Effect of Xylazine on Pharmacokinetics and Physiological Efficacy of Intravenous Carprofen in Castrated Goats Kids

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The castration of male goats is one of the most common livestock management procedures to reduce aggression and sexual behavior by lowering testosterone levels, prevent unwanted pregnancies, increase carcass composition and weight development, and reduce goaty smell. Carprofen can be used in the castration process of goats due to favorable pharmacological properties. This study investigated the effect of xylazine on the pharmacokinetics and physiological efficacy of intravenous carprofen in castrated male goat kids. Xylazine increased plasma concentration of carprofen and decreased clearance in castrated male goat kids. The increased cortisol concentration after castration was effectively reduced via the combined administration of carprofen and xylazine before castration. ABSTRACT: Carprofen can be used in the castration process of male goats due to its low side effects, long elimination half-life, and long-term effect. However, no studies were found on the pharmacokinetics and physiological efficacy of carprofen when employed for castration in male goats. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of xylazine (0.05 mg/kg, intramuscular) on the pharmacokinetics and physiological efficacy following intravenous administration of carprofen (4 mg/kg, intravenous) in male goat kids castrated using the burdizzo method. Thirty male Kilis goat kids (5–6 months and 18–30 kg of body weight) were randomly assigned to five groups (n = 6) as follows: healthy control (HC), castration control (CAST), castration+carprofen (CAST+CRP), castration+xylazine (CAST+XYL), and castration+xylazine+carprofen (CAST+XYL+CRP). Plasma concentrations of carprofen were analyzed via a non-compartmental method. Physiological parameters including serum cortisol, scrotal temperature, rectal temperature, and scrotal circumference were determined. Xylazine caused a decrease in the volume of distribution and clearance and an increase in the area under the curve of carprofen in CAST+XYL+CRP group (p < 0.05). The mean cortisol concentrations in CAST+CRP and CAST+XYL remained lower compared to CAST (p < 0.05). The mean cortisol concentrations in CAST+XYL+CRP were lower than in CAST+CRP and CAST+XYL (p < 0.05). In addition, the effect of carprofen administration alone on reducing the initial cortisol response to castration was observed from 6 to 48 h, while in combination with xylazine, it was observed immediately up to 48 h. No treatment differences were observed in rectal temperature, scrotal temperature, and scrotal circumference (p > 0.05). Xylazine caused an increase in plasma concentration and a decrease in clearance of carprofen after co-administration. However, when the effect of the combined administration of carprofen with xylazine on cortisol is evaluated, their combined use in castration process may be beneficial.