My Veterinary Essentials

Today I worked on a Schmidt's Spot Nosed Guenon. They are known for their very characteristic white spot on the front of their nose. In their native Africa, they are also known as red tailed monkeys, for their, you guessed it, beautiful long red tail. Anesthetic induction was facilitated with a ketamine and midazolam injection mixture; isoflurane was used to maintain surgical level anesthesia. An intravenous catheter was placed in the posterior saphenous vein. This vein is located on the back side of the calf muscle, running from top to bottom down the center of the leg. In primates, this vein is easily accessible and fairly robust; in the event that the catheter must be maintained for an extended period of time, the leg can be bandaged in such a way to secure the catheter from being disrupted by the patient. IV flow rates can generally be estimated to be about 10ml per kilogram of patient body weight. IV catheters provide secure venous access in the event of an anesthetic emergency, or as a means to counteract the hypotensive effects of general anesthesia.