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Amphibians’ popularity as pets has increased significantly over the past decade. They also are frequently managed in zoological and research collections, and wild amphibians can present to wildlife rehabilitation facilities. Similar to other vertebrate species, sedation or anesthesia may be required for various diagnostic, clinical, and surgical interventions.  An understanding of clinically relevant anatomy and physiology, a pre-anesthetic protocol, the selection of appropriate anesthetic drugs to safely conduct a desired procedure, appropriate anesthetic monitoring, and post-anesthetic planning all are key to successfully managing the amphibian patient through an anesthetic event.

The pre-anesthetic protocol should include an efficient pre-anesthetic examination and ensuring good hydration status.  Indications for analgesia should be considered during this stage as well. Owing to their anatomy and physiology, there are several routes of administration for anesthetic drugs that can be considered:  topical, partial immersion, or parenteral. Appropriate anesthetic drug selection will be based on the length and nature of the planned procedure. Anesthesia drug classes include local anesthetics, clove oil, inhalant halogens such as isoflurane and sevoflurane, and parenterally administered drugs such as alpha-2 agonists, propofol, and alfaxolone. During procedures, monitoring of anesthetic depth through reflexes, heart rate, and respiratory rate are important.  Post anesthetic planning should be centered around patient comfort and safety.

Outline

• Brief review of amphibian taxonomy
• Indications for sedation and anesthesia in amphibians
• Review of clinically relevant anatomy and physiology
• Pre-anesthetic procedures
• Sedation and anesthesia
  • Route of administration
  • Anesthetic agents
• Anesthetic monitoring
• Post anesthetic planning

About the presenter

Doug Whiteside is an Associate Professor of Conservation Medicine at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and the Senior Staff Veterinarian at the Calgary Zoo. He also is a member of the Wildlife Health & Ecology Research Group and an Adjunct Associate Professor in Biology at the University of Calgary. Doug is the Amphibian Taxon Advisory Group veterinarian for Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums and he is a member of Alberta’s Amphibian and Reptile Specialist Group and the Northern Leopard Frog Recovery Team… [MORE]

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