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Desflurane

Suprane

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Sourced from published veterinary references. Awaiting credentialed clinical reviewer — our editorial process.

Drug Class

Anesthetic

Routes

INHALATION

Indications

Maintenance of general anesthesia

Mechanism of Action

Volatile halogenated ether. Enhances inhibitory neurotransmission (GABA, glycine) and inhibits excitatory channels (NMDA, nAChR). Very low blood:gas solubility (0.42).

Side effects & warnings

Requires heated vaporizer (near boiling point at room temperature). Pungent — causes airway irritation, not suitable for mask induction. Fastest recovery of all inhalants. Expensive.

Species with Desflurane dosing data (2 dose rules)

Cat (Domestic)Dog (Domestic)

Species references:All Cat (Domestic) drugsAll Dog (Domestic) drugs

Evidence levels across 2 dose rules

Strong×2

Each ExoticRx dose rule is graded by the strength of its primary evidence — see the editorial process.

Backed by a published source

  • · Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 9th Ed

Sample dosing (2 of 2 cited rules)

A dog/cat sample is shown here. Cited dosing for all 2 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.

SpeciesRouteDoseFrequencyEvidenceSource
Dog (Domestic)INHALATION0 MAC 7.2% (dog)Continuous vaporizer deliveryStrongPlumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 9th Ed
Cat (Domestic)INHALATION0 MAC 9.8% (cat)Continuous vaporizer deliveryStrongPlumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 9th Ed

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Calculate Dosage for Desflurane