A Case of General Anaesthsia in Ophthalmectomy on a Steller Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus)

Abstract

After preanesthesia using atropine sulfate (0.01 mg/kg, IM) and diazepam (0.2 mg/kg, IM), and induction of anesthesia using xylazine hydrochloride (1 mg/kg, IM) and ketamine hydrochloride (7 mg/kg, IM), a young steller sea lion was maintained with inhalation anesthesia using oxygen-halothane mixture to ophthalmectomize. During the surgery, the sea lion was sufficiently sedated. Recovery from the anesthesia was prolonged despite of administrations of tolazoline hydrochloride as an antagonist to xylazine hydrochloride. It seemed that the sea lion entered a dive response during the recovery.