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Exotic Animal Anesthesia Flashcards

7 cards from real ICVA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

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  1. Which local anesthetic is contraindicated in birds due to its high cardiotoxicity and narrow safety margin?

    Answer: Bupivacaine

    Bupivacaine has a very narrow safety margin in avian patients and can cause fatal cardiac arrhythmias even at low doses.

  2. An anesthetized ball python is not responding to surgical stimulation. Which physiological parameter best confirms adequate anesthetic depth in snakes?

    Answer: Loss of righting reflex and loss of tongue flick response

    In snakes, loss of the righting reflex combined with absence of the tongue flick response are the most reliable indicators of surgical anesthetic depth.

  3. Which anesthetic agent is most commonly used for total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) in fish?

    Answer: MS-222 (tricaine methanesulfonate)

    MS-222 is the most widely used and FDA-approved agent for fish anesthesia, administered via immersion in buffered water.

  4. What is the primary purpose of buffering MS-222 fish anesthetic solution with sodium bicarbonate?

    Answer: To prevent gill irritation and maintain safe water pH

    MS-222 is acidic and can severely irritate gill tissue and drop water pH; sodium bicarbonate neutralizes the solution to protect the fish.

  5. A rabbit undergoing ovariohysterectomy suddenly develops bradycardia under isoflurane. What is the most appropriate first intervention?

    Answer: Reduce isoflurane and administer atropine or glycopyrrolate

    Rabbits are prone to vagally-mediated bradycardia under inhalant anesthesia; reducing depth and giving an anticholinergic is the first-line response.

  6. Which analgesic is most appropriate for post-operative pain management in a red-tailed hawk following wing fracture repair?

    Answer: Meloxicam

    Meloxicam is the most widely used and evidence-supported NSAID analgesic in raptors and birds of prey for musculoskeletal pain.

  7. When performing anesthesia on a green iguana, intubation should be performed with the animal positioned in which orientation to prevent aspiration?

    Answer: Sternal recumbency with head elevated

    Sternal recumbency with the head slightly elevated reduces aspiration risk in iguanas by allowing passive drainage away from the glottis.