Chemical immobilisation of lions: weighing up drug effectiveness versus clinical effects.

Selection of an effective drug combination to immobilise African lions (Panthera leo) requires balancing immobilisation effectiveness with potential side effects. We compared the immobilisation effectiveness and changes to physiological variables induced by three drug combinations used for free-ranging African lions. The lions (12 animals per drug combination) were immobilised with tiletamine-zolazepam-medetomidine (TZM), ketamine-medetomidine (KM) or ketamine-butorphanol-medetomidine (KBM). Induction, immobilisation, and recovery were timed, evaluated using a scoring system, and physiological variables were monitored. The drugs used for immobilisation were antagonised with atipamezole and naltrexone. The quality of induction was rated as excellent for all drug combinations and induction times (mean ± SD) did not differ between the groups (10.54 ± 2.67 min for TZM, 10.49 ± 2.63 min for KM, and 11.11 ± 2.91 min for KBM). Immobilisation depth was similar over the immobilisation period in the TZM and KBM groups, and initially light, progressing to deeper in lions administered KM. Heart rate, respiratory rate and peripheral arterial haemoglobin saturation with oxygen were within the expected range for healthy, awake lions in all groups. All lions were severely hypertensive and hyperthermic throughout the immobilisation. Following antagonism of immobilising drugs, lions immobilised with KM and KBM recovered to walking sooner than those immobilised with TZM, at 15.29 ± 10.68 min, 10.88 ± 4.29 min and 29.73 ± 14.46 min, respectively. Only one lion in the KBM group exhibited ataxia during recovery compared to five and four lions in the TZM and KM groups, respectively. All three drug combinations provided smooth inductions and effective immobilisations but resulted in hypertension. KBM had an advantage of allowing for shorter, less ataxic recoveries.

The effects of feeding and transport length on the welfare of white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum simum) during long-distance translocations: a preliminary study.

Translocation is a valuable conservation tool, but poses significant risks for the transported rhinoceroses. Interventions reducing these risks are required to ensure positive welfare during transportation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of journey duration and feeding during the transport of white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum simum). A total of 32 animals were transported by road during two events, five days apart. Fifteen rhinoceroses in the first transport event (37.0 ± 2.4 hr duration) were not fed, while 17 rhinoceroses in the second event (32.2 ± 1.5 hr duration) were offered lucerne. Blood samples were collected at capture and after transport for the evaluation of changes in serum clinical chemistry analytes. The Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to compare differences between the groups. In all rhinoceroses, transport resulted in changes in serum electrolyte, metabolite and enzyme concentrations, indicating a loss in total body water, nutritional shifts, stress and fatigue. Fed rhinoceroses, transported over a shorter time, displayed greater changes in osmolality (p < 0.006), serum sodium and chloride concentrations (p = 0.005 and = 0.001, respectively) indicating a greater degree of total body water loss than non-fed rhinoceroses. Feeding and a shorter transport duration reduced, but did not prevent, nutritional challenges. A greater increase in the muscle enzymes CK and AST (p = 0.027 and = 0.001, respectively), indicated greater fatigue in non-fed rhinoceroses transported over a longer time. Further work to distinguish the effects of feeding and journey duration is required to better understand the role feeding may play in mitigating welfare challenges during rhinoceros translocation.

A comparison of immobilisation quality and cardiorespiratory effects of etorphine-azaperone versus etorphine-midazolam combinations in blesbok.

ABSTRACT: The study compared immobilisation of blesbok (Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi) with etorphine and azaperone vs etorphine and midazolam. Twelve female blesbok, weighing 59.4 ± 2.8 kg, were used. Each animal randomly received Treatment 1 (T1) (etorphine, 0.07 ± 0.003 mg/kg + azaperone, 0.36 ± 0.02 mg/kg) and Treatment 2 (T2) (etorphine, 0.07 ± 0.003 mg/kg + midazolam, 0.20 ± 0.01 mg/kg) with a one-week washout period between treatments. Induction times were recorded followed by physiological monitoring for 45 minutes of immobilisation. Immobilisation was reversed with naltrexone (20 mg per mg etorphine). Recovery times were also recorded. Induction, immobilisation and recovery were scored with subjective measures. Inductions and recoveries did not differ between combinations, but the quality of immobilisation was significantly better with T1. Rectal temperature and blood pressure were significantly lower during T1. Both treatments resulted in severe hypoxaemia and impaired gas exchange, although overall hypoxaemia was more pronounced for T1. Animals treated with T2, however, exhibited a deterioration in respiration as the monitoring period progressed, possibly as a result of impaired ventilatory muscle function due to the effects of midazolam. Both combinations are suitable for adequate immobilisation of blesbok and should be selected based on the specific capture situation. Supplementation with oxygen is highly recommended.

