[Anesthesia in poultry]

Ketamine and ketamine-xylazine anesthesia was performed in the domestic fowl of the laying hybrid Hisex Brown and in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix) to test short-time anesthesia for the purposes of small surgical interventions. The findings of the authors Heidenreich and Wissdorf (1978) obtained in birds in the Zoo Park in Hannover were used to determine anesthetic doses and to assess the course of anesthesia, as well as a comparative study written by Samour et al. (1984) dealing with the use of some anesthetics in birds in the Zoo parks of Great Britain. The used anesthetics were ketamine in specialty Narkamon 5% (Léciva, a.s.) or a ketamine-xylazine mixture in specialty Rometar 2% (Léciva, a. s.). Both anesthetics were injected i.m. to breast muscle. Ataxia was observed after administration of ketamine only at doses of 20 and 30 mg/kg, the hens sat down and laid down on the side with stiff outstretched legs, they clapped the wings and tossed about in the cage. Immobilization was observed in Japanese quail, with sporadic incidence of excitations after administration of ketamine alone at a dose of 20 mg/kg live weight. A mixture of ketamine at a dose of 20 mg/kg live weight and xylazine at a dose of 2-3 mg/kg live weight seems to be the best for the purposes of short-time anesthesia when good sedative, analgetic and myorelaxation effects are to be achieved in the domestic fowl and Japanese quail.