engleski

ANESTHETIC MANAGEMENT OF A FEMUR FRACTURE REPAIR IN A YOUNG RED FOX

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere. It is a small mammal, with a sharp pointed face and ears, and a large tail. Because of their ability to adapt to different habitations it is not strange to find them in villages and cities in search for food. A 4 months old, female red fox from the Dumovec shelter was presented with no possibility to stand on hind legs. It was sedated intramuscular with 0, 004 mg/kg dexmedetomidine, 4 mg/kg ketamine and 0, 2 mg/kg midazolam. Orthopedic examination and x-ray study revealed the severe fracture of the right femur. An intravenous catheter was placed in the left cephalic vein, and methadone (0, 1 mg/kg) was applied. General anesthesia was induced intravenously with propofol 6 mg/kg. After the loss of palpebral reflex and jaw tone, the red fox was endotrachealy intubated with tube size 5 mm in diameter. To maintain general anesthesia, 1.5% isoflurane was used. For multimodal analgesia, epidural anesthesia of 2% lidocaine and 0, 5% bupivacaine (0, 4mg/kg) was added. Intravenous fluids were given throughout the surgical procedure (0, 9% NaCl, 5ml/kg/h). During the whole procedure ECG, capnography, pulse oximetry, end tidal CO2 and non-invasive blood pressure was continuously monitored. The heart rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure were stable during the surgery and, except the mild hypothermia at the end of the procedure, the recovery from the anesthesia went uneventful. Postoperative analgesia was maintained with meloxicam (0, 1mg/kg) perorally for 5 days. The low pain score postoperatively should be attributed to the multimodal analgesia approach for orthopedic surgery in a red fox. Combination of opioids and epidural anesthesia resulted in better recovery after the procedure. Also, this is a first report of using a methadone as an opioid choice in combination with epidural anesthesia in a red fox to our knowledge.

anaesthesia ; fracture ; femur ; red fox

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