Anesthesia in the horse

The paper describes the problems of injection anaesthesia in the horse. Different commonly used methods, drugs and drug combinations are explained. Their actions and side-effects are compared and discussed.     

Anesthesia of horses with xylazine and ketamine. 2. Anesthesia in adult horses

Xylazine and Ketamine were used for anaesthesia in 250 adult horses. This combination is useful both for induction and maintenance of anaesthesia. The induction with Xylazine and Ketamine has been successful not only with foals but also with high risk patients such as horses with colic. During the maintenance of anaesthesia Xylazine/Ketamine can be used with injectable anaesthetics as well as with volatile anaesthetics at the same time. A form of injection anaesthesia for short-time surgical procedures like castration and wound repair is presented. The maintenance of a Thiobarbiturate/Guaifenesin anaesthesia with Xylazine/Ketamine seems to be suitable for field conditions.     

Anesthesia of horses with xylazine and ketamine. 1. Anesthesia of foals

The anaesthesia with Xylazine and Ketamine in 24 foals is described. Special qualities of this form of anaesthesia and dosages for foals of different age are discussed. The combination of Xylazine and Ketamine is well suited for the anaesthesia of foals of all age and risk-groups. The induction takes place quickly and calmly, without signs of cardiorespiratory depression. The maintenance of anaesthesia is possible, without any problem, by repeated injection with Xylazine and Ketamine, as well as by inhalation anaesthesia with volatile anaesthetics. The recovery is short; the animals rise swiftly and safely. For these reasons we prefer, in foals, the anaesthesia with Xylazine and Ketamine to the induction and maintenance of anaesthesia with thiobarbiturates.     

Anesthesia in swine

Pigs are not only anaesthetized in case of operations but often also if diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are necessary. Choice of the anaesthetic and way of application depend on the size of the patient and the indication. The only important local anaesthesia in pigs is epidural anaesthesia. It is indicated in all longer lasting painful procedures in caudal regions. The technique of this anaesthesia is described. From the possible methods of general anaesthesias, in practice injection anaesthesia has been generally accepted for several reasons. Together with barbiturate anaesthesia neurolept-analgesia with Azaperone--Metomidate has become more and more important, because with this form of anaesthesia the technically easy intra-abdominal application is possible in pigs under 15 kg of body weight.     

Anesthesia in birds

Anaesthesia in birds is ordered by law and is also necessary for various operations and manipulations. Anaesthesia by injection of Ketamin, which in special cases may be combined with Diazepam, has been found useful. Anaesthesia by inhalation with Halothan, Methoxyfluran or Isofluran is the most careful method. Local anaesthesia has few indications.     

Preslaughter Anesthesia with Lippia alba Essential Oil Delays the Spoilage of Chilled Rhamdia quelen

This study evaluated whether anesthesia with essential oil (EO) of Lippia alba (300 mg L^?1 for 4 min) prior to electronarcosis (128 V m^?1 × 300 Hz for 5 s) or hypothermia (ice/water slurry) could delay fish spoilage during chilled storage of whole fish. Silver catfish (Rhamdia quelen) were subjected to two different pre-stunning treatments (water or anesthesia with EO of L. alba) followed by two different stunning procedures (hypothermia or electrical stunning), yielding four groups (n = 32/group): water (control) + hypothermia, water (control) + electrical stunning, EO of L. alba + hypothermia, and EO of L. alba + electrical stunning. After stunning, fish were slaughtered by percussion and stored in ice. Preslaughter anesthesia with the EO of L. alba extended fish shelf life by delaying the loss of freshness (nucleotide degradation), growth of Enterobacteriaceae, and fish deterioration (sensory evaluation). Such preservative effect was most remarkable for fish that were subsequently submitted to electrical stunning, as they had the lowest demerit scores and greatest shelf life in the sensory evaluation. Our results showed that preslaughter anesthesia with EO of L. alba followed by electrical stunning can delay the loss of freshness and extend fish shelf life during chilled storage.     

Anesthesia and zootechnical interference in goats]

Some particularities in anesthesia and surgical procedures are discussed. The combination of xylazine with ketamine is recommended for general anesthesia. Particular aspects of the castration of billy goats, deodorization and dehorning are also discussed.     

Anesthesia during Vaccination of Atlantic Salmon: Compliance with Recommended Procedures

The preparation and use of two anesthetic agents for fish, a buffered metacaine solution for anesthesia in connection with vaccination procedure, and an available benzocaine solution for minor procedures, were studied at a commercial fish farm producing Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., smolts. The procedures were compared with the given recommendations to evaluate compliance with recommended procedures and labels. The personnel were evaluated to be non‐compliant with labels and procedures for both anesthetic agents used and the recommended exposure time in the baths. Five important themes were identified: the preparation and use of the anesthetics, fish welfare, training procedures, and occupational hazard aspects. One important reason for non‐compliance was that the rate of delivery of anesthetized fish to the vaccination table was more dependent on the speed of vaccination, and less on the anesthetic depth of the fish. This may be a management issue. Management decisions may create an environment leading to situations where errors are more likely to occur. Better communication between the fish health‐service team and the personnel, more tailored procedures, and a preprepared anesthetic agent might increase compliance with procedures and may promote fish welfare and welfare of the employees.     

