Small Mammal/Exotic Anaesthetic

Question 1

How long do you starve your rabbit before the general anaesthetic?

Answer 1

• don’t starve as they can’t vomit and get hypoglycaemic very easily

Question 2

Why is reducing stress so important in rabbits?

Answer 2

Don’t do as many tests before anaesthetic as other animals but should
More risks due to stress- catecholamine release causes arrhymias leading to cardiac arrest, rabbits are more sensitive to this

Question 3

How to reduce stress for rabbits?

Answer 3

Separate rooms for prey/predator species
Bringing companion animals in with them
Bring its own bowl etc.

Question 4

How do you ventilate a rabbit?

Answer 4

mask
V-gels- cup that sits at back of throat and creates a seal, always use with capnograph
Intubation- try but don’t prolong anaesthesia trying to get it in, guide wire (such as dog urinary catheters) to guide ETT in

Question 5

How will you position your rabbit? How will this differ to cats/dogs and why?

Answer 5

They have very large abdomen compared to thorax
Want to maximise lung space by tilting the head up and guts down, reducing pressure on the thorax/lungs

Question 6

How will you prevent hypothermia in your rabbit?

Answer 6

Large SA: Volume ratio so get cold quick
prevent them getting cold
hot hands, heated table, foil on extremities, only clip the amount you need, avoid using surgical spirit as takes heat when it evaporates

Question 7

What equipment do you use to monitor your rabbit under general anaesthetic. What are you monitoring with each?

Answer 7

Capnograph-
Multiparameter
Pulse oximeter
Oesophageal thermometer/ stethoscope

Question 8

How can you increase the rabbits blood pressure?

Answer 8

Bolus of fluid/ asses rate of fluids
Warm fluids
Consider meds its on
Reverse drugs- medetomodine

Question 9

Most common premed for small furies

Answer 9

Medetomidine and ketamine

Question 10

Metacloprimide

Answer 10

Don’t use on its own to stimulate appetite in rabbits

Question 10

What drugs would you administer to your rabbit during the general anaesthetic to ensure a quick recovery?

Answer 10

Atipamezole reverses medetomidine
Remove drowsiness
Cisapride, metoclopramide., Ranitidine- stimulates eating, avoid gut stasis
NSAIDs

Question 11

How long do you starve a bird before GA?

Answer 11

Starve until crop is empty

Question 12

How will you ventilate your bird?

Answer 12

ETT- can use small cat tube, care as trachea bifurcates high up, NOT CUFFED
ETT into caudal air sac
Mask- especially for quick procedure

Question 13

Why might a fracture of the birds humerus effect the respiratory tract?

Answer 13

Air sac could be damaged
Pneumatised bones, risk of infection if open which could then pass into lungs as direct access from bone to air sacs

Question 14

What equipment do you use to monitor your bird under general anaesthetic? What are you monitoring with each?

Answer 14

Doppler on ulna vein
Don’t have a diaphragm need to allow chest movement
capnograph
pulse oximeter on the wing

Question 15

How will you prevent hypothermia in your bird?

Answer 15

Don’t it get cold
Heat pads
Foil on extremities but can create noise
Don’t use surgical spirit

Question 16

How could you administer fluids to this bird whilst under general anaesthetic?

Answer 16

Intraosseous
IV- ulna veins are v delicate, medial metatarsal vein

Question 17

How do you ventilate your tortoise? Why is a ventilator needed?

Answer 17

Best to intubate after sedated
Can give propofol/alfaxan and the oxygen demand is so low they will be fine for around 20/40 minutes
For procedures longer than this they need oxygen
They can hold their breath for a long time but you don’t want them to do this so have to give IPPV and breathe for them, get O2 and iso/sevo in

Question 18

Why is it so important to keep the tortoise’s temperature as close to 30 degree Celsius as possible?

Answer 18

If they are cold their metabolism will reduce so any drugs they have been given will be metabolised slower- longer duration

Question 19

What stimulates a reptile to breathe ?

Answer 19

low O2 high CO2