We examined the ventilatory effects of exogenous dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) administration in chloralose-anesthetized, paralyzed, artificially ventilated adult goats before and after carotid body denervation (CBD). Intravenous (iv) DA bolus injections and slow iv infusions caused dose-dependent inhibition of phrenic nerve activity (PNA) in carotid body (CB)-intact animals during normoxia and hyperoxia but not during hypercapnia. NE administration in CB-intact goats caused dose-dependent inhibition of PNA of similar magnitude to DA trials. The DA D₂-receptor agonists quinelorane and quinpirole inhibited PNA, whereas the DA D₁-receptor agonist SKF-81297 had no effect. After CBD, the ventilatory depressant effects of DA persisted, but responses were significantly attenuated compared with CB-intact trials. CBD abolished the inhibitory effect of low-dose NE administration but did not alter ventilatory responses to high-dose NE injection. The peripheral DA D₂-receptor antagonist domperidone substantially attenuated the inhibitory effects of DA bolus injections and infusions and reversed the inhibitory ventilatory effect of high-dose DA administration to excitation in some animals. The -adrenoceptor antagonist phentolamine had no effect on DA-induced ventilatory depression. -Adrenoceptor stimulation with isoproterenol produced similar hemodynamic effects to DA administration but had no effect on PNA. We conclude that DA and NE exert both CB-mediated and non-CB-mediated inhibitory effects on respiratory motor output in anesthetized goats. The ventilatory depressant effects that persist in peripherally chemodenervated animals are DA D₂-receptor mediated, but their exact location remains speculative.