Highly agitated dogs should therefore be put at ease and allowed to rest quietly prior to receiving Domitor. Allowing dogs to rest quietly for 10 to 15 minutes after injection may improve the response to Domitor. In dogs not responding satisfactorily to treatment with Domitor, repeat dosing is not recommended. Domitor is a potent alpha 2 -agonist which should be used with caution with other sedative or analgesic drugs. Additive or synergistic effects are likely, possibly resulting in overdose.
Special care is recommended when treating very young animals and older animals.
Incidents of prolonged sedation, bradycardia, cyanosis, vomiting, apnea, death from circulatory failure with severe congestion of lungs, liver, kidney and recurrence of sedation after initial recovery have been reported. Bradycardia with occasional atrioventricular blocks will occur together with decreased respiratory rates. Body temperature is slightly or moderately decreased. Urination typically occurs during recovery at about 90 to 120 minutes posttreatment. In target animal safety studies, medetomidine was tolerated in dogs at up to 5 times the recommended IV dose and up to 10 times the recommended IM dose.