To study the cardiovascular effects of low blood ionized calcium ion concentrations [Ca2+] induced by citrate infusion followed by high [Ca2+], induced by CaCl2infusion awake and during enflurance (2.5% ET), halothane (1.2% ET), and isoflurane (1.6% ET) anesthesia, dogs were chronically instrumented to measure heart rate, aortic, left atrial, and left ventricular (LV) blood pressures, and cardiac output. In conscious dogs low [Ca2+] (decreased 0.35 mM); increased heart rate (HR) and mean aortic pressure (MAP) and decreased stroke volume (SV) and LV dP/dtmax. Low [Ca2+] increased HR during all three anesthetics and decreased LV dP/dtmaxexcept during isoflurane anesthesia. Low [Ca2+] produced more hemodynamic depression during enflurane anesthesia than during anesthesia with halothane or isoflurane increasing left atrial pressure and decreasing MAP and SV. The differences seen were partially related to decreased systemic vascular resistance during halothane and isoflurane anesthesia. In conscious dogs following high [Ca2+] (increased 0.37 mM); only MAP and LV dP/dtmaxincreased. LVdP/dtmaxwas also increased by high [Ca2+] during all three anesthetics without a change in MAP. Cardiac output increased during halothane and isoflurane anesthesia but was unchanged during enflurane. It would appear that the hemodynamic sensitivity for the effects of changing [Ca2+] was enflurane > halothane > isoflurane > awake. The results suggest that the effects of changes in [Ca2+] induced by citrate and CaCl2infusion are modified by the three volatile anesthetics.