• Induction of General Anesthesia: Its most common use is to rapidly induce unconsciousness before maintaining anesthesia with inhaled agents (gas) for longer surgical procedures.
• Sole Anesthetic Agent for Short Procedures: It can be used as the sole anesthetic for brief, non-painful diagnostic interventions or minor surgical procedures lasting generally no longer than 20-25 minutes.
• Adjunct to Other Agents: It is often used in combination with other premedicants and muscle relaxants (like guaifenesin in horses) to achieve better muscle relaxation, improve hypnosis, and reduce the required dose of thiopental, which helps in a better quality of recovery.
• Control of Convulsive Disorders: It can be used as an adjunct for the control of seizures or convulsive disorders caused by various etiologies, including reactions to local anesthetics.
• Euthanasia: In cases of critical conditions with a hopeless prognosis, thiopental sodium is administered intravenously at high doses to provide a rapid and painless death. 

ADMINISTRATION

• Preparation: The drug is supplied as a yellowish powder and must be reconstituted with a sterile diluent, such as sterile water for injection or 0.9% sodium chloride solution, to create a 2.0% or 2.5% solution (20-25 mg/mL).
• Method: The solution is injected into a cannulated vein, and administration should be slow and carefully titrated to the patient’s response.
• Titration: Half of the calculated dose is typically given rapidly as a bolus, followed by additional smaller doses (e.g., quarter doses) over 20 to 30 seconds as needed to achieve the desired depth of anesthesia.
• Monitoring: The animal’s vital signs and reflexes must be closely monitored during administration to minimize the risk of respiratory depression, a common side effect.