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Saffan (CT 1341) as an anaesthetic agent for the budgerigar Melopsittacus undulatus |
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| Authors: | R Curtis Janet E Jemmett P G Hendy |
| Institution: | Glaxo Laboratories Ltd, Greenford, Middlesex |
| Abstract: | Saffan* (CT 1341) was administered to budgerigars by intramuscular or intraperitoneal injection at dose rates ranging from 16 mg/kg to 156 mg/kg total steroid. Deep injection into the pectoral muscle mass was easier and safer than intraperitoneal injection and gave more consistent results. Duration of anaesthesia was similar with both routes but recovery times tended to be longer after intramuscular injection; for example by this route a dose rate of 36 mg/kg gave induction, anaesthesia and injection-to-perching times averaging 4.3, 12.7 and 51.6 minutes, respectively, compared with 6.6, 13.3 and 42.7 minutes for the intraperitoneal route. Intramuscular injection was a very safe procedure, deaths occurring only at 156 mg/kg. No adverse or cumulative effects were observed in birds anaesthetized on several occasions and no significant lesions were noted in histological sections of injected muscle. The maintenance of an adequate environmental temperature during anaesthesia and recovery is considered essential to prevent hypothermia. |
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