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Table 2 Evaluation of the quality of anaesthesia induction, surgical conditions and recovery phase

From: Clinical and pharmacokinetic evaluation of S-ketamine for intravenous general anaesthesia in horses undergoing field castration

Parameter

Score

Description

Induction score

1 (Excellent)

Sinks smoothly to the ground, no forward-backward movement, no excitement

2 (Good)

Sinks smoothly to the ground, slight forward-backward movement, slight head or limb twitching

3 (Fair)

Inadequate relaxation, forward-backward movement, visible ataxia, twitching, slight limb paddling

4 (Poor)

Inadequate relaxation, considerable movement and ataxia, marked limb paddling

5 (Very poor)

Failure to reach recumbency

Recovery score

1 (Excellent)

Quiet, 1 or 2 coordinated efforts to sternal and standing positions, minimal to no ataxia once standing

2 (Good)

Quiet, 1 or 2 slightly uncoordinated efforts to sternal and standing positions, mild ataxia once standing

3 (Fair)

Multiple (>2) quiet attempts to sternal and standing positions, mild to considerable ataxia once standing

4 (Poor)

Multiple (>2) uncoordinated attempts to sternal and standing positions

5 (Very poor)

Recovery resulting in major injury

Surgical score

1 (Excellent)

Good muscle relaxation, easy extraction of the testicle

2 (Good)

Moderate retraction of the cremaster muscle

3 (Fair)

Difficult extraction of the testicle

4 (Poor)

Movements of the horse during surgery, reinjection required