anaesthesia for skunk spay

Re: anaesthesia for skunk spay

kathryne hodgson — Thu, 08 May 2014 09:50:16 GMT

Marie,

Thanks for your post above.

Good to know they don't get any spaying-associated adrenal issues.

She is quite an obese skunk at 3.5kg! Thats my reason for failing with a cephalic vein catheter placement :) No sign of thermal burns at her 10 day post-op check which is great.

However the O says she is still screaming, a behaviour which she had associated with the skunk being in season. I found the actual spey procedure very simple and am happy I removed all the ovarian tissue. Is this a normal reaction/behaviour, and if so how long can we expect it to last? I did not especially plan the timing of the procedure and presume the oestrus cycle of a skunk is the same as that of a ferret/cat. I am planning to repeat u/s scan her tomorrow as she is quite amenable to this as I scanned her to check for pregnancy before spaying, but wondered if you have any further advice.

Thanks in anticipation.

Kathryne

Re: anaesthesia for skunk spay

Marie Kubiak — Thu, 01 May 2014 16:18:09 GMT

We use microwaved snuggle safe pads in fleece covers and the heated theatre table for thermal support and haven't noticed any skin reactions.

For induction I use midazolam and medetomidine and then intubate to maintain on iso/o2. Sick patients get midazolam only then propofol but they don't always have nice, easily accessible veins so I sometimes find IV catheter placement frustrating. Haven't noticed any issues intubating, they are just like big ferrets but I do routinely use a laryngoscope. Spaying is complicated by obesity in most cases but otherwise is like a nice loose bitch spay! Interestingly although they have a lot of physiological similarities to ferrets they don't seem to develop neutering-induced adrenal issues which is good.

Marie

Re: anaesthesia for skunk spay

kathryne hodgson — Thu, 01 May 2014 14:07:12 GMT

I had a skunk in today for speying and found the same about the uterus striated and contracted in: the nurses have lots of pictures of it in prep but unfortunately none intra-op, I will try next time. I used a standard triple dose of D/T/K as I would for a ferret and it worked well. Intubation was tricky but manageable with a guide wire.

One thing I did find interesting was that when the skunk was laid in ventral on a heated pad (cermaic bead bag under a towel which we routinely use for small furries) after a few minutes it developed a very red hot abdomen. No further complications with skin damage. We cooled it down with cold flannels/ice-packs and removed the heat pad to swap for good old fashioned bubble-wrap. I wondered has anyone else noticed this, and is it some sore of adaptation for its natural habitat?

many thanks, K

Re: anaesthesia for skunk spay

Gillian Mostyn — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 11:06:45 GMT

oops - sorry- already finished before I read your post... all fine! Not sure I want to dig around in the clinical waste bin at this point though....

All done. I thought the same about 'why' but she is actually really cute and friendly, and no smellier than a ferret.

The hardest bit was intubation - I would have thought a 2.5kg animal would have a decent larynx but it was very awkward!

Re: anaesthesia for skunk spay

Mark Rowland — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 10:51:33 GMT

Ha ha all the reports I've had are that they make very good pets and rarely if ever let off their scent glands...

Re: anaesthesia for skunk spay

Martin Atkinson — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 10:03:43 GMT

I don't like neutering ferrets because of the scent, I'd hate to risk a skunk. What kind of person keeps these for pets anyway?

Re: anaesthesia for skunk spay

Mark Rowland — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 09:53:41 GMT

The uterus is amazing, it's got a great striated appearance. Take a pic and post it for those not seen one and are interested. Hope it goes ok

Re: anaesthesia for skunk spay

Gillian Mostyn — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 09:38:21 GMT

Now it has had its sedation...... will hopefully be sleepy and onto the sevo very soon....

Re: anaesthesia for skunk spay

Gillian Mostyn — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 09:16:42 GMT

Thanks! Love you! (Just waiting for it to turn up now...)

Re: anaesthesia for skunk spay

Mark Rowland — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 09:06:20 GMT

I'd use about 2.5 mg/kg ketamine plus 0.05 mg/kg medetomidine. Then mask a bit more to allow you to intubate. Ferret dose of buprenorphine at the time followed by Ferret dose of metacam post op for a few days. Goodluck