Anaesthetic Cocktails for Balanced Anaesthesia – A Guide for Small Animal Practitioners is a comprehensive resource designed to simplify and promote the practice of balanced anaesthesia in small animal veterinary care. The book addresses the challenges faced by small animal practitioners in India, where limited resources, lack of access to anaesthesiologists, and difficulties in calculating complex drug dosages often hinder the adoption of advanced anaesthetic techniques.

The core of balanced anaesthesia involves the careful combination of multiple drugs to minimize risks and side effects, while maximizing the effectiveness of sedation and general anaesthesia. This book proposes a practical approach by offering easily applicable anaesthetic cocktail formulations. Each cocktail is tailored to achieve essential outcomes like anti-nociception, muscle relaxation, amnesia, and loss of consciousness, with reduced individual drug dosages to enhance safety.

The guide emphasizes ease of use, with simplified dosing calculations based on animal body weight, making it accessible even to practitioners with limited training or resources. It aims to help veterinarians create tailored anaesthetic plans that are not only safe and effective but also cost-efficient, ensuring that small animal patients receive the best possible care. Ultimately, this book serves as a valuable tool for veterinary practitioners, helping them implement balanced anaesthesia confidently and practically in their daily practices.

Sooryadas Surendran MVSc (Vet. Surgery), PG Dip (Small Animal Theriogenology)
Fellow Vet. Minimal Access Surgery, PhD (Vet. Surgery), Former Associate Professor & Head (Vet. Surgery & Radiology), College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Kerala Veterinary & Animal Sciences University, Pookode, Wayanad, Kerala., Chief Surgeon, Charis Veterinary Clinic, Kingdom of Bahrain,
Professor and Program Director, Charis Vets Educational, Bahrain

Preface
Chapter 1. Introduction 
Chapter 2. Sedative Cocktails
        Sedative cocktails containing a phenothiazine tranquiliser along with an opioid and an anticholinergic
        Buprenorphine/Butorphanol-Acepromazine-Glycopyrrolate (BAG)
        Sedative cocktails containing an alpha-2 agonist along with an opioid and a benzodiazepine
        Xylazine-Butorphanol / Buprenorphine-Midazolam (XBM)
        Xylazine-Nalbuphine-Midazolam (XNM) 
        Xylazine-Tramadol-Midazolam (XTraM) 
        Dexmedetomidine-Butorphanol/Buprenorphine-Midazolam (DBM)
Chapter 3. Induction Cocktails
        Ketamine-Propofol “Ketofol”
        Thiopentone-Propofol “Thio-propofol”
Chapter 4. Anaesthetic Cocktails
        Xylazine/Dexmedetomidine-Butorphanol-Midazolam-Ketamine
        (XBMK/DBMK) 
        Butorphanol/Buprenorphine-TiletamineZolazepam-
        Dexmedetomidine/Xylazine (BTDex/BTX)
Chapter 5. Cocktails for Total Intravenous Anaesthesia (Tiva)
        Total Intravenous Anaesthesia
        Preparation of Constant Rate Infusions for TIVA
        Basic Understanding of CRI Calculation
Index