Abstract
A dose range was determined for anaesthesia of 20 recently boma-captured roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus) with the synthetic opiate A3080 combined with medetomidine and ketamine. A dose of 10-30 micro/kg A3080 (x = 20+/-8 microg/kg) combined with 5-21 microg/kg medetomidine (x = 13+/-7 microg/kg) plus 0.29-1.11 mg/kg ketamine (x = 0.71+/-0.24 mg/kg) was found to be safe and effective for the field conditions in this study. The anaesthesia produced by this drug combination was predictable and characterised by a short induction time, good muscle relaxation, and acceptable physiological parameters for anaesthesia periods ranging from 49-103 min (x = 64+/-19 min). The wide range (3-4-fold) of doses with acceptable results is also an indication that this drug combination has a wide margin of safety in roan antelope, making it desirable for field use. When 2 dose levels (2-3-fold dif ference) were retrospectively evaluated, no statistical difference was found in induction times, and no observable clinical differences in the anaesthetic episodes were seen. Based on this study, the recommended dose range in roan antelope for this combination is 10-13 microg/kg A3080, 5-6 microg/kg medetomidine and 0.3-0.6 mg/kg ketamine. The anaesthesia produced by this combination was rapidly and completely reversed by i.m. or i.v. injections of naltrexone at 30 times the A3080 dose (x = 0.60+/-0.25 mg/kg) and atipamezole at 3 times the medetomidine dose (x = 38+/-20 microg/kg). No residual effects from ketamine were noted following reversal of A3080 and medetomidine. No mortality was associated with this protocol.
Highlights
The roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus) is rare throughout its range in southern Africa and is highly prized on game farms and in National Parks, which have ongoing conservation programmes to protect and propagate this species
The objective of this study was to determine whether the rapid induction potential of A3080 could be combined with the potent selective alpha2-agonist effects of MED and the synergistic effects of KET to produce a predictable, rapid, balanced anaesthesia in roan antelope
The anaesthetics used in this study were A3080 (10 mg/m, Wildlife Pharmaceuticals, Karino), medetomidine hydrochloride (MED) (20 mg/m, Wildlife Pharmaceuticals, Karino) and ketamine hydrochloride (KET) (200 mg/m, Wildlife Pharmaceuticals, Karino) formulated as sterile injectable solutions in multi-dose vials
Summary
The roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus) is rare throughout its range in southern Africa and is highly prized on game farms and in National Parks, which have ongoing conservation programmes to protect and propagate this species. There are several reports describing a variety of anaesthetic techniques used for roan antelope over the last 4 decades[3,5,11,12,13,14]. Neuroleptic-narcotic combinations have been the drugs of choice for field capture of roan antelope[3,13]. The current suggested protocol combines etorphine and a sedative/neuroleptic aWhite Oak Conservation Center, 3823 Owens Road, Yulee Florida 32097, USA. BNational Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution, Conservation and Research Center, Front Royal, Virginia 22630, USA.
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