Current practice for the chemical immobilisation of non-domestic feline species: An online survey study.

BACKGROUND

Safe chemical immobilisation of wild felids is essential for both conservational management and clinical purposes. However, little is known about drug protocols and current practice.

METHODS

This study was designed as an online survey based on a questionnaire. Descriptive/correlation statistics and analysis of proportions were used for data analysis.

RESULTS

The preferred immobilisation technique was the use of darts (37% of the respondents), while the most popular drug combination was a mixture of benzodiazepines, alpha-2 adrenoreceptor agonists and dissociative anaesthetics (27%). The inclusion of ketamine in the drug mixture was associated with a quicker anaesthetic onset, as estimated by the participants (p < 0.001). Common complications were prolonged recovery (46%), bradycardia (35%), hypoventilation (32%), hypothermia (26%) and arousal (26%). Commonly encountered problems were inappropriate equipment (39%), lack of suitable drugs (27%) and inadequate knowledge of species-specific pharmacology (29%) and physiology (24%).

LIMITATIONS: Incomplete adherence to the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys is acknowledged.

CONCLUSIONS

Drug protocols including both alpha-2 adrenoreceptor agonists and dissociative anaesthetics are preferred in wild felids, and the inclusion of ketamine may be useful to achieve a quick onset. Equipment/drug availability and species-specific knowledge are potential areas of improvement to improve wild felid anaesthesia.