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Field Use of Alfaxalone and Potential Complications in Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrynchos)

Kruse, Tamara
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7550-0833
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1563491829618893

Abstract Details

2019, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Comparative and Veterinary Medicine.
Developing safe and effective injectable anesthetic protocols in avian species can be challenging as many drug dosages cannot be reliably extrapolated from mammalian models. We conducted a preliminary investigation of alfaxalone in a 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin formulation (Alfaxan®) in mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) (n = 6) with doses of 2 (n = 3) and 5 mg/kg (n = 3) administered intravenously (IV) to assess safety. Then, we performed a randomized cross-over pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic study of alfaxalone in mallard ducks after single bolus injections of 10 mg/kg administered intramuscularly (IM) or IV. Finally, alfaxalone was evaluated at 12.5 (n = 3) and 15 mg/kg (n = 2) IV. Pharmacokinetic results revealed the mean (+ SD) Cmax following IM injection to be 1.6 (+ 0.8) µg/ml, which occurred at 15.0 (+ 10.5) minutes. The mean plasma clearance of alfaxalone at 10 mg⁄ kg IV was 139.5 (+ 67.9) ml/min/kg. The elimination half-lives (mean [+ SD]) were 15.0 and 16.1 (+ 3.0) minutes following 10 mg/kg IV and IM, respectively. Mean bioavailability of alfaxalone at 10 mg/kg IM was 108.6%. Although ducks exhibited nonresponsive sedation, none of them reached an anesthetic plane that would presumably allow for invasive procedures, such as surgery, to be performed. Heart and respiratory rates measured after administration of alfaxalone remained stable, but many ducks were hyperexcitable during recovery after IV administration. One of the ducks from the preliminary investigation went into cardiac arrest following IV administration, but gross necropsy revealed a persistent foremen ovale (PFO) in the atrial septum. Though no fatalities were noted from the main investigation, two ducks went into cardiac arrest after administration of 12.5 or 15 mg/kg. Both of them also had PFOs on gross necropsy in the atrial septum. Reports on cardiovascular disease in avian species has been limited to atherosclerosis in psittacines and case reports of ventricular septal defects. With the sudden fatalities and discovery of cardiac defects, a follow-up investigation evaluated the proportion of cardiac defects in wild mallard ducks. This prospective study assessed 397 gross cardiac submissions from juvenile and adult mallard ducks. Any lesions found were categorized as either atrial, ventricular, or both septal/shunt defects. Chi-square, fisher exact, and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to describe the impact of sex and age on these lesions, and the proportion of cardiac defects were compared with a sample of normal mallard duck hearts. While the majority of intact hearts were normal, 30 out of 76 (38.5%) of the hearts had atrial or ventricular septal defects with most of them (29 out of 30, 96.7%) being atrial septal defects (ASD). These studies were conducted to provide a better insight of how alfaxalone could or could not be suitable for field procedures. Based on the results, we concluded that alfaxalone at 10 mg/kg IV or IM did not provide sufficient sedation on mallard ducks, and the higher than expected proportion of ducks with ASDs could further complicate anesthesia for wild mallard ducks from the northern Ohio area.
Mark Flint (Advisor)
Andrew Bowman (Committee Member)
Thomas Wittum (Committee Member)
68 p.
Animals; Pathology; Pharmacology; Veterinary Services

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Citations

  • Kruse, T. (2019). Field Use of Alfaxalone and Potential Complications in Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrynchos) [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1563491829618893

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Kruse, Tamara. Field Use of Alfaxalone and Potential Complications in Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrynchos). 2019. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1563491829618893.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Kruse, Tamara. "Field Use of Alfaxalone and Potential Complications in Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrynchos)." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1563491829618893

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1563491829618893
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