Is Acepromazine tranquilizer safe for my cat's nail trims at home?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! In general, the active ingredient in this product (acepromazine) is safe for otherwise healthy pets. The main adverse reactions are sleepiness for an extended period of time (like 12-24 hours), and low blood pressure. Always try the low end of the dose range first, and if that is not sufficient, increase the dose. Use as directed on the box or by your veterinarian to make it as safe as possible. This drug is meant for occasional use (like a trip to the vet). I would not recommend it for daily use (except in short term cases like for a few days after a surgery when the patient needs to stay quiet). Hope this helps and best of luck to you and you cat!

The published dose for oral acepromazine is 0.5 to 2 mg per kilogram for sedation, however if this was notnprescribed for Tom I would not recommend giving it. Acepromazine can be dangerous for cats with certain medical conditions.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Although frequent sedation is not ideal, sometimes this is needed for some animals. There are a few things that can be done to help decrease the frequency of the nails needing to be trimmed, and also ways to ensure the sedation is 'safer'. Firstly, make sure you have lots of scratching post options for Sweet-Tart. If she is overweight, getting that weight down as well will increase her activity which will cause the nails to file down naturally more, requiring less frequent sedation. If she is going to be sedated frequently, doing bloodwork and a urine check every year or two is a good idea to make sure her kidneys are doing ok, as sedation can be hard on the kidneys. Also, depending on what type of sedation is being used, they can be 'harder' or 'softer' on the body. So just make sure your vet is using the 'softest' possible sedation to get the job done. Best of luck with Sweet-Tart.

One option may be to use an oral sedative from your veterinarian. Ask the vet about Acepromazine or Trazodone. Working on some positive association may also help. You may need both the association and a sedative. Begin by having a high value treat. Start toughing his feet and reward him as soon as you touch his toe nails. Do this for a few days. Once Sparks seems comfortable with this behavior, show him the clippers. Rewards him every time he looks at the clippers. Gradually move the clippers closer to him until they touch his nail. Give him treats frequently. Then cut one nail, reward him immediately and stop the trimming for that session. Work up to multiple nails. Be patient and don't stress him or get injured. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Zeus is gorgeous! Thanks for including a picture. The problem with strong dogs is that they quickly realize that they can overpower you. I have problems with this with my own pit bull. The best way that I have found to trim his nails is to use a Kong filled with peanut butter to keep him busy, then nonchalantly trim his nails. Certainly that won't work for Zeus right now if he is very anxious with nail trimming. There are a number of medications that we will try to use for nail trimming at home (or to decrease anxiety in the clinic). Trazadone works great for some dogs, but sometimes we have to adjust the dose. So, you could give the recommended dose 2-4 hours before trying a calm nail trimming with positive reinforcement. You may only be able to trim a few nails, but I would consider that a success for a nervous dog. Be patient with the process. If the Trazadone does not decrease his anxiety enough, then I would recommend talking to your vet about other options or the possibility of adjusting his Trazadone dosing. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

If Sherlock is that bad for his nails I would consider sedating him to have them trimmed. You can also have a mobile vet come to your home in case he is better for that. I would also recommend if you try going to the vet again to have the techs not get him wild before they come in. Can you get one nail each time he is sleeping? I would be careful since cat bites can be very serious. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

The only safe and effective sedatives for dogs are available from the vet. Unfortunately it's illegal for me to recommend using anything, including OTC drugs, because I can't see Duke in person. That's because doing so requires a veterinary client patient relationship which cannot be achieved via an internet forum. In addition, the experts cannot say for certain if a specific drug is safe for your dog. He's an older dog, and specific drugs may be contraindicated in him due to potential health problems such as heart disease. I'd make an appointment with his vet. The vet can give him a safe sedative and trim the nails for you. Best of luck, I hope this helps.