Field Procedures and Immobilization

Field Procedures and Immobilization Before you Begin 1. Always have a plan! a. Checklists/task-lists for each individual i. Prioritize painful and important procedures first b. Be ready for the worst i. Human first aid kit ii. Emergenc...

Field Procedures and Immobilization Before you Begin 1. Always have a plan! a. Checklists/task-lists for each individual i. Prioritize painful and important procedures first b. Be ready for the worst i. Human first aid kit ii. Emergency communication iii. Emergency drugs 1. Reversals for any drugs that have them 2. Epinephrine 3. Atropine a. Combats low heart rate 4. Doxapram a. Increases respiratory rate, but not from 0 5. Local anesthetics iv. Supportive care 1. Oxygen 2. Endotracheal tubes 3. IV kits 4. Ice/heat pads 5. Blankets v. Chart for all drugs with dosages for different weights 2. Safety of humans a. Environmental hazards i. Water, weather changes, rough terrain b. Dart loading can be dangerous i. Tranquilization drugs are often highly concentrated ii. Never load darts alone iii. Always load on a steady surface iv. Wear PPE 1. Gloves 2. Face shield/eye protection 3. Lab coat or overalls c. Injury from capture items i. Traps ii. Snares iii. Nets d. Animals i. Biting, kicking, crushing, scratching, horn wounds 1. Wear appropriate clothing  a. Long sleeves b. Strong, closed-toed shoes c. Hat ii. Firearm backup for potentially dangerous animals 1. Including loose wild animals in the area iii. Zoonotic disease e. Compressed oxygen tanks f. Anesthetic gases i. Headaches, dizziness, decreased fertility, abortion g. Guns i. Everyone should be trained in firearm safety ii. Dart guns are still guns h. Helicopters i. Emergency preparedness/communication/evacuation 3. Safety of animals a. Primary concerns when tranquilized/anesthetized i. Respiratory depression ii. Hyperthermia iii. Aspiration b. Capture Myopathy i. Metabolic condition caused by stress, chasing, capture, and restraint 1. Exhaustion of normal aerobic energy in skeletal and cardiac muscle 2. Altered blood flow to tissues a. Decreased ATP, oxygen, nutrients b. Increased lactic acid, cellular waste products 3. Metabolic acidosis 4. Muscle necrosis 5. Myoglobinuria – acute renal failure ii. Predisposing factors (SECONDS) 1. Species a. Prey species more susceptible i. Deer, pronghorn b. Long-legged wading birds 2. Environment a. Heat b. Cold c. Rain d. Humidity e. Rough terrain f. Wind  3. Capture a. High speed chase, exertion b. Prolonged restraint c. Unnatural positioning d. Fear e. Repeated chase/transport 4. Other disease a. Parasites b. Obesity 5. Nutrition a. Vitamin E or selenium deficiency 6. Drugs used a. Opiates increase risk 7. Signalment a. Age (extremely old or young) b. Pregnancy c. Males with velvet horns: risk of hemorrhage if broken iii. Clinical signs 1. Stiffness or muscle pain 2. Ataxia 3. Torticollis 4. Paralysis 5. Death within minutes to weeks a. Capture shock syndrome: 1-6 hours b. Ataxic myoglobinuric syndrome: hours to days c. Ruptured muscle syndrome: 1-2 days d. Delayed peracute syndrome: sudden death after over 24 hours captivity iv. Treatment 1. Difficult – how do we house and care for a wild animal for days to weeks after the procedure? 2. Supportive care a. Analgesia b. Muscle relaxants c. Hyperbaric oxygen d. Fluid therapy e. Nutritional support 3. Dietary supplements 4. Co Q10, L-carnitine 5. Dantrolene sodium 6. Physical therapy c. Other concerns i. Darts 1. Impact trauma 2. Inaccurate placement a. Abdomen, thorax, arteries ii. Physical trauma 1. Lacerations 2. Punctures 3. Fractures iii. Bloat 1. Relatively common in animals with rumens held in prolonged recumbency d. What do we do to deal with those concerns? i. Planning ii. Efficiency 1. Keep physical restraint as short as possible iii. Consider environmental factors iv. Monitoring v. Fasting (if possible) vi. Evaluate overall health of the animal before procedure vii. Emergency/supportive equipment e. “10 Commandments” (minus a few that don’t apply to us) of animal capture and transfer i. Do not capture when it is hot ii. Do not chase too hard or too fast iii. Be calm and quiet iv. Do not manhandle the animal v. Blindfold the animal to reduce stress and stimulus vi. Load and transport as quickly as possible vii. Transport with nonslip flooring, ventilation, no drafts viii. Use appropriate tranquilizers to reduce fear, panic, and stress f. Some animals will die regardless of best practices i. “Capture-related mortality should be less than 2%” ii. Knoxville Zoo zebra dies after running into fence while avoiding capture for exam iii. