Standing sedation management of a domesticated reindeer for third eyelid removal

Abstract

Background: Reindeer are becoming popular animals within petting farms. Few case reports describe the sedation of domesticated reindeer, but none describe the use of ocular local anesthetic blocks in this species.

Case description: A 9-year-old, female, Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) presenting for removal of a squamous cell carcinoma involving the third eyelid. Standing sedation was performed using initial boluses of medetomidine and butorphanol via intramuscular injection before catheter placement and maintenance with a variable rate infusion of medetomidine. Supraorbital, auriculopalpebral, infratrochlear blocks and local infiltration of the base of the third eyelid were performed using mepivacaine. Following the surgical removal of the third eyelid, atipamazole was administered intramuscularly to antagonize the effects of medetomidine. The patient recovered without complications.

Conclusion: Medetomidine-butorphanol in combination with local anesthetic blocks provided a sufficient plane of sedation and analgesia for extra ocular surgery in a domesticated reindeer.

Keywords: Anesthesia; Local anesthetic blocks for ophthalmic surgery; Ocular squamous cell carcinoma; Svalbard reindeer.

Fig. 1.. Demonstration of the mass present on the reindeer’s third eyelid.

Fig. 2.. Elevation of the patient’s head on soft padded blocks, in addition to mask oxygen supplementation and monitoring with ECG, capnography, and pulse oximetry. The cephalic intravenous catheter can be seen in the front right forelimb with a three-way tap connecting the medetomidine infusion and intravenous fluid therapy.

Fig. 3.. Administration of the supraorbital nerve block showing needle placement and injection.

Fig. 4.. Injection of the auriculopalpebral nerve block.

Fig. 5.. Infiltration of the infratrochlear nerve block, the yellow arrow pointing to the palpable infratrochlear notch.