Dose, sedative effect and cardiorespiratory impact of dexmedetomidine in wild owlet (Megascops choliba)

• Grant number: 23/10386-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2023
• End date: September 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Clinics and Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Silvia Renata Gaido Cortopassi
• Grantee: Bruno Roncoroni Laurito
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Tropical Screech-Owl (Megascops choliba), belonging to the Strigidae and is a small bird of prey that is characterized by the presence of two tufts of familiar feathers on top of the head and its yellow iris. Common species throughout Brazil that inhabit cerrado areas, gallery forests, open areas and edges of forests, parks and residential areas with good afforestation. It has great ecological importance because it feeds mainly on insects, such as moths, grasshoppers and katydids, confident for a balanced environment. A problem present in the lives of these animals are the collisions with walls or windows that come from anthropic refugees, a frequent cause of reception in the Wild Animal Screening Centers (CETAS) in Brazil. Due to these conditions, the need for sedation and anesthesia are required for better evaluation of the animal and greater safety of anesthetic-surgical procedures. Thus, the present study aims to evaluate the use of dexmedetomidine in three different doses administered intramuscularly: Group D20 - will receive 20 µg/kg of dexmedetomidine, Group D50 - will receive 50 µg/kg of dexmedetomidine and group D80 - will receive 80 µg/kg of dexmedetomidine, designing the crossover study, with a 15-day interval. The effects of the cardiorespiratory system, latency period, skill period, degree of sedation and quality of recovery will be considered in 10 adult individuals of the species M. choliba originating from the Division of Wild Fauna of the City of São Paulo at the Center for Management of Conservation of Wild Animals (CeMaCas) that are in the process of rehabilitation for reintroduction into nature.