title: Anaesthesia of nyala (Tragelaphus angasi) with a combination of thiafentanil (A3080), medetomidine and ketamine.
abstract: A combination of thiafentanil (A3080), medetomidine hydrochloride (MED) and ketamine hydrochloride (KET) was evaluated in 19 boma-habituated (12 female and 7 males) and 9 free-ranging nyala (7 male and 2 females) (Tragelaphus angasi) to develop a safe and reliable anaesthesia protocol. Wide dosages were used safely during this study with ranges for A3080 of 45 +/- 8 microg/kg with MED of 69 +/- 19 microg/kg and KET of 3.7 +/- 1.0 mg/kg (200 mg/ animal). The dosages developed on boma-habituated nyala proved to be equally effective in 9 adult free-ranging nyala (7 males and 2 females). The optimum dosage for nyala was a combination of A3080 (40-50 microg/kg), MED (60-80 microg/kg) plus 200 mg of KET/animal. The anaesthesia was characterised by a short induction, good muscle relaxation and mild hypoxaemia during monitoring the anaesthesia was rapidly and completely reversed by naltrexone hydrochloride (30 mg/mg of A3080) and atipamezole hydrochloride (5 mg/mg of MED) given intramuscularly. There was no mortality or morbidity associated with this protocol.
authors.affiliation: Ezemvelo Kwa-Zulu Natal Wildlife, Private Bag X01, St Lucia, 3936 South Africa.
authors.forename: D V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grobler
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bush
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jessup
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lance
mesh_terms: D000758:Anesthesia / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D019162:Anesthetics, Combined; D000778:Anesthetics, Dissociative; D000818:Animals; D000866:Antelopes / Q000502:physiology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004357:Drug Synergism; D005260:Female; D005283:Fentanyl / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D007649:Ketamine; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D020926:Medetomidine; D011897:Random Allocation
chemical_list: C447560:A3080; D019162:Anesthetics, Combined; D000778:Anesthetics, Dissociative; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D007649:Ketamine; D020926:Medetomidine; D005283:Fentanyl