TABLE 1.

Simple descriptive scale for scoring habitus during cage rest, sedation following premedication (acepromazine 0.02 mg/kg and morphine 0.3 mg/kg) intramuscularly and quality of intravenous induction, intubation and incidence of myoclonus,with either propofol or diazepam-ketamine in male dogs.

Criteria scored	Score	Description
Cage habitus	0	Severely anxious and aggressive, vocalising, no body tremors
	1	Anxious and vocalising, no body tremors
	2	Anxious but responsive to external stimuli
	3	Calm and responsive to external stimuli
Sedation†	0	No change from pre-sedation behaviour
	1	Slight sedation, still able to walk
	2	Ataxic and heavily sedated, able to walk
	3	Very heavily seated, unable to walk
Quality of induction‡	0	Calm transition, no paddling
	1	Occasional, slow paddling movements
	2	Moderate, sustained paddling movements
	3	Marked paddling, struggling or vocalisation
Intubation	0	Easy intubation
	1	Mild coughing
	2	Pronounced coughing
	3	Swallowing, coughing and gagging
Myoclonus‡	0	No twitching
	1	Occasional, mild muscle twitching
	2	Moderate, sustained muscle twitching
	3	Severe muscle twitching with opisthotonus and/or extensor muscle rigidity

Source: Adapted from Amengual, M., Flaherty, D., Auckburally, A., Bell, A.M., Scott, E.M. & Pawson, P., 2013, ‘An evaluation of anaesthetic induction in healthy dogs using rapid intravenous injection of propofol or alfaxalone’, Journal of Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia 40(5), 115–123. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-2995.2012.00747.x

†, Dogs exposed to call and clapping, dog then walked from cage to preparation room approximately 2 metres away; ‡, Assessed from commencement of administration of induction protocol until initiation of isoflurane administration.