Pocket Pet · Cavia porcellus · typical adult weight 0.70–1.20 kg
Atropine is dosed at 0.05–0.1 mg/kg IM once in guinea pigs, per Adamcak A, Otten B. Rodent therapeutics. Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract. 2000;3:221-237. / 83. Jepson L. Exotic Animal Medicine: A Quick Reference Guide, WB Saunders, New York, NY; 2009. — Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.794 (2026-08-01).. Atropine is used in guinea pigs for Pre-anesthetic, Bradycardia, pre-anesthetic. Routes documented in guinea pigs: IM, SC. A typical adult guinea pig weighs 0.70–1.20 kg. ExoticRx lists 2 cited dose rules for Atropine in guinea pigs, drawn from published veterinary references. Verify against current literature before clinical use.
| Route | Dose | Frequency | Duration | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IM | 0.05–0.1 mg/kg | once | Single dose | Pre-anesthetic | Moderate | Adamcak A, Otten B. Rodent therapeutics. Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract. 2000;3:221-237. / 83. Jepson L. Exotic Animal Medicine: A Quick Reference Guide, WB Saunders, New York, NY; 2009. — Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.794 (2026-08-01). |
| SC |
| 0.05–0.1 mg/kg |
| once |
| Single dose |
| Bradycardia, pre-anesthetic |
| Moderate |
| Ewringmann A, Gloeckner B. Leitsymptome bei Meerschweinchen, Chinchilla und Degu, Enke, Stuttgart, Germany; 2012. / 47. Ewringmann A, Gloeckner B. Leitsymptome bei Hamster, Ratte, Maus und Rennmaus, Enke, Stuttgart, Germany; 2014. doi:10.1055/b-004-129947 — Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.796 (2026-08-01). |
Need the exact dose for your patient?
These ranges are per kg. Enter your guinea pig's weight to get the precise dose and draw-up volume — unit and concentration math done for you.
Competitive muscarinic receptor antagonist. Increases heart rate (vagolytic), reduces secretions, and mydriasis.
Tachycardia, ileus, urinary retention. Increases myocardial oxygen demand. Rabbits have high atropinase activity — may need higher/more frequent doses or use glycopyrrolate instead.
Species-specific contraindications and adverse-reaction reports for guinea pigs may differ from canine / feline reference data — consult the primary citations listed with each rule.
Atropine dose ranges in guinea pigs, with cited source references: IM 0.05–0.1 mg/kg once; SC 0.05–0.1 mg/kg once. Reference ranges from cited sources — verify against current literature before clinical use.
Documented routes for Atropine in guinea pigs: IM, SC.
Cited course lengths for Atropine in guinea pigs include: Single dose. Duration depends on the indication — match it to the specific dose rule in the table above.
Atropine is indicated in guinea pigs for: Pre-anesthetic, Bradycardia, pre-anesthetic.
These are general warnings for Atropine across species; consult the guinea pig dosing table above for species-specific guidance. Tachycardia, ileus, urinary retention. Increases myocardial oxygen demand. Rabbits have high atropinase activity — may need higher/more frequent doses or use glycopyrrolate instead.
Why a species-specific page? Atropine pharmacokinetics differ across species: dose ranges, intervals, and route preferences are not interchangeable. Cross-extrapolation from canine doses is unsafe in guinea pigs — 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.