Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate short-term intravenous anaesthesia with alfaxalone in green iguanas (Iguana iguana). Alfaxalone at a dose rate of 5 mg/kg was administered to thirteen adult male green iguanas via the ventral caudal vein following 24 h fasting. The induction time, tracheal tube insertion time, surgical plane of anaesthesia interval, and full recovery time were recorded. Systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure (measured indirectly), pulse rate, respiratory rate, SpO2 and ETCO2 were recorded. The induction time and tracheal tube insertion time was 41.54 ± 27.69 s and 69.62 ± 37.03 s, respectively. The time from the alfaxalone administration to the loss of toe-pinch reflex was 2.20 ± 1.47 min. Full activity was restored 14.23 ± 4.15 min after the initial alfaxalone administration. The respiratory rate increased significantly (P < 0.01) from 4.3. ± 3.2 to 6.8 ± 1.6 breaths per min and a gradual decrease of ETCO2 from 43.65 ± 10.54 to 26.58 ± 8.10 mmHg (P < 0.01) was noted from the second to the 13th min after alfaxalone administration. The pulse rate, SpO2 and blood pressure did not change significantly. Intravenous use of alfaxalone proved to be a suitable and safe form for short term anaesthesia in green iguanas.
Highlights
The aim of this study was to evaluate short-term intravenous anaesthesia with alfaxalone in green iguanas (Iguana iguana)
The clinical research was performed with a group of 13 adult male green iguanas (Iguana iguana) aged 6 to 10 years, with an average weight of 1.31 ± 0.67 kg, housed at the Avian and Exotic Animal Clinic of the University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
After the intravenous administration of alfaxalone the righting reflex was usually lost within 1 min (41.54 ± 27.69 s)
Summary
The aim of this study was to evaluate short-term intravenous anaesthesia with alfaxalone in green iguanas (Iguana iguana). Intravenous use of alfaxalone proved to be a suitable and safe form for short term anaesthesia in green iguanas. The benefits of alfaxalone in small animals include rapid induction and fast recovery (Maddern et al.2010). A few clinical studies on the use of alfaxalone in reptiles have been published (Carmel 2002; Simpson 2004; Scheelings et al 2010) These studies vary both in the amount of recommended dose and the description of clinical signs observed in reptiles. The assessment of alfaxalone as a short-acting anaesthetic agent or as an induction agent prior to inhalation anaesthesia is timely (Maddern et al 2010). The aim of this study was to evaluate short-term intravenous anaesthesia with alfaxalone in healthy green iguanas (Iguana iguana) kept experimentally
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