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OJPTM
Online Journal of Pharmacology
(and
Pharmacokinetics)©
Volume 7: 35-41, 2011
Anesthesia
with ketamine-xylazine-diazepam
and/or ketamine-xylazine-midazolam
in central Asian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii).
Amin Bigham-Sadegh
Department of Surgery and Radiology, Faculty of
Veterinary Medicine, Shahreh-kord University, Shahreh-kord Iran.
ABSTRACT
Bigham-Sadegh S Comparison
of anesthetic effects of ketamine-xylazine-diazepam
with ketamine-xylazine-midazolam in central Asian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii). Online J Pharmacol., 7: 35-41, 2011. Under field conditions the need for
short-term anesthesia, often with injectable
anesthetic agents, arises for collection of diagnostic samples such as biopsy
specimens. Design of a safe and effective anesthetic regimen, including
selection of effective drugs and dosages, is often challenging in chelonians
(tortoises, turtles, and terrapins). There is little published information
available on the comparative clinical anesthetic effects of a drug combination
in tortoises. Therefore the aim of this study was to determine whether
intramuscular benzodiazepines (midazolam or diazepam)
with ketamine-xylazine were effective in small
tortoise such as central Asian tortoise. Six adult central Asian tortoises (3
males, 3females) weighing 1.09 ± 0.34 kg(mean ±SD)
were used. Tortoises received ketamine (30mg/kg)-xylazine plus (0.2mg/kg), diazepam (1.0 mg/kg) or midazolam (1.0 mg/kg) intramuscularly at doses that have
been studied in tortoises previously. The onset time, and the duration of
anesthesia were measured and recorded. Time to onset of anesthesia was
significantly faster following ketamine-xylazine plus
midazolam in comparison to ketamine-xylazine
plus diazepam. Ketamine-xylazine plus midazolam produced significantly longer duration of
anesthesia than that produced by ketamine-xylazine
plus diazepam. All tortoises were calm during the period of recovery. According
to this study short term procedures (blood sampling, biopsy specimens and
surgical procedures) could be done with ketamine-xylazine-diazepam or ketamine-xylazine-midazolam
in central Asian tortoises.
Key words: Ketamine, Xylazine,
Diazepam, Midazolam, Tortoises