Horowitz, IH; Vaadia, G; Landau, S; Yanco, E; Lublin, A
Successful conscious sedation in wildlife veterinary medicine contributes significantly to the efficient and effective care of avian patients, provided in a safe environment for wildlife handlers. Great White Pelicans (Pelecanus onocrotalus) on bi-annual migrations between Europe and Africa commonly arrive at the Israeli Wildlife Hospital (IWH) for treatment for various injuries sustained en route. Due to their aggressive nature, the staff at the IWH evaluated the efficacy of a combination of butorphanol and midazolam (BM) on sedation, measured via physiologic (body temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate) and behavioral (aggressiveness, neck posture, and eye closure) parameters on 7 adult/sub-adult Great White Pelicans: 3 males, weight 9.40 +/- 1.14 kg (mean +/- standard deviation) and 4 females, weight 6.65 +/- 0.87 kg. Effects of BM sedation (1mg/kg midazolam, 0.5mg/kg butorphanol, IM) on the various parameters were recorded at 10, 15, and 30 minutes (min) and 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 hours (h) after injection. As early as 10 min after injection of BM, 43% of the birds were less aggressive and 29% exhibited a flaccid neck posture and closed eyes. The maximum response for eye closure (86%) occurred at 30 min and that for both neck posture and aggression (100% for both) at 15 min. The only physiologic parameter to display a statistically significant decrease after sedation was heart rate (p < 0.001), though an absence of an increase in other physiologic parameters suggests a tolerance for human-induced stress. Normal behavioral and physiologic parameters of the pelicans were recovered after 5 h from the initial sedation without any apparent clinical side effects. These results show that contrary to the high dosages of butorphanol published in the literature, a combination of butorphanol and midazolam can be administered at significantly lower dosages with satisfactory sedation in Great White Pelicans.