title: Association of midazolam with ketamine in giant Amazon river turtles Podocnemis expansa breed in captivity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evaluate the effects of two anesthetic associations in giant Amazon river turtles (P. expansa).
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty P. expansa, healthy, of both sexes, with weights between 1.0 and 1.5 kg of a commercial breeding facility located in the valley of the Araguaia River, Goiás, Brazil, were divided into two groups ( G1 n = 10 and G2 n = 10). Each group received a protocol being: P1 = midazolam (2 mg/kg IM) and ketamine (20 mg/kg IM) and P2 = midazolam (2 mg/kg IM) and ketamine (60 mg/kg IM), applied on G1 and G2, respectively. The drugs were applied in the left forelimb. The clinical parameters evaluated were: locomotion, muscle relaxation, response to pain stimuli in the right thoracic and pelvic members and heart rate. These assessments were made at time 0 (immediately after injection) and times of 5, 10, 20, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 minutes after the injections.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Group 2 showed a higher heart rate than G1 and more rapid and prolonged immobilization.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The sedation scores obtained by these protocols (P1 and P2) were satisfactory, with possible pharmacological contention for collecting biological samples and physical examination in P. expansa.
authors.affiliation: UFU, Uberlandia, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: José Roberto Ferreira
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Alves-Júnior
authors.forename: Andréa Cristina Scarpa
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Bosso
authors.forename: Mariana Batista
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Werther
authors.forename: André Luiz Quagliatto
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Santos
mesh_terms: D000700:Analgesics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000758:Anesthesia / Q000662:veterinary*; D019162:Anesthetics, Combined / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D007649:Ketamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008124:Locomotion / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008874:Midazolam / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009126:Muscle Relaxation / Q000187:drug effects; D010147:Pain Measurement; D013997:Time Factors; D014426:Turtles
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D019162:Anesthetics, Combined; D007649:Ketamine; D008874:Midazolam