The comparison on changes of the body heats in electroacupuncture analgesia and anesthesia by ketamine hydrochloride in dogs.

This study was performed to clarify the differences of the body heats between electroacupuncture analgesia (EA) and anesthesia by ketamine hydrochloride (ketamine anesthesia) in dogs. Nine clinically healthy dogs were divided into ketamine anesthesia (control: 5 heads) and EA (experimental: 4 heads) groups, respectively. The acupoints GV-5 and Bai-Hui were used. The infrared thermographic system was used to determine the body heats. The body heats was determined at areas such as the dorsocranial (DCr), dorsocaudal (DCd), ventrocranial (VCr) and ventrocaudal (VCd) regions, on pretreatment, 10, 20, 30, 50 and 90 minutes after treatments, respectively in control and experimental groups. The body heats showed decreasing tendency until 30 minutes after ketamine injection, and then showed increasing pattern until 90 minutes after at all areas investigated in the control group. However, no significant differences of the body heats in the DCr, DCd, VCr and VCd regions were found in the control group. On the other hand, the body heats showed increasing tendency until 30 minutes, and then showed decreasing pattern until 90 minutes after EA, in the experimental group. The significant difference was observed at 30 minutes in the DCr region, and also at 10, 20 and 30 minutes in the DCd regions in the experimental group (p < 0.05). The significant differences of the body heats were detected at 20 minutes in the DCr region, at 30 minutes in the DCd region and at 30 minutes in the VCd region between the experimental and control groups (p < 0.05). In conclusion, EA increases of the body heat in the contrary to that of ketamine anesthesia.