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Association of midazolam with ketamine in giant Amazon river turtles Podocnemis expansa breed in captivity

Associação de midazolam com cetamina em tartarugas da Amazônia Podocnemis expansa de cativeiro

PURPOSE: Evaluate the effects of two anesthetic associations in giant Amazon river turtles (P. expansa). METHODS: Twenty P. expansa, healthy, of both sexes, with weights between 1.0 and 1.5 kg of a commercial breeding facility located in the valley of the Araguaia River, Goiás, Brazil, were divided into two groups ( G1 n = 10 and G2 n = 10). Each group received a protocol being: P1 = midazolam (2 mg/kg IM) and ketamine (20 mg/kg IM) and P2 = midazolam (2 mg/kg IM) and ketamine (60 mg/kg IM), applied on G1 and G2, respectively. The drugs were applied in the left forelimb. The clinical parameters evaluated were: locomotion, muscle relaxation, response to pain stimuli in the right thoracic and pelvic members and heart rate. These assessments were made at time 0 (immediately after injection) and times of 5, 10, 20, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 minutes after the injections. RESULTS: Group 2 showed a higher heart rate than G1 and more rapid and prolonged immobilization. CONCLUSION: The sedation scores obtained by these protocols (P1 and P2) were satisfactory, with possible pharmacological contention for collecting biological samples and physical examination in P. expansa.

Anesthesia; Midazolam; Ketamine; Turtles; Reptiles


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