Is ketamine an animal tranquilizer?

Ketamine is primarily an anesthetic, not a tranquilizer. While it was FDA approved for human use in 1970, it is also commonly used in veterinary medicine due to its analgesic and sedative properties.

Tranquilizers, on the other hand, mainly produce anxiolytic (preventing or treating anxiety) effects. Ketamine serves both human and animal patients, but its classification and primary purpose are as an anesthetic.