Effects of amitraz on nerve conduction and neuromuscular transmission in anaesthetised dogs.

Ataxia is an occasional side effect of amitraz when used as a wash to treat dogs with demodectic mange. In the present study, successive doses of 0.5, 2, 5 and 10 mg kg-1 amitraz were given intravenously at intervals of nine minutes to thiopentone/methoxyflurane/oxygen anaesthetised dogs. The amplitude of the evoked muscle action potential to electrical stimulation of the right ulnar nerve and the muscle refractory period were unchanged by increasing doses of amitraz but there was a progressive and significant decrease in nerve conduction velocity. The minimum recorded nerve conduction velocity (50.7 +/- 1.5 m s-1) was still within an adequate range. From these results it appears that the ataxia following amitraz is unlikely to be attributable to peripheral mechanisms. The concurrent amitraz-induced rise in mean arterial pressure and bradycardia was consistent with previous findings in which alpha 2-adrenoceptors were shown to be the major mediators.