Applied anatomy of the hip joint in dogs

Some introductory anatomical characteristics of both articular ends (coxal end of the femoral bone and the acetabulum) in the canine hip joint are described. In standard radiographs (ventro-dorsal view) the area of the coxal end of the femur overlapped by the dorsal part of the acetabulum is measured. The post operative increase of this area in 6 hip joints treated by unilateral "Triple-Osteotomy" is reported and discussed.     

Changes in the behavior of dogs after castration

This study is based upon a written survey of keepers of neutered dogs about the behaviour of 209 male and 382 female dogs. The main findings are: Male dogs show behavioural changes after castration more often and more distinctly than female dogs after neutering. Behavioural problems in most cases are reduced or have even disappeared after neutering (male dogs 74%, female dogs 59%). At best, hypersexuality and connected problems are changed as expected. 49 of 80 aggressive male dogs and 25 of 47 female dogs are more gentle after neutering. 10 bitches appeared to be aggressive only after being neutered. Particularly feeding behaviour changes in 42% of the male dogs and 32% of the female dogs towards an increased intake of food, which also leads to an increase in body weight. This corresponds to decreasing activity, which is indicated by increasing time of rest (male dogs 36%, female dogs 18%) and decreasing motivation to move. Motivation for playing, watchfulness and perseverance change more seldomly and sometimes increase. The character of the neutered animals is predominantly described as "devoted, friendly and kind". Changes of behaviour following neutering depend on many influencing factors. Above all effective obedience training, but also the family situation of the owner, time factors, conditions of keeping and contact with other dogs have different impacts on the control of the individual behavioural problems.     

Pathological changes of the endocrine pancreas in dogs and cats in comparison with clinical data]

In a retrospective study concerning the functional morphology of the endocrine pancreas the files of the Institute for Veterinary Pathology, University of Munich, of the last 12 years were reviewed. Cases of diabetes mellitus as well as developmental disorders and tumors of the endocrine pancreas were examined by routine histological and immunohistological methods. Cases are discussed together with clinical data and the relevant literature. The forms of diabetes mellitus were categorized according to the classification used in human pathology.     

Clinical experience with kennel-specific E. coli oral vaccines in dogs

Kennel-specific oral E. coli vaccines were tested for efficacy and side effects at breeding and boarding kennels with severe diarrhoea problems. Oral vaccines contained heat inactivated E. coli bacteria from specific kennels and were given once daily for 14 days. Oral vaccines were administered directly orally to puppies while for adult dogs vaccines were mixed with daily food rations. In breeding kennels with 4 to 10 week old puppies suffering from non-fatal diarrhoea, the oral immunization led to a decrease in morbidity from 86.5% to 0%. In kennels with some cases of fatal diarrhoea the rate of morbidity decreased from 45% to 21% and the mortality rate from 25% to 10.3% after using the vaccination. By vaccinating adult dogs in boarding kennels the morbidity rate dropped from 83.5% to 6.5% and the mortality rate from 4.1% to 0.5%. The kennel specific oral E. coli vaccine was found to be free of side effects. No adverse effects were observed in either puppies or adult dogs.     

Experiences with the intraocular silicon prosthesis as an alternative to enucleation in dogs and cats

The intraocular implantation of a silicone prosthesis fulfills all important requirements to be used in dogs and cats. Given the appropriate indication including glaucoma in the first place, this method should be preferred to enucleation. The operation procedure is described and clinical observations in 14 dogs and 6 cats are reported. All animals tolerated the implant well and appeared to be pain-free. The cosmetic results depended on the correct size of the implant and on the nature of the corneal response. Final evaluation of the cosmetic effect was only possible one year or even more after operation.     

Glomerulonephritis in dogs and cats

Immunohistology and special staining of plastic sections allow diagnosis and differentiation of subtypes of glomerulonephritis in dogs. Frequency and clinical importance of these forms of glomerulonephritis vary significantly. In cats, glomerulonephritis occurs frequently in FIV-positive cats but is rare in animals suffering from persistent FeLV infection or FIP.     

Ultrasonic studies of the liver in dogs and cats

Sonography of the liver is an easy and safe method for the evaluation especially of circumscribed liver lesions. The criteria for diagnosis and some indications are described. The findings of different liver diseases are discussed.     

The concentration of ionized and total calcium in the blood of female dogs with uterine inertia

Blood values of calcium, inorganic phosphate and magnesium were estimated in 26 bitches one day before parturition, on the day of parturition and daily for 6 days post partum. In 17 of these 26 animals the diagnosis was dystocia because of uterine inertia. A comparison of calcium levels between those bitches giving birth spontaneously and those requiring assistance gave no indication that blood calcium deficiency was the cause of uterine inertia.