What is Epinephrine used for?

Epinephrine is indicated for: Anaphylactic shock (severe), Anaphylaxis, Cardiac arrest, Cardiac arrest (IO route), Cardiac arrest (when IV not available), cardiac resuscitation, Emergency, Mild vaccine reaction, urticaria, Vaccine reaction.

What routes can Epinephrine be administered by?

Available routes: IV, IM, SC, IT, IO.

Which species have cited Epinephrine dosing data?

Epinephrine dosing in the ExoticRx formulary covers 10 species: African Grey Parrot, Ball Python, Bearded Dragon, Cat (Domestic), Cattle (Beef/Dairy), Crested Gecko, Dog (Domestic), Guinea Pig, Horse (Equine), Rabbit (Domestic).

Is Epinephrine a controlled substance?

Epinephrine is not federally scheduled in the US. Controlled-drug status differs by country — verify your local rules.

What are the warnings or contraindications for Epinephrine?

Causes tachycardia, arrhythmias, hypertension. Dilute for IV use (1:10,000). Tissue necrosis if extravasated. Very short duration of action. Light-sensitive.

What are the side effects of Epinephrine?

Reported side effects, adverse reactions, and contraindications for Epinephrine: Causes tachycardia, arrhythmias, hypertension. Dilute for IV use (1:10,000). Tissue necrosis if extravasated. Very short duration of action. Light-sensitive.

Epinephrine

US brand names:Adrenalin

Also known as: Adrenaline

Calculate dosage

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

Epinephrine is dosed at 0.1–0.5 mg/kg IV once in ball pythons, per Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed. Verify against current literature before clinical use.

Drug Class

Emergency

Routes

IVIMSCITIO

Indications

Anaphylactic shock (severe)AnaphylaxisCardiac arrestCardiac arrest (IO route)

Mechanism of Action

Non-selective adrenergic agonist (alpha and beta). Increases heart rate, contractility, and vascular tone. Bronchodilator. First-line for cardiac arrest and anaphylaxis.

Evidence levels across 19 dose rules

Extrapolated×7Strong×9Anecdotal×1Moderate×2

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

Backed by 10 published sources

· Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed
· Clark DR. Diseases of the general circulation. In: Howard JL, ed. Current Veterinary Therapy: Food Animal Practice 2. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders; 1986:694-696. PMID: 34072486 — Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.486 (2026-08-01).
· Divers SJ, Stahl S. Chelonian Anesthesia (Session #013), Table 1. In: DiGirolamo N, Stark W III, Waffa B (mods). ARAV Anesthesia and Analgesia (Section 26), Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians 2016 Conference Proceedings; p. 717. URL: https://cdn.ymaws.com/members.arav.org/resource/resmgr/files/proceedings_2016/Chapter_26_-_Anesthesia_and_.pdf
· Fehr M, Sassenburg L, Zwart P. Krankheiten der Heimtiere, 8th ed., Schluetersche Verlagsgesellschaft, Hannover, Germany; 2015 — Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.794 (2026-08-01).
· Fletcher DJ, Boller M, Brainard BM, et al. RECOVER evidence and knowledge gap analysis on veterinary CPR. Part 7: Clinical guidelines. J Vet Emerg Crit Care. 2012;22. — Verified against Papich/Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 4th Ed, p.320 (2026-08-01).

Sample dosing (2 of 19 cited rules)

A dog/cat sample is shown here. Cited dosing for all 10 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.

Species	Route	Dose	Frequency	Evidence	Source
Cat (Domestic)	SC	0.01–0.02 mg/kg	q15-20min	Strong	Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 9th Ed
Cat (Domestic)	IV	0.01–0.02 mg/kg	q3-5min	Strong	Verified against Papich/Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 4th Ed, p.320 (2026-08-01).

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· Hawkins MG, Barron H, Speer BL, et al. Birds. In: Carpenter JW, eds. Exotic Animal Formulary, 4th ed., Elsevier Saunders, St. Louis, MO; 2013:183-437.; Redig PT. Avian emergencies. In: Beynon PH, Forbes NA, Harcourt-Brown NH, eds. BSAVA Manual of Raptors, Pigeons and Waterfowl; Iowa State University Press, Ames, IA; 1996:30-41.; Rupley AE. Critical care of pet birds. Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract. 1998;1:11-41. doi:10.1016/j.cvex.2016.01.014 — Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.548 (2026-08-01).

· Plumb's 10th cites the RECOVER CPR Initiative, Part 7 (Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society, veccs.org) for this entire CPR block - the same source the live rule names. — Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.486 (2026-08-01).

· Rupley AE. Critical care of pet birds. Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract. 1998;1:11-41. doi:10.1016/j.cvex.2016.01.014; Lichtenberger M, Lennox A. Critical care. In: Speer B, eds. Current Therapy in Avian Medicine and Surgery; Elsevier, St. Louis, MO; 2016:582-588. — Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.487 (2026-08-01).

Epinephrine

Drug Class

Routes

Indications

Mechanism of Action

Side effects & warnings

Species with Epinephrine dosing data (19 dose rules)

Evidence levels across 19 dose rules

Backed by 10 published sources

Sample dosing (2 of 19 cited rules)

Upgrade for Full Details

Epinephrine

Drug Class

Routes

Indications

Mechanism of Action

Side effects & warnings

Species with Epinephrine dosing data (19 dose rules)

Evidence levels across 19 dose rules

Backed by 10 published sources

Sample dosing (2 of 19 cited rules)

Upgrade for Full Details

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