and cardiac patients. Can cause excitement in some dogs during recovery.
  • Etomidate: Cardiovascular-sparing induction agent. Dilute and give slowly. Suppresses adrenal function — not for repeated use.
  • Hypotension: Most common anesthetic complication. Treat with fluid bolus, then vasopressors if refractory.