J Am Assoc Lab Anim
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J Am Assoc Lab Anim · Nov 2014
Atipamezole reverses ketamine-dexmedetomidine anesthesia without altering the antinociceptive effects of butorphanol and buprenorphine in female C57BL/6J mice.
Butorphanol and buprenorphine are common analgesics used in laboratory mice. Inadvertent attenuation of the antinociceptive effects of these analgesics via the administration of an anesthetic reversal agent could result in postprocedural pain and distress, with subsequent negative effects on animal welfare, study outcomes, and regulatory compliance. This study was undertaken to determine whether atipamezole reverses ketamine-dexmedetomidine anesthesia and alters the antinociceptive effects of butorphanol and buprenorphine in female C57BL/6J mice. ⋯ These results suggest that the analgesic effects of butorphanol and buprenorphine are not affected by atipamezole. Buprenorphine (0.1 mg/kg) administered 30 min prior to or at the time of anesthesia resulted in a greater magnitude of antinociception after antagonism of anesthesia than when given at the time of reversal. Given these results, we recommend the use of ketamine-dexmedetomidine anesthesia with buprenorphine administered either preemptively or at the time of anesthetic induction to provide a defined period of surgical anesthesia that is effectively reversed by atipamezole.
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J Am Assoc Lab Anim · Nov 2014
Using porches to decrease feces painting in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta).
The goal of this project was to evaluate the efficacy of a porch in decreasing feces painting in captive rhesus macaques. The porch is a small extension that is hung on the outside of a monkey's primary home cage. Porches provide many potential benefits to indoor-housed macaques, including opportunities to perch above the ground, additional space, and increased field of view. ⋯ We found that subjects received significantly lower feces painting scores when given porch enrichment or smear board enrichment compared with baseline. Furthermore, subjects received significantly lower feces painting scores with porch enrichment than smear board enrichment. These results demonstrate that the porch is an effective tool to decrease feces painting in captive macaques.