Abstract

Gas anesthesia is the gold standard for producing general anesthesia in ducks; however, there are instances where it may not be appropriate. Injectable anesthesia is an alternative, but results can be variable, necessitating further research to determine proper dosing to achieve a surgical plane of anesthesia in this species. Our study investigated various doses of bolus versus Continuous Rate Infusion (CRI) of propofol or alfaxalone in Pekin ducks. Additionally, a one-time bolus of ketamine and butorphanol was compared with either dexmedetomidine or midazolam administered intravenously. Propofol was administered with an initial bolus of 10mg/kg, followed by additional boluses of 4mg/kg as needed, or alternatively, a 10mg/ kg bolus followed by a CRI of 24-50mg/kg/hr. Eight ducks received propofol, with four additional ducks used to explore higher CRI doses. Alfaxalone was administered with an initial bolus of 4-6mg/kg, followed by additional boluses of 2mg/kg as needed, or a CRI of 25.5-40mg/kg/hr. The MKB protocol involved a single dose of ketamine (8-15mg/kg), midazolam (0.5-3mg/kg), and butorphanol (0.5-2mg/kg). The DKB protocol involved a single dose of ketamine (10-12mg/kg), dexmedetomidine (0.02-0.03mg/kg), and butorphanol (0.5-1mg/kg). Statistically, there were no significant differences among the groups compared. However, clinically, a CRI of at least 45 mg/kg/hr of propofol produced the most stable plane of surgical anesthesia. Our findings are critical because the typical dose of 10mg/kg of propofol was insufficient to produce a surgical plane of anesthesia in this study. Further research is needed to optimize dosing protocols for injectable anesthetics in ducks.

Keywords:Anesthesia; Duck; Analgesia; CRI; Adverse effects

Abbreviations:CRI: Constant Rate Infusion; TAS: Total Anesthesia Score; MKB: Midazolam-Ketamine- Butorphanol; DKB: Dexmedetomidine-Ketamine-Butorphanol; ASC: Air Sac Cannulation