J Avian Med Surg
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Surgical procedures of the wing are commonly performed in companion, captive, and wild avian species. To develop a clinically applicable brachial plexus nerve block technique for perioperative analgesia in birds, 8 adult female mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) were anesthetized and used in several local anesthetic trials with bupivacaine (2 or 8 mg/kg) or a combination of lidocaine (15 mg/kg) and epinephrine (3.8 microg/kg) perineurally; equal volumes of saline were administered as control treatments. Both axillary and dorsal approaches to the brachial plexus were evaluated. ⋯ Variable results might indicate that the treatment, concentration, or volume of local anesthetic used was ineffective in producing local anesthesia. Electrodiagnostic methods used in these ducks to assess loss of sensory nerve conduction might not be sensitive enough to assess the effects of local anesthesia. Further research is needed to identify methods for assessing the efficacy of brachial plexus nerve blockade in birds.
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Case Reports
A multimodal approach to management of suspected neuropathic pain in a prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus).
An adult male prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus) was presented for evaluation and treatment of self-inflicted wounds along the right proximal patagium. The bird had started self-traumatizing approximately 1 month after fracturing the right metacarpus, although the fracture had stabilized, surface wounds had healed completely, and treatment with a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug had been administered. The bird was treated with gabapentin (11 mg/kg p.o. q12h), ketamine (0.5 mg/kg i.m. q24h), and low level laser therapy (LLLT) (<5 mW, 630-680 nm, 5-second application per site) for 3 weeks, but, despite initial improvement, new self-inflicted wounds appeared at the same site. ⋯ After 2.5 months, the wounds healed completely and no further mutilation took place. Once deemed ready for release, the falcon was returned to the wild after 181 days in captivity. This is the first reported application of successful multimodal analgesia in a raptor with uncontrolled neuropathic pain.
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Clinical Trial
The use of xylazine, ketamine, and isoflurane for induction and maintenance of anesthesia in ostriches (Struthio camelus).
To evaluate the use of xylazine/ketamine and isoflurane for the induction and maintenance of anesthesia in adult ostriches (Struthio camelus), 7 healthy adult ostriches (weight 100-130 kg) were deprived of food for 12 hours and then given an injection of xylazine (4 mg/kg IM), followed 20 minutes later by an injection of ketamine (8 mg/kg IV). After intubation, each bird was maintained on isoflurane anesthesia, and physiologic and hematologic parameters were measured. ⋯ Recovery from anesthesia was relatively smooth, with minimal complications, and was complete at mean (SD) 50 +/- 24 minutes after discontinuing isoflurane. From these results, we concluded that induction of anesthesia with xylazine-ketamine followed by maintenance with isoflurane produced sufficient anesthesia for performing surgical operations with relatively smooth recovery in adult ostriches.