An HPLC-DAD validated method for the detection and quantification of cortisol, corticosterone and melatonin in plasma samples of two different animal species.

The monitoring of endogenous hormone plasma levels could be valuable in biomedical, veterinary and pharmaceutical research. A specific high performance liquid chromatography method with diode array detection, for the assay of cortisol, corticosterone and melatonin in animal plasma was developed and validated. The chromatographic separation was achieved on a C8 reversed phase column with a mobile phase consisting of HPLC-grade water and 35% v/v acetonitrile (pH ± 3.36). The detection was achieved through diode array detection, with two set wavelengths; 245 and 275 nm. The flow rate was at 1 ml/min and the total run time was 50 min. The method was validated according to validation guidelines (Shabir, 2006; US FDA, 2013). The method was found to be linear (R² > 0.99) over the analytical range (10 to 500 ng/ml) for all three analytes. All the other validation parameters were acceptable and within range. The method was applied to plasma samples from Sprague-Dawley rats and white rhinoceros.

Assessment of the use of temperature-sensitive microchips to determine core body temperature in goats.

Body temperature was measured at five different body sites (retroperitoneum, groin, semimembranosus muscle, flank and shoulder) using temperature-sensitive microchips implanted in five female goats, and compared with the core body and rectal temperatures. Body temperature was measured while the goats were kept in different ambient temperatures, with and without radiant heat, as well as during a fever induced experimentally by injection of bacterial lipopolysaccharide. Bland-Altman limit of agreement analysis was used to compare the temperature measurements at the different body sites during the different interventions. Temperatures measured by the microchip implanted in the retroperitoneum showed the closest agreement (mean 0.2 °C lower) with core and rectal temperatures during all interventions, whereas temperatures measured by the microchips implanted in the groin, muscle, flank and shoulder differed from core body temperature by up to 3.5 °C during the various interventions.

Uterine torsion in a Sprague Dawley rat (Rattus norvegicus).

Uterine torsion is a twisting of the uterus or uterine horn perpendicular to its long axis. We report a case of uterine torsion in an adult breeding Sprague Dawley rat. The rat died a month after her last recorded delivery. Post mortem examination of the rat revealed 270 degrees torsion of the right uterine horn. The uterus contained a single foetus. The liver was pale and enlarged. The rest of the viscera appeared normal. Histopathological examination showed acute hepatic necrosis and pulmonary congestion with mild lymphocytic infiltrates peribronchially. The acute hepatic necrosis may have been associated with septicaemia due to compromised blood vessels following the uterine torsion. The presence of a single foetus could have resulted in foeto-maternal disproportion with resultant uterine torsion. Torsion of the uterus can be accompanied by haemostatic and metabolic complications, which could have caused the death of the rat. Although uterine torsion is a rare condition in rats, it should be considered as a potential complication of gestation in animal breeding units.

Shearing at the end of summer affects body temperature of free-living Angora goats ( Capra aegagrus) more than does shearing at the end of winter.

Angora goats are known to be vulnerable to cold stress, especially after shearing, but their thermoregulatory responses to shearing have not been measured. We recorded activity, and abdominal and subcutaneous temperatures, for 10 days pre-shearing and post-shearing, in 10 Angora goats inhabiting the succulent thicket of the Eastern Cape, South Africa, in both March (late summer) and September (late winter). Within each season, environmental conditions were similar pre-shearing and post-shearing, but September was an average 5°C colder than March. Shearing resulted in a decreased mean (P < 0.0001), minimum (P < 0.0001) and maximum daily abdominal temperature (P < 0.0001). Paradoxically, the decrease in daily mean (P = 0.03) and maximum (P = 0.01) abdominal temperatures, from pre-shearing to post-shearing, was greater in March than in September. Daily amplitude of body temperature rhythm (P < 0.0001) and the maximum rate of abdominal temperature rise (P < 0.0001) increased from pre-shearing to post-shearing, resulting in an earlier diurnal peak in abdominal temperature (P = 0.001) post-shearing. These changes in amplitude, rate of abdominal temperature rise and time of diurnal peak in abdominal temperature suggest that the goats' thermoregulatory system was more labile after shearing. Mean daily subcutaneous temperatures also decreased post-shearing (P < 0.0001), despite our index goat selecting more stable microclimates after shearing in March (P = 0.03). Following shearing, there was an increased difference between abdominal and subcutaneous temperatures (P < 0.0001) at night, suggesting that the goats used peripheral vasoconstriction to limit heat loss. In addition to these temperature changes, mean daily activity increased nearly two-fold after March shearing, but not September shearing. This increased activity after March shearing was likely the result of an increased foraging time, food intake and metabolic rate, as suggested by the increased water influx (P = 0.0008). Thus, Angora goats entered a heat conservation mode after shearing in both March and September. That the transition from the fleeced to the shorn state had greater thermoregulatory consequences in March than in September may provide a mechanistic explanation for Angora goats' vulnerability to cold in summer.

