Abstract
Detailed information on the anaesthetic and cardiorespiratory effects of drug combinations used for the chemical immobilization of Kinkajous (Potos flavus) is scarce. This study assessed the effects of ketamine (2.5mg/kg), xylazine (1mg/kg) and midazolam (0.5mg/kg) combination in P. flavus. Five clinically healthy adult Kinkajous of both sexes were included. Heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, blood pressure and body temperature were recorded at five-minute intervals for 25 minutes. Then, animals received 0.125mg/kg of yohimbine by intramuscular injection. Anaesthetic depth was assessed based on stimulus response and muscle tone. Induction, immobilization, and recovery periods were recorded and qualitatively assessed based on the absence of adverse effects. The durations of the induction, immobilization, and recovery periods were 9.42±1.73, 33.33±2.16, and 31.37±5.82 minutes. All periods showed good quality and adequate anaesthetic depth was achieved. Mean heart and respiratory rates were 99±20 beats/minute and 44±9 breaths/minute. Both parameters decreased over the duration of the anaesthesia but they did not reach levels suggesting either bradycardia or bradypnea. Mean body temperature was 37.1±1.5 0C and it also showed a decreasing trend over the duration of the anaesthesia. Mean oxygen saturation was 92±6% and it showed a mildly increasing trend over the duration of the anesthesia. Mean blood pressure was 129±23 mmHg and mild to moderate hypertension was observed. No mortality occurred and no adverse effects were observed in any of the individuals during the three months following immobilization. The assessed anaesthetic combination effectively immobilized the P. flavus individuals, provided good quality and acceptable duration of both induction and recovery periods. It should, however, not be used in Kinkajous with either known hypertension record or pre-existing target organ disease (e.g., renal failure, retinopathy).
Highlights
To the authorsknowledge this is the first article describing the use of ketamine, xylazine, and midazolam combination in Kinkajous Potos flavus
Most studies on the chemical immobilization of procyonids have used a combination of a dissociative agent and either an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist or a benzodiazepine (Ramsay 2015), but the use of a combination of these three types of drugs has been reported only in Procyon lotor (Belant 2004)
The body temperatures observed in this study was lower than those observed in Procyon lotor immobilized using TZX (Belant 2004) and KX (Deresienski & Rupprecht 1989) and in those in Nasua narica immobilized with KMB (Georoff et al 2004); it was similar to the body temperatures that were observed in Procyon lotor immobilized with KM (Robert et al 2012), and higher than the body temperatures that were observed in Potos flavus immobilized with KM (Fournier et al 1998)
Summary
Performed in order to allow routine health assessments. Kinkajous Potos flavus are a medium sized procyonid inhabiting neotropical forests ranging from Mexico to Brazil (Melo et al 2005; Kays et al 2008). Physical restraint of procyonids is unsafe, requiring the use of chemical immobilization to perform routine (e.g., physical examination, vaccination) or emergency procedures (e.g., medical treatment) (Labate et al 2001; Association of Zoos and Aquariums Small Carnivore Taxon Advisory Group 2010). The aim of this study was to assess the efficiency of a combination of ketamine, xylazine and midazolam for the immobilization of captive Kinkajous and to describe its anaesthetic and cardiorespiratory effects. Physical and chemical restraint The animals were physically restrained by grabbing and holding their tails through the wire mesh surrounding the enclosure They immediately received a combination of ketamine hydrochloride (2.5mg/kg) (Imalgene®, Merial, France), xylazine hydrochloride (1mg/kg) (Dormi-Xyl®, Agrovet Market, Peru) and midazolam maleate (0.5mg/kg) (Midanex®, AC Farma, Peru) by intramuscular injection using a sole syringe. Blood pressure was assessed using an oscilloscope (VS2000V, Ubox, China), placing the pressure cuff on the hindlimb (Image 1b) (Heard 2007)
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