274 research outputs found
Comparison of two non-invasive arterial blood pressure monitoring techniques in brown bears (Ursus arctos)
Monitoring arterial blood pressure (BP), represents a more accurate evaluation of hemodynamics than heart rate alone and is essential for preventing and treating infra- and post-operative complications in wildlife chemical immobilization.The objectives of the study were to test the correlation between standard oscillometry and Korotkoffs technique in anesthetized free-ranging brown bears in Croatia and Scandinavia and to assess the blood pressure in both locations.Five bears were snared and darted with xylazine and ketamine in Croatia, and 20 bears were darted from a helicopter with medetomidine and tiletamine-zolazepam in Scandinavia. Blood pressure was simultaneously measured with both techniques every 5 minutes. Correlation between techniques, trends of BP variation, and the factors of the capture which likely influenced BP were assessed.Successful measurements of BP were achieved in 93% of all attempts with the Korotkoffs technique but in only 29% of all attempts with oscillometry. The latter method mostly provided lower values of BP compared to Korotkoffs technique in yearlings. Most bears showed a decreasing trend in systolic and mean BP over time, consistent between the two techniques. All bears were hypertensive: the auscultatory technique detected moderate to severe systolic hypertension in 25% and 84% of bears in Croatia and in Scandinavia, respectively, with significantly higher BP in subadults and adults compared to yearlings. Only Korotkoffs method resulted in a reliable and effective tool for BP assessment in brown bears. The anesthetic protocols used in the present study in association with the capture methods produced hypertension in all animals
Haematological and biochemical reference intervals for free-ranging brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Sweden
Background: Establishment of haematological and biochemical reference intervals is important to assess health of animals on individual and population level. Reference intervals for 13 haematological and 34 biochemical variables were established based on 88 apparently healthy free-ranging brown bears (39 males and 49 females) in Sweden. The animals were chemically immobilised by darting from a helicopter with a combination of medetomidine, tiletamine and zolazepam in April and May 2006-2012 in the county of Dalarna, Sweden. Venous blood samples were collected during anaesthesia for radio collaring and marking for ecological studies. For each of the variables, the reference interval was described based on the 95% confidence interval, and differences due to host characteristics sex and age were included if detected. To our knowledge, this is the first report of reference intervals for free-ranging brown bears in Sweden.Results: The following variables were not affected by host characteristics: red blood cell, white blood cell, monocyte and platelet count, alanine transaminase, amylase, bilirubin, free fatty acids, glucose, calcium, chloride, potassium, and cortisol. Age differences were seen for the majority of the haematological variables, whereas sex influenced only mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, aspartate aminotransferase, lipase, lactate dehydrogenase, beta-globulin, bile acids, triglycerides and sodium.Conclusions: The biochemical and haematological reference intervals provided and the differences due to host factors age and gender can be useful for evaluation of health status in free-ranging European brown bears
Biochemical and hematologic reference values for free-ranging, chemically immobilized wild norwegian reindeer (rangifer tarandus tarandus) during early winter
This article is published in Journal of Wildlife Diseases 49(2), 2013, pp. 221–228Hematologic and serum biochemistry values were evaluated in free-ranging, wild
Norwegian reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) as part of a reintroduction program in
southwestern Norway in November 1995 and 1996. Animals were immobilized with
medetomidine-ketamine by dart from a helicopter. Blood was drawn for serum chemistry from
31 adults (nine males and 22 females) and for hematology from 29 adults (eight males and 21
females). Significant differences (P,0.05) were found between male and female results for
alkaline phosphatase, selenium, and zinc. Although there was a significant difference between
male and female gamma-globulin values and the total albumin:globulin ratio, the overall values
are much lower than those reported for other Rangifer species. Sexual differences should be
interpreted with caution due to the low number of males compared to females. References ranges
are presented combining male and female results for hematology and serum chemistry and
separately for males and females for serum electrophoresis. No correlation was found between
induction time and aspartate transaminase, creatine kinase, glucose, cortisol, or total protein.