Hepatic capillariasis in a Cape ground squirrel (Xerus inaurus).

We report, for the first time, an incidental finding of Calodium hepaticum infestation in a sub-adult female Cape ground squirrel (Xerus inaurus). Post mortem examination of the squirrel revealed severe haemoperitoneum, splenomegaly and hepatomegaly with miliary white spots distributed diffusely throughout the hepatic parenchyma. Histologically the portal tracts in the liver showed granulomatous inflammation with fibrosis and numerous giant cells. Occasional adult worms were identified and there were multiple C. hepaticum eggs distributed diffusely throughout the portal tracts and the parenchyma. The spleen also contained C. hepaticum eggs. The genus Rattus is the primary host and reservoir of C. hepaticum, but C. hepaticum infections have been reported previously in other Sciuridae. Based on our findings, people should be cautious of the zoonotic potential of C. hepaticum, when they come into contact with the Cape ground squirrel.

Thermal, cardiorespiratory and cortisol responses of impala (Aepyceros melampus) to chemical immobilisation with 4 different drug combinations.

Thermometric data loggers were surgically implanted in 15 impala (Aepyceros melampus) to investigate the consequences of chemical capture. Impala were darted and chemically immobilised for 30 min with each of the following drug combinations: etorphine and azaperone; etorphine and medetomidine; thiafentanil and azaperone, and a thiafentanil medetomidine combination. During immobilisation, pulse oximeter readings, respiratory rhythm, the plane of immobilisation and plasma cortisol concentrations were measured and recorded. The impala developed an extremely high rise in body temperature, which peaked 20-30 min after reversal of the immobilisation. The magnitude of the rise in body temperature was similar for all the drug combinations (F = 0.8, P = 0.5), but the duration of the hyperthermia was shorter when the thiafentanil and azaperone combination was used (F = 3.35, P < 0.05). Changes in body temperature were related to the time that it took for an animal to become recumbent after darting (r2 = 0.45, P = 0.006) and not to the effect of the drug combination on time to recumbency (r2 = 0.29, P = 0.46). The relationship between time to recumbency and body temperature change, and also to plasma cortisol concentration (r2 = 0.67, P = 0.008), indicated that physiological consequences of capture were related to the duration of exposure to a stressor, and not to the pharmacology of the capture drugs. Although shorter time to recumbency in individuals resulted in the benefit of smaller stress responses and body temperature changes, those individuals were predisposed to developing hypoxia and possibly induction apnoea. When animals are chemically immobilised, reducing the thermal consequences of capture requires limiting the exposure of the animal to a psychological 'fright stress'.

A randomised study of prophylactic G-CSF following MRC UKALL XI intensification regimen in childhood ALL and T-NHL.

BACKGROUND: Despite the current widespread use of prophylactic G-CSF in children with solid tumours and leukaemia, its effectiveness has not been clearly demonstrated. This randomised study evaluates the role of G-CSF given after a 5-day intensification block in children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). PROCEDURE: Forty-six children with ALL or T-Cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL) treated on MRC ALL 97, UKALL XI or UKCCSG 9504 NHL protocols were randomised to receive granulocyte colony-stimulating factor following either the first or the second block of intensive chemotherapy in a cross-over study to determine if the prophylactic administration of G-CSF could reduce the rate of readmission to hospital for management of febrile neutropenia. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference in the rate of hospital admission in the group receiving prophylaxis, with 34 of 46 being admitted, compared to 42 of 46 patients in the control arm (74 vs. 91%; P=0.0386). There were no differences found in duration of hospital admission, haematological toxicity, neutrophil recovery or duration of supportive care between the two groups. There was no demonstrable cost benefit derived from the prophylactic administration of G-CSF. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the prophylactic administration of G-CSF following intensification chemotherapy for childhood ALL and T-NHL produces a significant reduction in the rate of readmission to hospital for the management of febrile neutropenia.