[Clinical experience and comparison of ketamine-medetomidine with ketamine-xylazine anesthesia in the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) in captivity].

The effects of two mixtures, ketamine-xylazine and ketamine-medetomidine, were compared in anesthesia of African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) in the Zoo park at Dvůr Králové; the effects of these combinations were also investigated on the triad values and on the basic hematological (red blood counts, hematocrit, hemoglobin content, derived parameters MCM, MCHC, MCV, white blood counts, differential blood counting) and biochemical (total proteins, glucose, creatinine, urea, cholesterol, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, chlorides, sodium, potassium, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, alanine transferase, aspartate transaminase) parameters of blood and blood serum in anesthesia. Tab. I shows the reasons for anesthesia in 68 individuals of African wild dog in the years 1980-1990. As for both mixtures, application of drugs with a blowpipe was used. In the anesthetized animals, the outset of ataxia, laying down and the outset of sleep were followed (Tab. II), as well as the time of wakening up without and with antidote administration (Tabs. IV and V). The outset of ataxia was fast 1.5 +/- 0.6 min) in the ketamine-xylazine mixture administered at doses of 5.07 +/- 1.16 mg/kg ketamine and 2.11 +/- 0.53 mg/kg xylazine, similarly like lying down (3.2 +/- 1.0 min) and loosing sensation (6.3 +/- 1.6 min). At the start of the drug action, vomiting was often observed, and sometimes in the first ten minutes after drug harpooning short clonic convulsions of the limbs or the whole body occurred. In further course, immobilization and anesthesia were complete and satisfactory in all cases. The first reactions to outer stimuli during wakening up without antidote administration were observed in 135 +/- 11.9 minutes while the animals stood up in 210 +/- 44.5 minutes after drug harpooning (Tab. IV). When the nonspecific antidote xylazine-yohimbine was used, the first reactions after i.m. instillation at a dose of 0.31 +/- 0.02 mg/kg appeared in 20.3 +/- 0.57 min, after i.v. instillation at a dose of 0.11 +/- 0.17 it was in 9.3 +/- 4.16 min after antidote administration. The animals stood up and started walking in 53.3 +/- 24.3 min after i.v. instillation (Tab. V). No significant changes (Tab. III) were observed in the values of temperature, breathing rate and pulse rate when the variations of triad values were investigated in five individuals within the first 30 minutes (up to 10 min, 20 and 30 min) after drug harpooning.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)