U ntreated pain and causes of stress in reptiles are associated with immunocompromise, negative energy balance, and delayed wound healing. 1 Welldefined guidelines exist regarding pain assessment and management in mammals, 2-4 but not for reptiles, for which the neural mechanisms of pain are poorly understood and effective analgesic drugs are frequently lacking. [5][6][7][8][9] Consequently, analgesia may infrequently be provided to reptilian patients in practice. 5 Opioids are effective analgesics in turtles and lizards, 10-15 but opioids are inconsistently effective analgesics in snakes, with many opioids failing to provide adequate antinociception in laboratory models of pain. 11,16,17 Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are commonly used in practice to mitigate signs of post- Respiratory and antinociceptive effects of dexmedetomidine and doxapram in ball pythons (Python regius)Alyssa A. Karklus ms, dvm Kurt K. Sladky ms, dvm