Small Mammal/Exotic Anaesthetic Flashcards
(20 cards)
How long do you starve your rabbit before the general anaesthetic?
- don’t starve as they can’t vomit and get hypoglycaemic very easily
Why is reducing stress so important in rabbits?
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
How to reduce stress for rabbits?
Separate rooms for prey/predator species
Bringing companion animals in with them
Bring its own bowl etc.
How do you ventilate a rabbit?
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
How will you position your rabbit? How will this differ to cats/dogs and why?
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
How will you prevent hypothermia in your rabbit?
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
What equipment do you use to monitor your rabbit under general anaesthetic. What are you monitoring with each?
Capnograph-
Multiparameter
Pulse oximeter
Oesophageal thermometer/ stethoscope
How can you increase the rabbits blood pressure?
Bolus of fluid/ asses rate of fluids
Warm fluids
Consider meds its on
Reverse drugs- medetomodine
Most common premed for small furies
Medetomidine and ketamine
Metacloprimide
Don’t use on its own to stimulate appetite in rabbits
What drugs would you administer to your rabbit during the general anaesthetic to ensure a quick recovery?
Atipamezole reverses medetomidine
Remove drowsiness
Cisapride, metoclopramide., Ranitidine- stimulates eating, avoid gut stasis
NSAIDs
How long do you starve a bird before GA?
Starve until crop is empty
How will you ventilate your bird?
ETT- can use small cat tube, care as trachea bifurcates high up, NOT CUFFED
ETT into caudal air sac
Mask- especially for quick procedure
Why might a fracture of the birds humerus effect the respiratory tract?
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
What equipment do you use to monitor your bird under general anaesthetic? What are you monitoring with each?
Doppler on ulna vein
Don’t have a diaphragm need to allow chest movement
capnograph
pulse oximeter on the wing
How will you prevent hypothermia in your bird?
Don’t it get cold
Heat pads
Foil on extremities but can create noise
Don’t use surgical spirit
How could you administer fluids to this bird whilst under general anaesthetic?
Intraosseous
IV- ulna veins are v delicate, medial metatarsal vein
How do you ventilate your tortoise? Why is a ventilator needed?
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
Why is it so important to keep the tortoise’s temperature as close to 30 degree Celsius as possible?
If they are cold their metabolism will reduce so any drugs they have been given will be metabolised slower- longer duration
What stimulates a reptile to breathe ?
low O2 high CO2
