POM-V Prescription Required Companion Animal

Ketamidor 100 mg/ml Solution for Injection

Active ingredient: Ketamine

Form

Injection

Species

Cats Cattle Dogs Horses Pigs

Manufacturer

VetViva Richter GmbH

VMD MA No.

57446/5005

What it's used for

To be used to induce anaesthesia: a) in combination with detomidine in the horse. b) in combination with xylazine in the horse, in cattle, dog and in the c...

Full indications, dosage and side effects ↓

View official SPC (PDF)

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2

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Clinical information

Ketamidor 100 mg/ml Solution for Injection — SPC Details

Source: VMD Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC). Last updated 27 Mar 2026.

To be used to induce anaesthesia:
a) in combination with detomidine in the horse.
b) in combination with xylazine in the horse, in cattle, dog and in the cat.
c) in combination with azaperone in the pig.
d) in combination with medetomidine in the dog and cat.
e) in combination with diazepam in the dog.

For intramuscular use (i.m.): pigs, dogs and cats.
For subcutaneous use (s.c.): cats.
Ketamine can show large inter-individual variation in effect, and therefore dose
rates administered should be tailored to the individual animal, dependent on factors
such as age, condition, and the depth and duration of anaesthesia required.
Prolongation of effect is possible by repeated administration of an optionally reduced
initial dose.
For combination use: before ketamine is administered, please ensure that the
animals are adequately sedated.
Horses
Pre-medication with a sedative is required for a sufficient anaesthetic effect:
To induce anaesthesia
With detomidine
Detomidine 20 µg/kg i.v., after 5 minutes
Ketamine 2.2 mg/kg fast i.v. (2.2 ml/100 kg)
Onset of action is gradual, taking approximately 1 minute to attain recumbency,
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with duration of anaesthetic effect lasting approximately 10 - 15 minutes.
With xylazine
Xylazine 1.1 mg/kg i.v., followed by
Ketamine 2.2 mg/kg i.v. (2.2 ml/100 kg)
Onset of action is gradual, taking approximately 1 minute, with duration of
anaesthetic effect being variable and lasting 10 - 30 minutes but usually less than 20
minutes.
After injection the horse lays down spontaneously without any further help. If a
distinct muscle relaxation is required simultaneously, muscle relaxants can be
administered to the recumbent animal, until the horse shows first symptoms of
relaxation.
Cattle
To avoid uncontrolled lying down and possible symptoms of excitation or for
potentiation of anaesthesia a sedative premedication is recommended. To avoid
hypoxia due to lateral or dorsal recumbency, oxygen can be administered through a
nasal tube.
To induce anaesthesia
With xylazine
Xylazine 0.14 - 0.22 mg/kg i.v./i.m., followed by
Ketamine 2 - 5 mg/kg i.v. (2 - 5 ml/100 kg)
Onset of action is approximately 1 minute, with duration of anaesthetic effect lasting
approximately 30 minutes.
The lower end of the stated dose range should be used when administering xylazine
via the intravenous route.
Pigs
To induce anaesthesia
With azaperone
Ketamine 15 - 20 mg/kg i.m. (1.5 - 2 ml/10 kg) and 2 mg/kg azaperone i.m..
In 4 – 5 month old pigs, following administration of 2 mg/kg azaperone and 20
mg/kg ketamine i.m.,
the onset of anaesthesia took on average 29 minutes and duration of effect lasted
about 27 minutes.
Dogs
Ketamine cannot be used as a mono-anaesthetic in dogs, as it causes an
increased muscle tone and uncoordinated muscle contractions.
To induce anaesthesia
With medetomidine
Medetomidine 40 µg/kg i.m., followed by
Ketamine 5 - 7.5 mg/kg i.m. (0.5 - 0.75 ml/10 kg)
Duration of effect varies between 30 - 50 minutes and is dose related.
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With xylazine
Xylazine 2 mg/kg i.m., after 10 minutes
Ketamine 10 mg/kg i.m. (1 ml/10 kg).
In dogs weighing more than 25 kg bodyweight reduce xylazine dosage to 1.3 mg/kg.
Onset of action is usually within 10 minutes and duration of effect lasts for
approximately 30 minutes.
With diazepam
Administer diazepam 0.25 mg/kg i.v., immediately followed by
Ketamine 5 mg/kg i.v. (0.5 ml/10 kg).
Ketamine should be injected slowly and generally administered to effect, when used
intravenously.
Appropriate premedication should be used to ensure adequate sedation before
administration of the diazepam-ketamine combination and to facilitate intubation. The
optimal dosing regimen should be individually based on the pre-medication used.
Average duration of effect is 10-20 minutes.
Cats
Mono-anaesthetic use of ketamine is possible, but to avoid undesired psychomotoric
effects combined anaesthesia is recommended. Ketamine on its own may be used by
intravenous injection, but intramuscular injection is the recommended route.
Ketamine should be injected slowly when administered intravenously.
As a sole agent
11 mg/kg ketamine i.m./i.v. for minor restraint,
22 - 33 mg/kg ketamine i.m./i.v. for minor surgery and restraint of fractious cats.
Duration of ketamine anaesthesia is 20 – 40 minutes and recovery takes place over a
1 – 4 hour period.
To induce anaesthesia (anaesthesia < 1 hour)
With medetomidine
Medetomidine 80 µg/kg i.m., followed by
Ketamine 5 – 7.5 mg/kg i.m. (0.25 - 0.4 ml/5 kg)
Onset of action is usually 3 - 4 minutes and duration of effect varies between 30 -
60 minutes and is dose related.
With xylazine
Xylazine 1 - 2 mg/kg i.m./s.c. and
Ketamine 10 - 20 mg/kg i.m./s.c. (0.5 - 1 ml/5 kg)
The lowest dose of xylazine (1 mg/kg) should be used, if ketamine is used at the
highest dose
(20 mg/kg).
Onset of action is usually within 5 minutes of ketamine administration and duration
of effect lasts for at least 30 minutes.
Due to low dose volumes, the use of suitably calibrated measuring equipment, e.g.
an insulin type syringe, is recommended.
The rubber stopper can be punctured safely a maximum of 25 times.
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Do not use:

