My students enjoy hearing about the animals I work on. By sharing with them, they are able to learn about veterinary medicine and exotic animals. In every post I have provided 'essential knowledge' for those who wish to learn about or aspire to persue a career in veterinary medicine. Take a moment to read about interesting veterinary cases and learn a little along the way.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Today I worked on a Baja Pronghorn. These medium sized antelope are endemic to North America and are known for their great speed and are considered the fasted land mammal of North America. Pronghorn are among a group of animals with even numbered toes; a condition known as artiodactyla. This animal received a routine exam that included anesthesia, radiographs, physical exam, and a variety of preventative medicine drugs to protect it from disease. After initial induction with injectable drugs, anesthesia was maintained with isoflurane, a gas anesthetic. This anesthetic gas is commonly used in veterinary medicine because of its ease of use and relatively low cost. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein in order to evaluate cellular composition, also known as a complete blood count (CBC) and biochemistry profile. Blood was collected with the use of a vacutainer; this is the same equipment used when you have your blood taken. After the procedure, the Pronghorn was quickly recovered without complication.
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What drug/drugs are used for those speedy awakenings? This is Chris by the way...
ReplyDeleteGood question. Drugs commonly used in wildlife procedures include a potent class of drugs called opioids. Morphine is an example of an opioid, however immobilization drugs used for animals can be thousands of times more potent. The cool thing about these drugs is there ability to be reversed; the effects can be completely negated with the use of an antagonist. The use of alpha 2 drugs in small animal practices is gaining popularity because, just as with opioids, these sedatives can also be reversed. In a wildlife setting, using potent yet reversible drugs adds a huge margin of safety to the animal both in induction and recovery. These drugs also prevent the animal from running miles after being injected. In private practice, these drugs afford that same safety to the patient in the event of anesthetic complications.
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