Abstract
Captive cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) scheduled for either general health examination or dental surgery were immobilised with combinations of medetomidine-ketamine (K/DET, n = 19), midazolam-ketamine (K/MID, n = 4) or medetomidine-tiletamine-zolazepam (Z/DET, n = 5). Induction time and arterial blood pressure was not statistically significantly (P > 0.05) different between treatment groups. Transient seizures were observed in the K/DET treated animals during induction. Hypertension was present in all groups during anaesthesia with mean (+/- SD) systolic pressure of 30.7 +/- 5.0 kPa for the K/DET group, 27.7 +/- 2.7 kPa for the K/MID group, and 33.1 +/- 4.6 kPa for the Z/DET group. Heart rate was statistically significantly (P < 0.05) lower in the K/DET group (69 +/- 13.2 beats/min) compared to the K/MID group (97 +/- 22.6 beats/min), and ventilation rate was statistically significantly (P < 0.05) lower in the K/MID group (15 +/- 0.0 breaths/min) compared with the K/DET group (21 +/- 4.6). A metabolic acidosis and hypoxia were observed during anaesthesia when breathing air. Oxygen (O2) administration resulted in a statistically significant (P < 0.05) increase in the arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (hypercapnoea), arterial partial pressure of O2, and % oxyhaemoglobin saturation.
Highlights
Reports on the suitability of anaesthetic drugs for immobilisation and anaesthesia in cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) are limited
Hypertension is ascribed to be the result of increased peripheral resistance induced by the use of α2-adrenergic agonists such as medetomidine or xylazine[20]
Transient seizures were observed in 3 cheetahs immobilised with a high dose of ketamine (400 mg) combined with medetomidine, but not when combined with midazolam
Summary
Reports on the suitability of anaesthetic drugs for immobilisation and anaesthesia in cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) are limited. Combinations of xylazine-ketamine[12,15] or tiletamine-zolazepam[12,15], and phencyclidine-acepromazine[9] were reported previously. Deem and co-workers[2] reported on the use of tiletamine/zolazepam in combination with medetomidine for immobilisation of cheetahs and observed systemic arterial hypertension during anaesthesia. Hypertension was reported in other carnivore species after the use of medetomidine[11,19]. Hypertension is ascribed to be the result of increased peripheral resistance induced by the use of α2-adrenergic agonists such as medetomidine or xylazine[20]. In wolves the combination of medetomidine and aDepartment of Companion Animal Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X04, Onderstepoort, 0110 South Africa
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