Livestock · Sus scrofa domesticus · typical adult weight 1.00–300.00 kg
Ketamine is dosed at 10–20 mg/kg IM Once in swine, per Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook. Ketamine is used in swine for Sedation and immobilization, Restraint, sedation, anesthesia induction. Routes documented in swine: IM. A typical adult swine weighs 1.00–300.00 kg. ExoticRx lists 2 cited dose rules for Ketamine in swine, drawn from published veterinary references. Verify against current literature before clinical use.
US trade names: Ketaset, Vetalar
| Route | Dose | Frequency | Duration | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IM | 10–20 mg/kg | Once | Single dose | Sedation and immobilization | Moderate | Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook |
| IM | 11 mg/kg | once; premedicate with atropine | — | Restraint, sedation, anesthesia induction | Strong | Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 9th Ed — Ketamine, SWINE, Injectable anesthesia (extra-label), item a; printed p.723 (corpus PDF p.750) |
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These ranges are per kg. Enter your swine'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 swine may differ from canine / feline reference data — consult the primary citations listed with each rule.
Ketamine dose ranges in swine, with cited source references: IM 10–20 mg/kg Once; IM 11 mg/kg once; premedicate with atropine. Reference ranges from cited sources — verify against current literature before clinical use.
Documented routes for Ketamine in swine: IM.
Cited course lengths for Ketamine in swine include: Single dose. Duration depends on the indication — match it to the specific dose rule in the table above.
Ketamine is indicated in swine for: Sedation and immobilization, Restraint, sedation, anesthesia induction.
These are general warnings for Ketamine across species; consult the swine 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 swine — 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.