Anesthesia for Laboratory Animals and Exotics

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Anesthesia for Laboratory Animals and Exotics

• Susan K. Cutter, BS, RVT, RLATG
• VM 204

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Overview

• General overview and considerations of laboratory
  and exotic anesthesia
  
• Drug volumes that can be injected
• Specific drugs for specific species
• Dosage calculation examples
• Questions/Discussion

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What is anesthesia?

• A state of unconsciousness induced in an animal.

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3 Components of Anesthesia

• Analgesia pain relief
• Amnesia loss of memory
• Immobilization

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General Considerations

• Some species used extensively
• They are used more so there is more information
  available to research different anesthetic
  options
  
• Some species rarely used
• May need to find a person who has experience with
  these animals to get information about what does
  and does not work for anesthetic options
  
• Differing anatomy and physiology
• Size of species versus metabolism
• Dangerous or free-ranging species

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Factors that cannot be assessed at a distance

• Nutrition
• Disease
• Parasite load
• Infection
• Estrus
• Pregnancy
• Lactation

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Metabolism

• Smaller sized mammals have faster metabolism
• Need to consider when deciding what drugs to use
  and how fast they are eliminated from the body
  

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Techniques to use in anesthesia

• Accurate body weight
• Minimizing stress
• Withhold feed
• Large Animals 12 hours
• Small Animals (hedgehogs, sugar gliders,
  chinchillas 2 hours
  
• Rodents and Rabbits not necessary
• Intubation

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Techniques to use in anesthesiacontd

• Assist respiration
• Maintain body temperature
• Blankets
• Drapes
• Circulating water heating pads
• Limited clipping of hair
• Warmed fluids
• IV catheters

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Techniques to use in anesthesiacontd

• Supplemental fluids to correct for blood loss of
  dehydration
  
• 3 times the volume of blood lost
• Can be given IV
• Other routes to be given are IP or SQ
• Fluids during anesthesia
• 10ml/kg/hr

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Techniques to use in anesthesiacontd

• Monitor cardiovascular function
• MMC and CRT
• Heart rate
• Heart rhythm
• Pulse rate
• Pulse pressure
• Blood pressure
• ECG

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Techniques to use in anesthesiacontd

• Monitor reflexes
• Palpebral light if they are blinking
• Corneal stops blinking if too deep or dead ?
• Toe-pinch pulls away if light and is feeling
  pain
  
• Muscle tone

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Dosage Concerns

• What is a major concern that must be considered
  when figuring out dosages and concentrations to
  use?
  
• SIZE OF THE ANIMAL
• If an animal is the size of a rabbit or larger,
  you can use the prepared concentration of drugs
  
• If an animal is smaller, you will almost always
  have to dilute the drugs.

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Recommended volumes for injections
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Anesthetic considerations for specific species

• Rabbits
• Easily frightened
• Difficult to intubate
• In dorsal recumbency, abdominal viscera may
  interfere with diaphragm movement and venous
  return
  

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Anesthetic considerations for specific species

• Guinea Pigs
• Are difficult to intubate because of pharyngeal
  anatomy. Soft palate is continuous with the base
  of the tongue which is why the glottis cannot be
  visualized.
• Large cecum which contains 65 of the
  gastrointestinal contents

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Anesthetic considerations for specific species

• Hamsters
• Cheek pouches
• Biters
• Others
• Zebras are equines, but dont always use the
  same doses as domestic equines for anesthesia
  
• Research species before anesthetizing