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo tiger dies on the table during AI procedure iv. Dallas Zoo giraffe dies under anesthesia while being checked out for health issues Tranquilization, Immobilization, and Capture 1. Types of capture a. Individual captive animal i. Trained or untrained b. Individual wild animal c. Herds or groups for study 2. Physical restraint methods a. May be used prior to sedation/tranquilization, or may be used entirely on their own i. Fast procedures can be performed on small animals with restraint alone 1. Always blindfold 2. Use adequate restraint (hand-held, mesh bags, hobbles, etc.) b. Hazing times should be less than 10 minutes c. Chasing less than 3 minutes d. Catch pole i. Generally only used for small animals ii. Benefits 1. Can capture animal quickly 2. Pull out limb for injection iii. Risks 1. Animal must already be “contained” in some way 2. Strangulation a. Include one leg with neck if possible 3. Escape 4. Lack of control e. Crate/squeeze cage/lockout i. Most likely used for trained captive animals ii. Can be used for all species iii. Benefits 1. Controlled space 2. No chasing 3. Animal often used to space, less stressed iv. Risks 1. Injuries from escape attempts f. Traps i. Live traps for small animals ii. Culvert or box traps for larger animals iii. Require baiting of animal into cage iv. Commonly used for felids, canids, mustelids, other small mammals, bears, and occasionally cervids  v. Benefits 1. Less risk of self-injury than many other methods 2. No chasing 3. Decreased incidence of capture myopathy 4. Animal protected from the elements 5. Allows for transport of animal if necessary vi. Risks 1. Injury from escape attempts (teeth/jaw, claws) 2. Dropping/spring loaded door injuries 3. If multiple animals captured, risk of killing 4. No control over who/what gets caught g. Nets i. Lasso nets: Hand-thrown ii. Rocket/gun propelled nets iii. Drive nets: Large nets mounted somewhere, animals driven into them iv. Drop nets: Hanging net dropped on group of animals baited in with food v. Commonly used for cervids, sheep/goats, turkeys, other birds vi. Benefits 1. Good for capturing animals you can get relatively close to 2. Gets animal contained for injection 3. Can capture groups/multiple animals vii. Risks 1. Breaks, dislocations 2. Not fully stopping animal 3. Drive nets require a lot of personnel to capture and handle each animal immediately h. Foot or leg hold traps i. Usually padded or otherwise altered to decrease risk of damage ii. Must be checked often iii. Commonly used for bears, canids, felids, smaller mammals like raccoons, raptors iv. Benefits 1. No chasing of the animal v. Risks 1. Self-trauma 2. Injury from trap itself a. Breaks  b. Loss of circulation c. Lacerations 3. Predation 4. Animal exposed to the elements 5. No control over who/what gets caught i. Corral traps i. Used to capture large groups of animals ii. Animals will then be individually immobilized iii. Often panels/pens with tall, solid sides iv. Commonly used for cervids, sheep/goats, bison, other herd prey species v. Benefits 1. Staying in group can decrease stress response vi. Risks 1. Be aware of calling herd-mates, young, etc. 2. Injuries from escape attempts j. Helicopter i. Herd animals to net/corral traps ii. Net guns or dart guns iii. Commonly used for cervids, canids, bears iv. Benefits 1. Can actually be faster and more efficient than other methods 2. Allows for selection of certain animals/determination of fitness v. Risks 1. Helicopter flights are dangerous 2. Over-chasing of the animal 3. Drugs a. Some are controlled substances that can only legally be administered by a vet b. Do not work immediately, time varies based on many factors i. Adrenaline 1. In general, stress and adrenaline slow the action of sedatives and tranquilizers 2. Sympathetic nervous system activation results in decreased peripheral blood flow due to vasoconstriction ii. Incorrect route 1. Accidental IV = too fast 2. Accidental SQ or fat = too slow iii. Correct weight?  1. If estimating, better to estimate high a. Too difficult to guess how much extra to give if the first one doesn’t work completely b. First dose will wear off faster than second dose c. Having to dose twice increases stress, prolongs procedure c. Will most often be using a “cocktail” of several categories of drugs i. Ideally at least one of them should be reversible 1. Allows to adjust plane of anesthesia as needed 2. Speeds recovery ii. Neuromuscular blocking drugs 1. Little room for error in dosing 2. No CNS action, just paralysis, so animals are fully aware of what’s going on iii. Opioids (fentanyl, butorphanol, buprenorphine) 1. High risk of respiratory depression, especially in canids iv. Cyclohexanes (ketamine, telazol) 1. Rough induction and recovery if used alone v. Tranquilizers (acepromazine, midazolam) 1. Primarily used as adjuncts with others 2. Some have too high IM dose required in canids 3. Alone, not reliable for keeping animal down under stimulus vi. BAM – butorphanol, azaperone, medetomidine 1. Reversals: naloxone, atipamezole 2. “BAM Kits” sold for wildlife producers 4. Methods of administration a. Oral i. Not practical in most wildlife ii. Potential in captive animals in zoos, etc. b. Hand injection i. Syringe 1. Must be thoroughly secured in squeeze cage or similar 2. Can use catch pole to pull limb out for injection 3. IM injection in hindquarter 4. Large needle for quick injection 5. Very low risk of tissue damage ii. Jab pole  1. Good for slightly looser spaces, increases safety with distance 2. IM injection in hindquarter 3. Smaller volumes needed – must be administered quickly 4. Large needle for quick injection 5. Low risk of tissue damage 6. Less control of injection c. Blow pipe i. Good for short distances ii. Less risk of tissue damage than dart gun iii. Small volumes (50 lbs) iii. Risk of tissue damage – air pressure must be dialed properly 1. Test/practice before procedure iv. Small volumes (