Comparative analysis of some hematobiochemical and electrocardiographic changes following administration of medetomidine alone and combination with selected opioid agonists in Goats

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Maryam Salarpoor ¹

Amir Saeed Samimi ¹

Ehsanollah Sakhaee ¹

Omid Azari ²

Zahra Saminzadeh ¹

¹ Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran.

² Department of Surgery & Radiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

10.22067/ijvst.2025.93655.1555

Abstract

Medetomidine is effective for sedation in small ruminants and is often combined with opioids to tailor depth and mitigate adverse effects. We conducted a randomized Latin-square crossover study in goats (n=10) comparing five intravenous regimens: medetomidine 20 µg/kg alone (MED) or combined with methadone 0.5 mg/kg (MME), morphine 0.5 mg/kg (MMO), tramadol 5 mg/kg (MTR), or pethidine 1 mg/kg (MPE). Drugs were administered via the left jugular vein over 2 min. Blood was collected at 0, 120 min, and 24 h for WBC, PCV, cardiac troponin I (cTnI), homocysteine (Hcy), and ALT/AST; bipolar-limb ECGs were recorded at 0, 5, and 120 min. Baseline hematologic, biochemical, and ECG values did not differ across periods. cTnI remained within assay reference limits with no within-regimen change, although between-regimen differences appeared at 120 min and 24 h, with MED lower than methadone/tramadol at 120 min and lower than pethidine/tramadol at 24 h. Hcy showed no intergroup differences but increased modestly only with MED at 24 h. Hematologic effects were regimen-specific: WBC decreased with MMO at 2 h (p < 0.05), and PCV decreased with MTR at 2–24 h (p < 0.05). Hepatic enzymes showed no significant treatment or time effects. On ECG, PR and QT intervals lengthened over time (notably with MED and MMO), RR intervals generally prolonged consistent with bradycardia, and MPE increased T-wave amplitude (p < 0.05). Overall, medetomidine–opioid combinations produced distinct hematologic and ECG signatures without detectable within-regimen cTnI elevation. These data support individualized opioid selection with routine ECG monitoring when using medetomidine in goats.

Keywords

Sedation

Mede­tomidine

Opioid ago­nists

Goats

Subjects

• Anesthesia and Analgesia

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