ICVA Exotic Animal Anesthesia 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which local anesthetic is contraindicated in birds due to its high cardiotoxicity and narrow safety margin?
- Lidocaine
- Bupivacaine (Correct answer)
- Mepivacaine
- Ropivacaine
Correct answer: Bupivacaine
Bupivacaine has a very narrow safety margin in avian patients and can cause fatal cardiac arrhythmias even at low doses.
Question 2: An anesthetized ball python is not responding to surgical stimulation. Which physiological parameter best confirms adequate anesthetic depth in snakes?
- Respiratory rate
- Loss of righting reflex and loss of tongue flick response (Correct answer)
- Heart rate below 20 bpm
- Skin color change
Correct 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.
Question 3: Which anesthetic agent is most commonly used for total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) in fish?
- Propofol
- MS-222 (tricaine methanesulfonate) (Correct answer)
- Alfaxalone
- Tiletamine-zolazepam
Correct 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.
Question 4: What is the primary purpose of buffering MS-222 fish anesthetic solution with sodium bicarbonate?
- To increase drug potency
- To prevent gill irritation and maintain safe water pH (Correct answer)
- To extend duration of anesthesia
- To improve water clarity
Correct 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.
Question 5: A rabbit undergoing ovariohysterectomy suddenly develops bradycardia under isoflurane. What is the most appropriate first intervention?
- Increase isoflurane concentration
- Reduce isoflurane and administer atropine or glycopyrrolate (Correct answer)
- Administer ketamine IV
- Begin chest compressions immediately
Correct 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.
Question 6: Which analgesic is most appropriate for post-operative pain management in a red-tailed hawk following wing fracture repair?
- Morphine
- Meloxicam (Correct answer)
- Codeine
- Tramadol
Correct answer: Meloxicam
Meloxicam is the most widely used and evidence-supported NSAID analgesic in raptors and birds of prey for musculoskeletal pain.
Question 7: When performing anesthesia on a green iguana, intubation should be performed with the animal positioned in which orientation to prevent aspiration?
- Dorsal recumbency
- Lateral recumbency
- Sternal recumbency with head elevated (Correct answer)
- Inverted (dorsal-down) position
Correct 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.
ICVA Exotic Animal Anesthesia 3
Which local anesthetic is contraindicated in birds due to its high cardiotoxicity and narrow safety margin?