Abstract
Intranasal anesthesia in birds is considered a safe, simple and efficient technique. The aim of this study was compare the anesthetic effects of midazolam (5 mg.kg-1) with racemic (R) or S+ (S) ketamine (15 mg.kg-1), administered intranasally (IN) or intramuscularly (IM) in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus). Eight budgerigars were used in a crossover design with four treatments: INR, INS, IMR and IMS. Onset time, dorsal recumbency time duration, total anesthesia time, total recovery time, sedation degree and recovery quality were evaluated. Significant differences were observed in onset time between INS (40.25±10.55 sec) and IMR (74.32±21.77 sec); between administration vials for dorsal recumbency time, INS (23.93±7.51 min) and INR (28.68±16.13 min), which were different from IMS (60.08 ± 27.37 min) and IMR (74.3±21 min). In total anesthesia time, INS (45.48±17.94 min) and INR (39.24±15.62 min) were different from IMS (75.84±20.20 min) and IMR (20.73±79.4 min). The total recovery time was significantly higher in INS (21.55±18.43 min) compared to IMR (5.1±3.56 min). The results of this study indicated that both administration vials can be used for short time non-invasive procedures and the intranasal vial is preferable for fast procedures.
Keywords:
benzodiazepinics; birds; chemical restraint; dissociative; intranasal anesthesia