Anaesthesia in captive raccoons (Procyon lotor) during seasonal obesity

Abstract

In November 2008, 15.12 raccoons (Procyon lotor) were anesthetised using 0.05 mg/kg dexmedetomidine hydrochloride and 5 mg/kg ketamine hydrochloride. To achieve complete relaxation, up to 1 mg/kg alfaxalon were slowly applied intravenously prior to intubation. Anaesthesia was maintained using isoflurane in oxygen. Anaesthesia was monitored using rectal temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate. All animals were castrated according to the procedure described in dogs. The chosen anaesthesia protocol proved to be reliable for the use in raccoons. All animals had copious amounts of subcutaneous and intra-abdominal adipose tissue, which was considered adequate for the season. The induction and recovery periods were related to body mass, indicating an effect of adipose tissue on drug delivery and elimination.