Blood values were generally similar to those published for semidomestic reindeer (Rangifer
tarandus tarandus) and free-ranging caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), but the effect of capture
drugs, stress, season, and sample size should be considered with interpretation. This paper
provides the first report of baseline hematologic and serum biochemistry reference ranges for freeranging,
wild Norwegian reindeer during early winter
Hematology and serum chemistry reference ranges of free-ranging moose (Alces Alces) in Norway
This article is also available here: http://www.jwildlifedis.org/Baseline reference ranges of serum chemistry and hematology data can be important
indicators for the status of both individuals or populations of wild animals that are affected by
emerging pathogens, toxicants, or other causes of disease. Frequently, reference ranges for these
values are not available for wildlife species or subspecies. We present hematologic and serum
chemistry reference ranges for moose (Alces alces) adults, yearlings, and calves in Norway sampled
from 1992–2000. Additionally, we demonstrated that both induction time and chase time were
correlated with initial rectal temperature, although they were not significantly correlated with
cortisol, aspartate aminotransferase, glucose, or creatine kinase. Overall, the reference ranges
given here are similar to those given for American moose, with a few differences that can be
attributed to environment, testing methodology, or subspecies or species status. This is the first
report, to our knowledge, of reference ranges for moose in Norway
Evaluation of Three Medetomidine-Based Anesthetic Protocols in Free-Ranging Wild Boars (Sus scrofa)
Three medetomidine-based drug protocols were compared by evaluating time courses, reliability and physiological effects in wild boars. A total of 21 cage-trapped wild boars (Sus scrofa) were immobilized using one of the following drug combinations; MTZ: medetomidine (0.2 mg/kg) + tiletamine-zolazepam (2.0 mg/kg), MK: medetomidine (0.15 mg/kg) + ketamine (5 mg/kg), and MKB: medetomidine (0.1 mg/kg) + ketamine (5.0 mg/kg) + butorphanol (0.2 mg/kg). Induction time, recovery time, and physiological variables were recorded and arterial blood gas analysis measured twice, before and after 15 min of oxygen supplementation (0.5-1.0 L/min). For reversal, 4 mg of atipamezole per mg of medetomidine was administered intramuscularly. The boars recovered in the cage and were released once ataxia resolved. The MK group had significantly longer recovery times (mean 164 min +/- 79 SD) compared to the other groups. MKB elicited longer and incomplete induction compared to the other groups (mean induction time 20 min +/- 10 SD), decreasing the efficiency of the capture and increasing the risk of hyperthermia. Both ketamine-based protocols required additional ketamine intramuscularly to prolong the anesthesia after 20-40 min from induction. Agreement between the pulse oximeter and the blood gas analyzer was low, with the pulse oximeter underestimating the real values of arterial oxyhemoglobin saturation, particularly at higher readings. Mild acute respiratory acidosis (PaCO2 45-60 mmHg) and mild to moderate hypoxemia (PaO2 69-80 mmHg) occurred in most boars, regardless of the treatment group but especially in the MKB group. The acid-base status improved and hypoxemia resolved in all boars during oxygen supplementation, with the PaO2 rising above the physiological reference range (81.6-107.7 mmHg) in many individuals. MK and MKB induced safe and reliable immobilization of wild boars for at least 20 min. Supplemental oxygen delivery is recommended in order to prevent hypoxemia in wild boars immobilized with the protocols used in the present study. Long and ataxic recoveries occurred in most animals, regardless of the protocol, but especially in the MKB group
Evidence of alphaherpesvirus infections in Alaskan caribou and reindeer
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The reindeer (<it>Rangifer tarandus tarandus</it>) industry in Alaska began with animals imported from Siberia (Russia) in the 1890's. Cervid herpes virus 2 (CvHV2) is endemic in reindeer in Scandinavia. We sought to determine if the same virus, or similar herpesviruses, were circulating in Alaskan reindeer and caribou (<it>Rangifer tarandus granti</it>). Serum samples from 292 reindeer were collected during annual reindeer handlings (1988-2005) near Nome, Alaska. In 2005, swab samples were collected from 40 calves from this herd, near Nome, Alaska. In 2007, ocular and nasal swab samples were collected from 30 apparently healthy reindeer calves near Wales, Alaska. Samples of plasma and white blood cells were collected from three Alaskan caribou herds, Mulchatna (n = 24), Teshekpuk (n = 34) and the Western Arctic (n = 87) in 2009.