Propofol and alfaxalone are injectable anesthetic agents commonly used for intravenous induction in dogs. This study evaluated early hemodynamic and respiratory responses during short intravenous anesthetic induction for central venous catheter (CVC) placement in dogs with advanced renal disease. Twenty-four client-owned dogs with severe renal impairment (ASA IV–V) were assigned to four protocols: A1 (butorphanol + alfaxalone; n=8), A2 (alfaxalone alone; n=5), P1 (medetomidine–vatinoxan + propofol; n=7), and P2 (propofol alone; n=4). Heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), end-tidal CO₂ (ETCO₂) and ECG were recorded over 12 minutes. Dogs were pre-oxygenated, induced to effect, endotracheally intubated and supplied with oxygen; thus, the protocol achieved short general anesthesia rather than procedural sedation. Propofol without premedication was associated with mild early reductions in HR, MAP and ETCO₂; with premedication, the main change was a decrease in HR. Alfaxalone produced a slight HR reduction in premedicated dogs, while non-premedicated dogs showed an early MAP decrease with reflex tachycardia. No clinically relevant ECG abnormalities were observed. Overall, alfaxalone-based protocols showed greater hemodynamic stability. Short intravenous anesthetic induction for CVC placement can be performed in severely renal-compromised dogs when carefully titrated and closely monitored.
Florea et al. (2026) studied this question.