Detomidine: veterinary dose and monograph

At a glance

Drug class

Sedative / anaesthetic

Also known as

Domosedan, Dormosedan

Species with doses

Dogs, Cattle, Horses, Goats, Sheep and Camelids

General dose range

0.01–0.04 mg/kg IV once (repeat to effect) — check the species tables for the indication

Routes

IV, PO, Epidural, IM

Last reviewed

1 October 2026

Indications

• Standing sedation for diagnostics, dentistry and minor surgery (horse)
• Premedication before general anaesthesia
• Short-term visceral analgesia in colic
• Restraint of cattle

Detomidine dose by species

Doses are per administration unless stated. mg/kg doses scale with body weight; per-animal, per-quarter and infusion-rate doses are shown as the reference writes them.

Dogs

• Sedation (injectable): Papich 5e: dogs 5 µg/kg IV or 10–20 µg/kg IM. Oral mucosal gel: 0.5 mg/m² for mild sedation, 1 mg/m² for heavier sedation, applied to the upper gingiva. Reverse with atipamezole 0.1 mg/kg IM.

Cattle

• Sedation / restraint: Papich 5e: cattle 5–40 µg/kg IM or 2–10 µg/kg IV. Plumb’s p.366: sedation/analgesia 30–60 µg/kg IV or IM (Alitalo 1986, not FDA-approved); analgesia 0.01 mg/kg IV lasting about 30 min, with withdrawal milk 72 h and slaughter 7 days (Walz 2006). Avoid in late pregnancy.
• Analgesia / sedation (IV): Papich 5e: cattle 2–10 µg/kg IV; calves 30 µg/kg IV. Plumb’s p.366 (Walz 2006): 0.01 mg/kg IV, about 30 min of analgesia; milk 72 h, slaughter 7 days.

Horses

• Standing sedation: Papich 5e and Plumb’s p.365 (label): 20–40 µg/kg IV or IM — the lower dose gives 30–90 min sedation, the higher 90–120 min; 10–20 µg/kg is often used first and repeated (Papich), and for colic analgesia (Moore 1999). Draft horses as little as 5 µg/kg. Do not confuse µg/kg with mg/kg. ARCI Class 3.
• Sublingual gel (field sedation): Papich 5e and Plumb’s p.365 (Dormosedan Gel label): 0.04 mg/kg placed under the tongue — not to be swallowed; dosing syringe delivers 0.25 mL steps. Onset about 40 min; withhold feed until effect wears off.
• Standing sedation CRI: Papich 5e: 10 µg/kg IV bolus, then 0.5 µg/kg/min for 15 min, reducing progressively to 0.1 µg/kg/min. Plumb’s p.365 (Mogg 2006): 7.5–8.4 µg/kg bolus, then 0.5–0.6 µg/kg/min for 15 min, halving every 15 min. Often needs local anaesthesia or butorphanol as well.
• Caudal epidural analgesia: Plumb’s p.365 (Muir 2004): 0.06 mg/kg between S4–S5 (2–3 h analgesia), or 0.03 mg/kg with morphine 0.2 mg/kg (over 6 h).

Goats

• Sedation / restraint (extra-label): Plumb’s p.366 (Haskell 2005): sheep and goats — analgesia 0.005–0.05 mg/kg IV or IM (q3–6h, once); anaesthesia 0.01 mg/kg IM followed by propofol 3–5 mg/kg IV. Start at the low end; reverse with atipamezole. Extra-label — obtain a FARAD withdrawal.

Sheep

• Sedation / restraint (extra-label): Plumb’s p.366 (Haskell 2005): sheep and goats — analgesia 0.005–0.05 mg/kg IV or IM (q3–6h, once); anaesthesia 0.01 mg/kg IM followed by propofol 3–5 mg/kg IV. Watch for hypoxaemia; reverse with atipamezole. Extra-label — obtain a FARAD withdrawal.

Buffalo

No buffalo-specific doses are on file, so buffalo are dosed as cattle.

