Field immobilization of raccoons with ketamine hydrochloride and xylazine hydrochloride

A 5:1 combination of ketamine hydrochloride (KH) and xylazine hydrochloride (XH) was used to immobilize raccoons Procyon lotor (Linnaeus, 1758). Ten raccoons were intramuscularly injected a total of 11 times with dosages between 22.0 to 38.2 mg/kg KH and 4.4 to 7.6 mg/kg XH. Mean (± SE) induction time (3.4 ± 0.5 min), recovery time (101.2 ± 27.8 min), and resting heart rate (92 ± 7.6 bpm) was similar to values reported for captive raccoons immobilized with 10 mg/kg KH and 2 mg/kg XH. Mean body temperature decreased 1.3°C between 0 and 20 min post-recumbency. Respiration (23 ± 4.0) was generally deep and consistent. A mixture of 5:1 KH/XH is a suitable immobilizing agent for wild raccoons during field studies.