title: Severe Hypoxemia in Muskoxen ( Ovibos moschatus ) Immobilized with Etorphine and Xylazine Corrected with Supplemental Nasal Oxygen.
abstract: Twenty-three muskoxen ( Ovibos moschatus ) housed in a captive facility for rewilding in Sweden were chemically immobilized for annual health evaluations and hoof trimming. The muskoxen were darted in May to September (2012-15) in their holding pen with etorphine (0.015 mg/kg) and xylazine (0.1 mg/kg) intramuscularly. Twenty-two of the 23 animals were immobilized with a single dart injection. The mean (SD) induction time was 4 (2) min. Arterial blood gases were collected from 18 animals. All animals were severely hypoxemic with varying degrees of respiratory acidosis. The hypoxemia resolved in 17 of 18 animals with intranasal oxygen supplementation at 1 L/min per 100 kg. Relative arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) measured by pulse oximetry was significantly higher than the arterial oxygen saturation calculated from the partial pressure of arterial oxygen (SaO2) obtained by a blood gas analyzer. Based on these findings, muskox can be immobilized successfully with etorphine (0.015 mg/kg) and xylazine (0.1 mg/kg) but should receive supplemental oxygen.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 901 Koyukuk Drive, 182 Arctic Health Research Building, Fairbanks, Alaska 99709, USA.|2 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 900 Yukon Drive, Room 194, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-6160, USA.|3 Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Hedmark University of Applied Sciences, Campus Evenstad, NO-2480 Koppang, Norway.
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lian
authors.affiliation: 4 Myskoxcentrum, Bygatan 29, SE-840 94 Tännäs, Sweden.
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Björck
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Hedmark University of Applied Sciences, Campus Evenstad, NO-2480 Koppang, Norway.|5 Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jon M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Arnemo
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Hedmark University of Applied Sciences, Campus Evenstad, NO-2480 Koppang, Norway.
authors.forename: Núria Fandos
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Esteruelas
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Hedmark University of Applied Sciences, Campus Evenstad, NO-2480 Koppang, Norway.
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Angel
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Hedmark University of Applied Sciences, Campus Evenstad, NO-2480 Koppang, Norway.
authors.forename: Solveig C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Minsaas
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Hedmark University of Applied Sciences, Campus Evenstad, NO-2480 Koppang, Norway.
authors.forename: Krista L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Alina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: L Evans
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005048:Etorphine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000662:veterinary*; D007103:Immobilization; D010092:Oximetry; D010100:Oxygen / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012418:Ruminants; D013548:Sweden; D014991:Xylazine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D014991:Xylazine; D005048:Etorphine; D010100:Oxygen
keywords: Alpha-2-adrenoceptor agonist; blood gas; etorphine; hypoxemia; i-STAT; muskox; pulse oximeter; xylazine