What is Isoflurane used for?

Isoflurane is indicated for: General anesthesia, General anesthesia (maintenance).

Which species have cited Isoflurane dosing data?

Isoflurane dosing in the ExoticRx formulary covers 5 species: African Grey Parrot, Bearded Dragon, Cat (Domestic), Dog (Domestic), Rabbit (Domestic).

Is Isoflurane a controlled substance?

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

Isoflurane

US brand names:IsoFlo, Forane

Calculate dosage

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

Isoflurane is dosed at 2–4 % INHALATION Continuous in bearded dragons, per Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed. Verify against current literature before clinical use.

Drug Class

Anesthetic

Routes

INHALATION

Indications

General anesthesiaGeneral anesthesia (maintenance)

Mechanism of Action

Enhances inhibitory GABA-A receptors and blocks excitatory NMDA receptors, producing dose-dependent general anesthesia.

Side effects & warnings

Most commonly used inhalant anesthetic in veterinary medicine. Dose-dependent hypotension. Minimal hepatic metabolism. Use with precision vaporizer only. Suitable for all species including exotics.

Evidence levels across 5 dose rules

Strong×4Moderate×1

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

Backed by 5 published sources

· Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed
· GillettCS. Selected drug dosages and clinical reference data. In: Manning PJ, Ringler DH, Newcomer CE, eds. The Biology of the Laboratory Rabbit, 2nd ed., Academic Press, San Diego, CA; 1994:467-472. doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-469235-0.50028-2; Harkness JE, Wagner JE. The Biology and Medicine of Rabbits and Rodents, 4th ed., Williams & Wilkins — Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.859 (2026-08-01).
· 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. — Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.451 (2026-08-01).
· ISOSOL - Isoflurane Liquid [US Product Label for Dogs and Horses]. St Joseph, MO: Vedco, Inc; 2011. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=b69c2259-d7d8-482d-8443-6279d217da0a; Bednarski RM. Chapter 44: Dogs and Cats. In: Grimm KA, Lamont LA, Tranquilli WJ, Greene SA, Robertson SA, eds. Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia: The Fifth Edition of Lumb and Jones. 5th ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.; 2015:819-826. — Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.724 (2026-08-01).

Sample dosing (2 of 5 cited rules)

A dog/cat sample is shown here. Cited dosing for all 5 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
Dog (Domestic)	INHALATION	1.5–2.5 % (MAC 1.3%)	Continuous	Strong	ISOSOL - Isoflurane Liquid [US Product Label for Dogs and Horses]. St Joseph, MO: Vedco, Inc; 2011. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=b69c2259-d7d8-482d-8443-6279d217da0a; Bednarski RM. Chapter 44: Dogs and Cats. In: Grimm KA, Lamont LA, Tranquilli WJ, Greene SA, Robertson SA, eds. Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia: The Fifth Edition of Lumb and Jones. 5th ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.; 2015:819-826. — Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.724 (2026-08-01).
Cat (Domestic)	INHALATION	1.5–2.5 % (MAC 1.6%)	Continuous	Strong	Shaughnessy MR, Hofmeister EH. A systematic review of sevoflurane and isoflurane minimum alveolar concentration in domestic cats. Vet Anaesth Analg. 2014;41(1):1-13. — Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.724 (2026-08-01).

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· Shaughnessy MR, Hofmeister EH. A systematic review of sevoflurane and isoflurane minimum alveolar concentration in domestic cats. Vet Anaesth Analg. 2014;41(1):1-13. doi:10.1111/vaa.12083 — Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.724 (2026-08-01).