A+-Optimizing Anesthesia and Analgesia for Exotic Mammal Patients

Zoological small mammal species are commonly encountered in veterinary practice and include those kept as pets, maintained by laboratories and zoological collections, and those encountered as free-living species. Effective protocols for analgesia and anesthesia are critical to the provision of a high level of medical and surgical care for these species. Pain can have serious negative implications for healing and well-being in small mammals, especially those susceptible to stress-associated morbidity. Pharmacologic protocols customized to small mammal species in order to control noxious stimuli at multiple points within the pain pathway are useful tools when providing analgesia. Additionally, sedation and anesthesia can provide a safe and effective means to facilitate diagnostic testing and to perform treatments that would otherwise be difficult or unsafe to perform. When developing practice protocols for anesthesia of exotic mammals, factors pertaining to equipment availability and skill level of the animal care team must be taken into consideration. The small size of most exotic mammals often correlates with increased metabolic rates compared to dog and cat patients which can predispose them to hypothermia and hypoglycemia during anesthesia. Additionally, responses to medications and anesthesia are less predictable in small mammals. Maintaining a patent airway via endotracheal intubation, achieving vascular access for fluid and drug administration, and close patient monitoring is optimal but often difficult to achieve in these patients. Development and implementation of established, wellpracticed protocols will minimize time and risk to the patient associated with anesthesia.