apparent high blood pressure, or cerebrovascular insults.

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

relaxation is not ensured by administration of a muscle relaxant (intubation
obligatory).

Do not use in cases of hypersensitivity to the active substance or to the excipient.
Do not use the veterinary medicinal product as a sole anaesthetic agent in any other
species apart from the cat.

Horses, cattle, pigs, dogs, cats:
Rare
(1 to 10 animals / 10 000
animals treated):
Tachycardia, Hypertension,
Increased salivation
Undetermined frequency
(cannot be estimated from the
available data):
Immediate pain upon injection2,
Muscular hypertonicity3, Muscle tremor4,
Convulsion4,5, Nystagmus6, Mydriasis6,
Hyperaesthesia, Increased sensitivity to sound7,
Excitation8,
Respiratory depression9, Respiratory arrest10
1 Due to brainstem stimulation.
2 During intramuscular injection.
3 Due to disinhibition of the extra pyramidal system.
4 When no concomitant muscle relaxant is administered.
5 Tonic-clonic.
6 The eyes remain open.
7 During anaesthesia and in the recovery period.
8 Motoric.
9 Dose-related. Combination with respiratory depressant products may increase this
respiratory effect.
10 Particularly in cats.
Reporting adverse events is important. It allows continuous safety monitoring of a
veterinary medicinal product. Reports should be sent, preferably via a veterinarian, to
either the marketing authorisation holder or its local representative or the national
competent authority via the national reporting system. See the package leaflet for
respective contact details.
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For very painful and major surgical interventions, as well as for maintenance of
anaesthesia, a combination with injectable- or inhalation-anaesthetics is necessary.
As muscle relaxation required for surgical procedures cannot be achieved with
ketamine alone, additional muscle-relaxants should be used concomitantly. For
improvement of anaesthesia or prolongation of effect ketamine can be combined with
α2-receptor-agonists, anaesthetics, neuroleptanalgesics, tranquilizers and
inhalational anaesthetic agents.
A small proportion of animals have been reported to be unresponsive to ketamine as
an anaesthetic agent at normal dosages.
It should be noted that time-to-full-effect may be prolonged when using the
subcutaneous administration route in cat.

Special precautions for safe use in the target species:
Do not reverse ketamine-medetomidine combinations in dogs and cats with
atipamezole until 45 minutes after ketamine administration, when ketamine action
has ceased.
Pre-surgical preparation:
As for all anaesthetics animals should be fasted for 12 hours before ketamine
anaesthesia.
Anaesthetic period:
Under ketamine anaesthesia the eyes of treated animals remain open, therefore to
prevent desiccation in case of longer lasting procedures they should be protected
accordingly (by use of appropriate ointments).
Recovery period:
It is important that both premedication and recovery should occur in quiet and calm
surroundings. Recovery usually is complete after 2 hours but may occasionally
take longer. In dogs, states of psychomotoric excitation with howling can rarely be
observed.
Special precautions to be taken by the person administering the veterinary
medicinal product to animals:
People with known hypersensitivity to ketamine or to the excipient should avoid
contact with the veterinary medicinal product.
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Avoid contact with the skin and eyes. Wash any splashes from skin and eyes
immediately with large amounts of water.
Adverse effects on the foetus cannot be excluded. Pregnant women should avoid
handling the veterinary medicinal product.
This is a potent drug - particular care should be taken to avoid accidental self-
administration.
In cases of accidental self-injection or if symptoms occur after ocular/oral
contact, seek medical advice immediately and show the package leaflet or the label
to the physician, but
DO NOT DRIVE.
Advice to doctor:
Do not leave patient unattended. Maintain airways and give symptomatic and
supportive treatment.
Special precautions for the protection of the environment:
Not applicable.

Neuroleptanalgesics, tranquilizers, morphine analogues, cimetidine and
chloramphenicol potentiate ketamine anaesthesia.
Barbiturates and opiates or diazepam can prolong the recovery period. Effects may
be additive; dosage reduction of one or both agents may be required. Potential for
increased risk for arrhythmias when used in combination with thiopental or
halothane. Halothane prolongs the half-life of ketamine. Simultaneously administered
intravenous spasmolytics can provoke a collapse.
Theophylline with ketamine can cause an increased incidence of seizures.
The use of detomidine in combination with ketamine gives a slow recuperation.

Keep the container in the outer carton in order to protect from light. After first opening
do not store above 25 °C.

Horses and cattle:
Meat and offal: zero days
Milk: zero hours
Pigs:
Meat and offal: zero days

This information is sourced from the official Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) published by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD). It is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace professional veterinary advice. Always consult your vet before administering any medication.