Sourced from published veterinary references. Awaiting credentialed clinical reviewer — our editorial process.
Alfaxalone is dosed at 3–5 mg/kg IM once in rabbits, per Huynh M, Poumeyrol S, Pignon C, et al. Intramuscular administration of alfaxalone for sedation in rabbits. Vet Rec. 2015;176:255-260. — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 10.4 (Chemical Restraint/Sedative/Anesthetic/Analgesic Agents Used in Rabbits.a,b). Verify against current literature before clinical use.
Neuroactive steroid that modulates GABA-A receptors, producing dose-dependent sedation to general anesthesia.
Side effects & warnings
Apnea with rapid IV injection — titrate slowly. No analgesic properties. Short shelf life once broached (use within 6 hours unless preserved formulation). Good safety profile in exotic species.
Species with Alfaxalone dosing data (50 dose rules)
Each ExoticRx dose rule is graded by the strength of its primary evidence — see the editorial process.
Sample dosing (2 of 50 cited rules)
A dog/cat sample is shown here. Cited dosing for all 28 species — reptiles, birds, pocket pets, livestock, and equine — is free on the per-species pages above. Pro adds the weight-based calculator for every species.
Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th ed (2023) — Plumb's 10th ed printed p.29, Alfaxalone monograph spanning p.29-34.Compilation only — we have not located an independent source that prints this figure.
· 158. Siriarchavatana P, Ayers JD, Kendall LV. Anesthetic activity of alfaxalone compared with ketamine in mice. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci. 2016;55:426-430. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.782 PMID: 27423149 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 9.3 (Chemical Restraint/Anesthetic Agents Used in Rodents).
· 174. Hansen LL, Bertelsen MF. Assessment of the effects of intramuscular administration of alfaxalone with and without medetomidine in Horsfield's tortoises (Agrionemys horsfieldii). Vet Anaesth Analg. 2013;40:68-75. | 240. Kischinovsky M, Duse A, Wang T, et al. Intramuscular administration of alfaxalone in red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans) - effects of dose and body temperature. Vet Anaesth Analg. 2013;40:13-20. | 425. Shepard MK, Divers S, Braun C, et al. Pharmacodynamics of alfaxalone after single-dose intramuscular administration in red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans): a comparison of two different doses at two different ambient temperatures. Vet Anaesth Analg. 2013;40:590-598. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.235 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.5 (Chemical Restraint/Anesthetic Agents Used in Reptiles.a).
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· 248. Knotek Z. Alfaxalone as an induction agent for anaesthesia in terrapins and tortoises. Vet Rec. 2014;175:327-329. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.235 doi:10.1136/vr.102486 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.5 (Chemical Restraint/Anesthetic Agents Used in Reptiles.a).
· 336. Morici M, DiGiuseppe M, Spadola F, et al. Intravenous alfaxalone anaesthesia in leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius). J Exot Pet Med. 2018;27:11-14. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.234 doi:10.1053/j.jepm.2017.08.008 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.5 (Chemical Restraint/Anesthetic Agents Used in Reptiles.a).
· Bertelsen MF and Sauer CD (2011) Alfaxalone anaesthesia in the green iguana (Iguana iguana). Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia 38(5), 461-466 — Source: BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th Ed, Part B: Exotic Pets, p.330
· Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed | Corroborated 2026-07-30: d'Ovidio D et al. Vet Anaesth Analg 2018;45(2):183-189. doi:10.1016/j.vaa.2017.08.004PMID:29398530 (abstract) — 30 pet guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus), 5 mg/kg IM; same dose in FDA Index MIF 900-031 (Alfaxan Multidose IDX). — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 9.3 (Chemical Restraint/Anesthetic Agents Used in Rodents).
· Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th ed, Table 4.7 (Preferred Injectable Sedation Protocols Used in Select Reptiles.301,400,430), LIZARDS section: "Alfaxalone | 10-30 mg/kg SC, IM, IV | Rapid sedation if administered IV, higher doses can […]". The served 10-20 mg/kg is a conservative subset of that printed lizard range. WITHDRAWN CLAIM: the previous citation asserted the figure was located in Table 4.5, but the only 10-20 mg/kg IM alfaxalone row in Table 4.5 is scoped to Horsfield's tortoises (males only) and red-eared slider turtles - chelonians, not any lizard.
