Pocket Pet · Mustela putorius furo · typical adult weight 0.60–2.00 kg
Ketamine is dosed at 5–10 mg/kg IM Once in ferrets, per Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery (Quesenberry et al.), Appendix Formulary Table A.4, printed p.627 (corpus PDF p.639) — SOURCE EDITION: Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery — ISBN 9780323484350, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323484350. Ketamine is used in ferrets for Pre-medication (with midazolam). Routes documented in ferrets: IM. A typical adult ferret weighs 0.60–2.00 kg. ExoticRx lists 1 cited dose rule for Ketamine in ferrets, drawn from published veterinary references. Verify against current literature before clinical use.
US trade names: Ketaset, Vetalar
| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IM | 5–10 mg/kg | Once | Pre-medication (with midazolam) | Weak | Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery (Quesenberry et al.), Appendix Formulary Table A.4, printed p.627 (corpus PDF p.639) — SOURCE EDITION: Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery — ISBN 9780323484350, |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.08–0.1 | IM | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part B (Exotic Pets)p.186 | combinations of ketamine (10-15 mg/kg) with medetomidine (0.08-0.1 mg/kg i.m., s.c.) or dexmedetomidine (0.04-0.05 mg/ kg i.m., s.c.) will provide a sho |
| 0.2–0.4 | IM | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part B (Exotic Pets)p.186 | anaesthesia is increased by the addition of butorphanol at 0.2-0.4 mg/kg i.m., s.c. or buprenorphine at 0.02 mg/kg i.m., s.c. which also provides analge |
| 0.02 | IM | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part B (Exotic Pets)p.186 | butorphanol at 0.2-0.4 mg/kg i.m., s.c. or buprenorphine at 0.02 mg/kg i.m., s.c. which also provides analgesia. For perioperative/postoperative analg |
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These ranges are per kg. Enter your ferret's weight to get the precise dose and draw-up volume — unit and concentration math done for you.
NMDA receptor antagonist producing dissociative anesthesia. Provides somatic analgesia, amnesia, and catalepsy while maintaining pharyngeal reflexes.
Increases intracranial and intraocular pressure. Causes increased salivation (premedicate with anticholinergic). Eyes remain open under anesthesia — use lubricant. Do NOT use alone in dogs/cats (muscle rigidity) — combine with a sedative.
Species-specific contraindications and adverse-reaction reports for ferrets may differ from canine / feline reference data — consult the primary citations listed with each rule.
Ketamine dose range in ferrets, with cited source references: IM 5–10 mg/kg Once. Reference ranges from cited sources — verify against current literature before clinical use.
Documented routes for Ketamine in ferrets: IM.
Ketamine is indicated in ferrets for: Pre-medication (with midazolam).
These are general warnings for Ketamine across species; consult the ferret dosing table above for species-specific guidance. Increases intracranial and intraocular pressure. Causes increased salivation (premedicate with anticholinergic). Eyes remain open under anesthesia — use lubricant. Do NOT use alone in dogs/cats (muscle rigidity) — combine with a sedative.
Why a species-specific page? Ketamine pharmacokinetics differ across species: dose ranges, intervals, and route preferences are not interchangeable. Cross-extrapolation from canine doses is unsafe in ferrets — 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.
| 2–5 | IV | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part B (Exotic Pets)p.186 | tive/postoperative analgesia: 0.3-1.2 mg/kg/h CRI following 2-5 mg/kg i.v. loading dose |
| 10–30 | IM | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part B (Exotic Pets)p.186 | 10-30 mg/kg i.m., s.c. alone gives immobilization and some analgesia but there is poor muscle relaxat |
| 10–15 | IM | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part B (Exotic Pets)p.186 | flurane. Alternatively, combinations of ketamine (10-15 mg/kg) with medetomidine (0.08-0.1 mg/kg i.m., s.c.) or dexmedetomidine (0.04-0.05 mg/ |
| 10–20 | IM | Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th edTable 11.5 | 10-20 mg/kg IM |
| 30–60 | IM | Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th edTable 11.5 | 30-60 mg/kg IM |
| 0.1–0.4 | IV | Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th edTable 11.6 | 0.1-0.4 mg/kg/h IV via constant-rate infusion |
| 0.3–1.2 | IV | Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th edTable 11.6 | 0.3-1.2 mg/kg/h IV via constant-rate infusion |
| Dose (ml/kg) | Route | Source | As printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | IV | Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th edTable 11.5 | 0.1 mL/kg IV |
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.