Camelid "field" Anesthesia

Many diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in camelid practice can be accomplished with physical and/or chemical restraint techniques. Anesthesia should be considered for procedures that require an extended period of immobility or high level of analgesia. Certain aspects of anesthesia place the patient at greater risk than chemical restraint techniques. Knowledge and vigilance reduce the additional risks associated with anesthesia. The choice of injectable (commonly referred to as field anesthesia) or inhalation maintenance (commonly referred to as general anesthesia) will depend on several factors, most prominent being the equipment available and the experience of personnel involved. Injectable anesthesia has been traditionally considered proper only for shorter procedures, though its role is expanding in equine referral hospitals. When proper care is exercised, injectable anesthesia is safe and can be used effectively in both field and clinical settings (1). Injectable anesthesia has been traditionally associated with intravenous or intramuscular bolus administration of drugs. The level of patient cooperation and systemic analgesia decays over time when these methods are used, requiring a higher initial level of effect to achieve the desired duration. The risk of adverse side effects such as cardiorespiratory depression is greater during the initial stages of the anesthetic period when bolus administration techniques are used. Constant rate infusion (CRI) techniques such as Double Drip or Ruminant Triple Drip are safer injectable anesthesia methods. Induction is more gradual with Double Drip or Ruminant Triple Drip. Continuous delivery also provides a more stable plane of anesthesia. The use of stock solutions with adjustments in delivery rate made to accommodate variations in patient size and/or alter the level of effect make CRI techniques easier to employ.