· Escalante GC, Balko JA, Chinnadurai SK. Comparison of the Sedative Effects of Alfaxalone and Butorphanol-Midazolam Administered Intramuscularly in Budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus). J Avian Med Surg. 2018;32(4):279. doi:10.1647/2017-328https://doi.org/10.1647/2017-328
· Grint NJ, Smith HE, Senior JM. Clinical evaluation of alfaxalone in cyclodextrin for the induction of anaesthesia in rabbits. Vet Rec. 2008;163:395-396. doi:10.1136/vr.163.13.395 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 10.4 (Chemical Restraint/Sedative/Anesthetic/Analgesic Agents Used in Rabbits.a,b).
· Grint NJ, Smith HE, Senior JM. Clinical evaluation of alfaxalone in cyclodextrin for the induction of anaesthesia in rabbits. Vet Rec. 2008;163:395-396. doi:10.1136/vr.163.13.395; Pignon C. Personal communication; 2016. — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 10.4 (Chemical Restraint/Sedative/Anesthetic/Analgesic Agents Used in Rabbits.a,b).
· Hackenbroich C, Failing K, Axt-Findt U, et al. Alphaxalone-alphadolone anesthesia in Trachemys scripta elegans and its influence on respiration, circulation and metabolism. Proc 2nd Conf Euro Assoc Zoo Wildl Vet; 1998:431-436. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.235 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.5 (Chemical Restraint/Anesthetic Agents Used in Reptiles.a).
· Huynh M, Poumeyrol S, Pignon C, et al. Intramuscular administration of alfaxalone for sedation in rabbits. Vet Rec. 2015;176:255-260. doi:10.1136/vr.102522 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 10.4 (Chemical Restraint/Sedative/Anesthetic/Analgesic Agents Used in Rabbits.a,b).
· Innis CJ, Feinsod R, Hanlon J, et al. Coelioscopic orchiectomy can be effectively and safely accomplished in chelonians. Vet Rec. 2013;172:526-531. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.235 doi:10.1136/vr.101475 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.5 (Chemical Restraint/Anesthetic Agents Used in Reptiles.a).
· James LE, Williams CJ.A, Bertelsen MF, et al. Anaesthetic induction with alfaxalone in the ball python (Python regius): dose response and effect of injection site. Vet Anaesth Analg. 2018;45:329-337. — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.5 (Chemical Restraint/Anesthetic Agents Used in Reptiles.a).
· James LE, Williams CJ.A, Bertelsen MF, et al. Anaesthetic induction with alfaxalone in the ball python (Python regius): dose response and effect of injection site. Vet Anaesth Analg. 2018;45:329-337.; Yaw TJ, Mans C, Johnson SM, et al. Effect of injection site on alfaxalone-induced sedation in ball pythons (Python regius). J Sm Anim Pract. 2018. doi:10.1111/jsap.12918 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.5 (Chemical Restraint/Anesthetic Agents Used in Reptiles.a).
· Knotek Z. Alfaxalone as an induction agent for anaesthesia in terrapins and tortoises. Vet Rec. 2014;175:327-329. doi:10.1136/vr.102486; Phillips BE, Posner LP, Lewbart GA, et al. Effects of alfaxalone administered intravenously to healthy yearling loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) at three different doses. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2017;250:909-917. doi:10.2460/javma.250.8.909 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.5 (Chemical Restraint/Anesthetic Agents Used in Reptiles.a).
· Knotek Z. Alfaxalone as an induction agent for anaesthesia in terrapins and tortoises. Vet Rec. 2014;175:327-329. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.235 doi:10.1136/vr.102486 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.5 (Chemical Restraint/Anesthetic Agents Used in Reptiles.a).
· Lau C, Ranasinghe MG, Shiels I, et al. Plasma pharmacokinetics of alfaxalone after a single intraperitoneal or intravenous injection of Alfaxan® in rats. J Vet Pharmacol Ther. 2013;36:516-520. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.782 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 9.3 (Chemical Restraint/Anesthetic Agents Used in Rodents).