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of 292 reindeer samples tested by ELISA for antibodies against alphaherpesvirus (bovine herpesvirus 1 as antigen), seroprevalence was 47% (136/292) and adult reindeer had higher seroprevalence than yearlings. The overall seroprevalence for caribou was 60% (87/145), with no significant differences among caribou herds. A virus neutralization test of 20 samples from both reindeer and caribou showed that ELISA positive samples always neutralized CvHV2 to a greater extent than BoHV1 or elk herpesvirus (ElkHV), indicating that CvHv2 is the most likely virus circulating. PCR of nasal and ocular swabs sampled from 30 reindeer calves in Wales, Alaska (2007) yielded four CvHV2 positive samples. PCR amplicons of the expected size (294 bp) were obtained from 2 of the 36 buffy coats samples from caribou, and the amplicon sequences were consistent with CvHV2.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study shows that Alaskan reindeer and Caribou are infected with an alphaherpesvirus. Based on sequence similarity, CvHV-2 is the most likely virus. Further studies should be conducted to determine the impact of this infection on the health of these animals.</p
Leukocite coping capacity as tool to assess capture and handling-induced stress in scandianavian brown bears (Ursus arctos)
Brown bears (Ursus arctos) are often captured and handled for research and
management purposes. Although the techniques used are potentially stressful for the animals and
might have detrimental and long-lasting consequences, it is difficult to assess their physiological
impact. Here we report the use of the leukocyte coping capacity (LCC) technique to quantify the
acute stress of capture and handling in brown bears in Scandinavia. In April and May 2012 and
2013, we collected venous blood samples and recorded a range of physiological variables to
evaluate the effects of capture and the added impact of surgical implantation or removal of
transmitters and sensors. We studied 24 brown bears, including 19 that had abdominal surgery.
We found 1) LCC values following capture were lower in solitary bears than in bears in family
groups suggesting capture caused relatively more stress in solitary bears, 2) ability to cope with
handling stress was better (greater LCC values) in bears with good body condition, and 3) LCC
values did not appear to be influenced by surgery. Although further evaluation of this technique is
required, our preliminary results support the use of the LCC technique as a quantitative measure
of stress.Peer reviewe
Evaluation of Medetomidine-Ketamine and atipamezole for reversible anesthesia of free-ranging gray wolves (Canis lupus)
This article is published in Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 49(2), 2013, pp. 403–407Twenty-eight anesthetic events
were carried out on 24 free-ranging Scandinavian
gray wolves (Canis lupus) by darting from a
helicopter with 5 mg medetomidine and 250 mg
ketamine during winter in 2002 and 2003.
Mean6SD doses were 0.16260.008 mg medetomidine/
kg and 8.160.4 mg ketamine/kg in
juveniles (7–10 mo old) and 0.11060.014 mg
medetomidine/kg and 5.760.5 mg ketamine/kg
in adults (.19 mo old). Mean6SD induction
time was shorter (P,0.01) in juveniles
(2.360.8 min) than in adults (4.160.6 min). In
26 cases, the animals were completely immobilized
after one dart. Muscle relaxation was good,
palpebral reflexes were present, and there were
no reactions to handling orminor painful stimuli.
Mild to severe hyperthermia was detected in 14/
28 anesthetic events. Atipamezole (5 mg per mg
medetomidine) was injected intramuscularly for
reversal 98628 and 94640 min after darting
in juveniles and adults, respectively. Mean6SD
time from administration of atipamezole to
coordinated walking was 38620 min in juveniles
and 41621 min in adults. Recovery was uneventful
in 25 anesthetic events, although
vomiting was observed in five animals. One
adult that did not respond to atipamezole was
given intravenous fluids and was fully recovered
8 hr after darting. Two animals died 7–9 hr after
capture, despite intensive care. Both mortalities
were attributed to shock and circulatory collapse
following stress-induced hyperthermia. Although
effective, this combination cannot be
recommended for darting free-ranging wolves
from helicopter at the doses presented here
because of the severe hyperthermia seen in
several wolves, two deaths, and prolonged
recovery in one individual
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