Comparison of sedation and mechanical antinociception induced by intravenous administration of acepromazine and four dose rates of dexmedetomidine in donkeys

Dexmedetomidine induced sedation and dosage-dependent mechanical antinociception. Larger dexmedetomidine dose rates were required to induce antinociception than sedation. Furthermore, the antinociception induced by dexmedetomidine was of shorter duration than its sedation. For minor painful procedures on standing donkeys, D5 may be clinically useful to provide sedation and analgesia.