· Mans C, Sladky KK, Schumacher J. General anesthesia. In: Divers SJ, Stahl SJ, eds. Mader's Reptile and Amphibian Medicine and Surgery, 3rd ed., Elsevier, St. Louis, MO; 2019:447-464. — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.7 (Preferred Injectable Sedation Protocols Used in Select Reptiles.301,400,430). — Carpenter's 6th ed, Table 2.7 (Scientific Names of Common Names as Listed in Preceding Tables). — PROVENANCE CORRECTED: none of the previously cited locations carries this figure. Source is Rhim H, Godke AM, Aguilar MG, Mitchell MA. Evaluating the Physiologic Effects of Alfaxalone, Dexmedetomidine, and Midazolam Combinations in Common Blue-Tongued Skinks (Tiliqua scincoides). Animals (Basel). 2024, vol 14 issue 18, article 2636. doi:10.3390/ani14182636 (PMC11429061), group A — 20 mg/kg alfaxalone SC, single administration, n=11. FRAMING, unresolved: the paper's own conclusion recommends ADM and AM for minor procedures. Group A alone is not among the recommended protocols, analgesia on toe-pinch was seen only in DM and ADM, and pilot recoveries at 20 mg/kg were 60 and 130 min.
· Morrissey JM, Carpenter JW / Quesenberry KE, Orcutt CJ, Mans C, eds. Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery, 4th ed., Elsevier, 2021 - TABLE 37.1 'Injectable PREANESTHETIC, SEDATIVE, AND TRANQUILIZER Drugs (mg/kg) Used in Small Mammals', Guinea Pig column: 'Alfaxalone 5 IM28'. The facing TABLE 37.2 'Injectable ANESTHETIC Drugs and Drug Combinations' prints a DASH for guinea-pig alfaxalone. Prose, printed p.539: 'In guinea pigs, alfaxalone at 5 mg/kg IM induced sedation within 2.7 +/- 0.6 minutes, suitable for diagnostic imaging and other minor noninvasive procedures.' CARPENTER TABLE 9.3 DOES NOT SUPPORT THIS ROW - its only guinea-pig alfaxalone row is 40 mg/kg IM, IP.
· Parkinson L, Mans C. Anesthetic and postanesthetic effects of alfaxalone-butorphanol compared with dexmedetomidine-ketamine in chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera). J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci. 2017;56:290-295. PMID: 28432759 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 9.3 (Chemical Restraint/Anesthetic Agents Used in Rodents).
· Perrin KL, Bertelsen MF. Intravenous alfaxalone and propofol anesthesia in the bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps). J Herp Med Surg; 2017:123-126. doi:10.5818/16-01-071.1 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.5 (Chemical Restraint/Anesthetic Agents Used in Reptiles.a).
· Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th ed (2023) — Plumb's 10th ed printed p.29, Alfaxalone monograph spanning p.29-34.
· Ramsey I, ed. BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed. Part B: Exotic Pets. Gloucester: British Small Animal Veterinary Association; 2023. p.9.
· Rockwell K, Boykin K, Padlo J, et al. Evaluating the efficacy of alfaxalone in corn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus). Vet Anaesth Analg. 2021;48(3):364-371. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.234 doi:10.1016/j.vaa.2021.01.004 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.5 (Chemical Restraint/Anesthetic Agents Used in Reptiles.a).
· SchottR. Triaging the wildlife patient. Proc Student Chap Am Vet Med Assoc Symp; 2015. [printed as shown; 'SchottR' is OCR truncation of the surname] — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 14.6 (Chemical Restraint/Anesthetic Agents Used in Select Wild Mammals.a,6,11-).
· Schumacher J, Yelen T. Anesthesia and analgesia. In: Mader DR, eds. Reptile Medicine and Surgery, 2nd ed., Saunders/Elsevier, St. Louis, MO; 2006:442-452. — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.5 (Chemical Restraint/Anesthetic Agents Used in Reptiles.a).
· White DM, Martinez-Taboada F. Induction of anesthesia with intravenous alfaxalone in two Isa brown chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus). J Exot Pet Med. 2019;29:119-122. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.640 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 6.4 (Chemical Restraint/Anesthetic/Analgesic Agents Used in Backyard Poultry,).