• Sedation / restraint: Papich 5e: cattle 5–40 µg/kg IM or 2–10 µg/kg IV. Plumb’s p.366: sedation/analgesia 30–60 µg/kg IV or IM (Alitalo 1986, not FDA-approved); analgesia 0.01 mg/kg IV lasting about 30 min, with withdrawal milk 72 h and slaughter 7 days (Walz 2006). Avoid in late pregnancy.
• Analgesia / sedation (IV): Papich 5e: cattle 2–10 µg/kg IV; calves 30 µg/kg IV. Plumb’s p.366 (Walz 2006): 0.01 mg/kg IV, about 30 min of analgesia; milk 72 h, slaughter 7 days.

Camelids

• Analgesia / sedation: Plumb’s p.366 (Haskell 2005): llamas and alpacas 0.005–0.05 mg/kg IV or IM.

Contraindications

Cardiac disease / arrhythmia (AV block, bradycardia). Hypotension / shock. Last-trimester cattle (uterine effects). Combine cautiously with potentiated sulfonamides (fatal arrhythmias reported with alpha-2s in horses).

Species-specific warnings

Horses: Do NOT co-administer with potentiated sulfonamides (TMP-sulfa) — fatal dysrhythmias have been reported with alpha-2 + sulfonamide in horses.

Adverse effects

• Bradycardia, second-degree AV block
• Transient hypertension then hypotension
• Marked diuresis, sweating (horses), ataxia
• Reduced GI motility

Drug interactions

• Other alpha-2 agonists (xylazine, medetomidine, romifidine, clonidine — and epinephrine): NOT recommended together with detomidine, effects may be additive
• Anaesthetics, opiates, sedative/hypnotics: additive effects, dose reduction of one or both may be required; increased risk of ARRHYTHMIAS in combination with thiopental, ketamine or halothane
• Phenothiazines (e.g. acepromazine): SEVERE HYPOTENSION can result
• Epinephrine: since epinephrine has alpha-agonist effects, do NOT use it to treat cardiac effects caused by detomidine
• Other sedatives or analgesics: the manufacturer warns to use with extreme caution in combination

Pregnancy and lactation

Alpha-2 agonists increase uterine tone — avoid in late-gestation cattle; use the lowest effective dose in pregnant mares.

Toxicity and overdose

Plumb's p.365: the manufacturer states horses tolerate 5x the high dose level (0.2 mg/kg against a 0.04 mg/kg high dose). Doses of 0.4 mg/kg daily for 3 consecutive days produced microscopic foci of MYOCARDIAL NECROSIS in 1 of 8 horses. Doses of 10–40x the recommended level can cause severe respiratory and cardiovascular changes that may become irreversible and fatal. Reversal: yohimbine or atipamezole can reverse some or all effects — atipamezole at 50–100 micrograms/kg has been used successfully to treat inadvertent detomidine overdose in horses.

Clinical pearls

• Give IV and wait — let the horse lower its head before you start; redose rather than over-dosing up front
• Pair with butorphanol for reliable standing chemical restraint
• Keep atipamezole / tolazoline on hand to reverse excessive depth

Mechanism of action

Plumb's p.365: alpha-2 adrenergic agonist, like xylazine, producing dose-dependent sedation and analgesia together with cardiac and respiratory effects. The number that matters clinically: detomidine is approximately 50–100 TIMES as potent as xylazine, so the two are not interchangeable on a mg basis. Well absorbed orally but used only parenterally; rapidly distributed into tissues including brain after parenteral dosing, extensively metabolised and excreted primarily in urine. Peak sedation in horses occurs 5–20 minutes after injection.

Formulations and products

• Domosedan 10 mg/mL injection
• Dormosedan sublingual gel 7.6 mg/mL

Before you use this dose

Reference doses for veterinary professionals. Confirm the dose against the product label, the patient’s condition, current guidance and local regulations before use; the attending veterinarian remains responsible for every clinical decision.

Other sedatives and anaesthetics

• Acepromazine
• Alfaxalone
• Azaperone
• Dexmedetomidine
• Diazepam
• Etomidate
• Guaifenesin (GGE)
• Isoflurane

Frequently asked questions