5: Rabbit Anaesthesia Flashcards
Why should you avoid medetomidine in large rabbits?
Cardiac disease
Why should rabbits only have a small breakfast before surgery?
Small thoracic cavity
Which way should you NOT give fluids in rabbits?
Intraperitoneal
What is the usual pre-med in rabbits?
Hyponorm or medetomidine
Why should you avoid masking rabbits?
Stress, breath holding, bradycardia
Why is the only time masking a rabbit can work?
With a pre-med
Why should you give all rabbits oxygen before induction?
Anaesthetics cause resp depression
What is in hyponorm?
Fentanyl and fluanisone
What is the problem with hyponorm?
Profound resp depression and long recovery
How can you reverse the resp depression caused by hyponorm?
Butorphanol
Which pre-meds give the best surgical conditions?
Ketamine and alpha-2 agonist
What can happen if you don’t give oxygen after giving ketamine and alpha-2 pre-med?
Severe hypoxaemia
What’s the advantage of giving ketamine and alpha-2 agonist?
Can reverse with atipam
What can you use to induce a rabbit?
Propofol and alfaxalone
Why must you intubate a rabbit quickly?
Wakes very quickly
What should you do before intubating a rabbit?
Give oxygen and check mouth for food material
What equipment do you need to intubate a rabbit?
Spray and a special laryngoscope
Why are rabbits hard to intubate?
Large tongue, cheek teeth, epiglottis, small gape, sharp angle, prone to laryngospasm and laryngeal oedema
How do V gels work?
Supraglottic airway device to wrap the glottis
What should you do if you can’t intubate and decide to use a mask instead?
Extend neck and keep clearing secretions
What should you do if a rabbit’s heart rate drops?
Use glycopyrrolate as rabbits secrete atropinase
Which circuits are sutiable for a rabbit?
T piece, mini lack, Humphrey
How can you get a pulse rate and quality in a rabbit under anaesthesia?
Central ear artery
How can you prevent post-op ileus?
Give a prokinetic
Which analgesics are licensed in rabbits?
None
Which painkillers are used often in rabbits?
Opioids
What should you add at higher doses of meloxicam?
Ranitidine
What is the most common sign of pain in rabbits?
Anorexia
What does stroking cause in a rabbit?
High blood pressure
Do you need to starve small rodents?
No - but don’t give a big meal
How long do you put them in an induction chamber?
Until they lose righting reflex
