Strumenti, procedure e prospettive nella pratica anestesiologica del coniglio

Abstract

The use of analgesic and anesthesiological drugs in the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) during the pre-, intra-, and postoperative phases present difficulties due to the limited number of studies in the scientific literature. However, the popularity of this species as a companion animal makes it increasingly necessary to have veterinary clinicians specialized in exotic animals who can perform proper anesthesiological, analgesic, and surgical management of this patient, which must be adapted to its specific characteristics. Therefore, this work aims to provide a general overview of what can be consulted regarding anesthesia and analgesia in the rabbit, emphasizing the importance of stress and pain management in the animal, which play a key role in the success of the surgery. First, it will be treated the main anatomical and physiological aspects that make this species difficult to manage, such as the complex digestive physiology and the anatomical limitations of the respiratory system (e.g., the very caudal glottis in the rabbit). Next, the management of the patient before the anesthesiological procedure will be discussed by illustrating the techniques of patient assessment and proper restraint to arrive at the estimation of the patient's anesthesiological level of risk. The drugs used for sedation for induction and maintenance of anesthesia are then explained, focusing on the safest drug combinations for the rabbit. Finally, intraoperative monitoring techniques, emergency procedures, anpostoperativeve patient management are presented.