The British veterinary journal
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A study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the alpha-2 agonist medetomidine for sedation of pre-moulting, mature female southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina). Two animals were sedated with a single intramuscular dose of medetomidine (0.013 and 0.027 mg kg-1). A further two groups of five animals received medetomidine (0.017 mg kg-1) combined with ketamine (1.90 mg kg-1) and, 20 min later, either saline or the alpha-2 antagonist atipamezole (0.04 mg kg-1) intravenously. ⋯ The response appeared to be similar to previous findings with ketamine and xylazine. Administration of atipamezole had little effect upon the level and timecourse of restraint. Ketamine and medetomidine seem to offer few advantages over ketamine and xylazine or other cyclohexamine-drug combinations for routine chemical restraint of southern elephant seals.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Effects of antiarrhythmic drugs (verapamil, propranolol and lignocaine) on the electrocardiogram and haematology in adrenaline-induced arrhythmias in dogs anaesthetized with halothane.
Twenty adult (1-3 year old) mongrel dogs of either sex were used to study the effects of antiarrhythmic drugs in adrenaline-induced arrhythmias. The dogs were divided randomly into four groups of five dogs each (n = 5), anaesthetized with halothane and pretreated intravenously (i.v.) with verapamil 0.1 mg kg-1, propranolol 0.06 mg kg-1, or lignocaine 4 mg kg-1 while the controls received sterile physiological saline. Adrenaline (4 micrograms kg-1) was administered i.v. 10 min after drug pretreatments. ⋯ Data obtained from this study suggest that verapamil when administered early compares well with propranolol in the control of adrenaline-induced ventricular arrhythmias in the dog. Lignocaine when administered early prior to the induction of the arrhythmias protected against death but not arrhythmias. Drug pretreatments did not have any clinically significant effects on electrocardiographic parameters.
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Blood samples were taken from the brachial and coccygeal arteries of young calves and blood gas and acid-base values determined. There was no significant difference in pH, PO2, PCO2 or HCO3- between sites as demonstrated by a paired t-test (P greater than 0.05). Significant correlations between sites existed for individual values of PO2 (P less than 0.001), HCO3- (P less than 0.05) and pH (P less than 0.02), but not for PCO2.