Dog · Canis lupus familiaris · typical adult weight 2.00–80.00 kg
Amiodarone is dosed at 5–10 mg/kg IV IV loading over 30-60 min in dogs, per Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th ed (2023, held copy; the original seed cited the 9th, which was never consulted) — Plumb's 10th ed (held) printed p.57, Amiodarone monograph spanning p.56-57; page located 2026-08-05 from the book's own running heads, and carries this exact dose under the matching species heading. — SOURCE EDITION: Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook — ISBN 9781394172207, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781394172207. Amiodarone is used in dogs for Life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias, Refractory ventricular arrhythmias. Routes documented in dogs: IV, PO. A typical adult dog weighs 2.00–80.00 kg. ExoticRx lists 2 cited dose rules for Amiodarone in dogs, drawn from published veterinary references. Verify against current literature before clinical use.
US trade names: Cordarone, Pacerone
| Route | Dose | Frequency | Duration | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IV | 5–10 mg/kg | IV loading over 30-60 min | Emergency | Life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias |
| Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th ed (2023, held copy; the original seed cited the 9th, which was never consulted) — Plumb's 10th ed (held) printed p.57, Amiodarone monograph spanning p.56-57; page located 2026-08-05 from the book's own running heads, and carries this exact dose under the matching species heading. — SOURCE EDITION: Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook — ISBN 9781394172207, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781394172207 |
| PO | 10–15 mg/kg | q12h x7 d, then 5-7.5 mg/kg q12h x14 d, q24h | Long-term | Refractory ventricular arrhythmias | Moderate | Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th ed (held), Amiodarone monograph, printed p.57-58 (corpus PDF p.84-85), PLUS BSAVA Small Animal Formulary 10th ed Part A, Amiodarone, printed p.21 (corpus PDF p.37), which is the page that carries the served 10-15 mg/kg loading figure. Plumb's alone prints 8-10 mg/kg PO q12h loading then 5-10 mg/kg q24h and does NOT carry 10-15 mg/kg. |
Every held source for this drug and species, as printed. Where they differ, both are shown — the choice is yours, not ours.
The sources disagree for this combination. The ranges below do not overlap on a comparable route. This is not an error in one of them — published veterinary references differ, and reconciling them for a particular patient is a clinical judgement.
| Dose (mg/kg) | Route | Source | As printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10–15 | PO | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part A (Canine and Feline)p.37 | 10-15 mg/kg p.o. q12h for 7 days, then 5-7.5 mg/kg p.o. q12h for 14 days; thereafter, 5-7.5 mg/kg |
| 5–7.5 | PO | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part A (Canine and Feline)p.37 | ays, then 5-7.5 mg/kg p.o. q12h for 14 days; thereafter, 5-7.5 mg/kg p.o. q24h (loading dose leading to steady state doses). Serum amiodarone levels sho |
| 2.5–5 | IV | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part A (Canine and Feline)p.37 | onsive to other antiarrhythmics. Bolus administration of 2.5-5 mg/kg given very slowly i.v. has been used in ventricular tachycardia but is not recommended |
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Class III antiarrhythmic blocking potassium, sodium, and calcium channels plus beta-adrenergic receptors. Prolongs action potential duration and refractory period.
Very long half-life (weeks). Hepatotoxicity, pulmonary fibrosis, thyroid dysfunction (contains iodine). Monitor liver, thyroid, and lung function. Numerous drug interactions.
Species-specific contraindications and adverse-reaction reports for dogs may differ from canine / feline reference data — consult the primary citations listed with each rule.
Amiodarone dose ranges in dogs, with cited source references: IV 5–10 mg/kg IV loading over 30-60 min; PO 10–15 mg/kg q12h x7 d, then 5-7.5 mg/kg q12h x14 d, q24h. Reference ranges from cited sources — verify against current literature before clinical use.
Documented routes for Amiodarone in dogs: IV, PO.
Cited course lengths for Amiodarone in dogs include: Emergency; Long-term. Duration depends on the indication — match it to the specific dose rule in the table above.
Amiodarone is indicated in dogs for: Life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias, Refractory ventricular arrhythmias.
These are general warnings for Amiodarone across species; consult the dog dosing table above for species-specific guidance. Very long half-life (weeks). Hepatotoxicity, pulmonary fibrosis, thyroid dysfunction (contains iodine). Monitor liver, thyroid, and lung function. Numerous drug interactions.
Why a species-specific page? Amiodarone pharmacokinetics differ across species: dose ranges, intervals, and route preferences are not interchangeable. Cross-extrapolation from canine doses is unsafe in dogs — the rules above are the citations specific to this species, not generic recommendations.
Sourced from published veterinary references; awaiting credentialed clinical reviewer. See our editorial process. Reference only — not veterinary advice.
| 10–15 | PO | Papich Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 4th edp.60 | • Ventricular arrhythmias: 10-15 mg/kg q12h PO for 1 week, then 5-7.5 mg/kg |
| 5–7.5 | PO | Papich Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 4th edp.60 | • Ventricular arrhythmias: 10-15 mg/kg q12h PO for 1 week, then 5-7.5 mg/kg |
| 7.5 | — | Papich Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 4th edp.60 | q12h for 2 weeks, followed by maintenance dose of 7.5 mg/kg q24h. |
| 25 | PO | Papich Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 4th edp.60 | • Refractory arrhythmias: 25 mg/kg q12h PO for 4 days, followed by 25 mg/kg |
| 15 | — | Papich Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 4th edp.60 | • Atrial fibrillation: 15 mg/kg loading dose for 5 days, followed by 10 mg/kg per |
| 10 | — | Papich Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 4th edp.60 | • Atrial fibrillation: 15 mg/kg loading dose for 5 days, followed by 10 mg/kg per |
| 5 | IV | Papich Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 4th edp.60 | • Injection: 5 mg/kg, slowly IV over 10 minutes. Use cautiously because of risk of |
Figures are transcribed from the cited page or table of each held edition and are shown for reference only. They are not dose recommendations, they do not feed the calculator, and none has been reviewed by a veterinarian.