The Atipamezole Plays a Great Role in the Quick Recovery of the Male Rabbit Anesthetized for Neutering

Abstract

Delay in recovery from general anesthesia is always hazardous to life. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effect of atipamezole in the recovery of rabbits anesthetized with xylazine-ketamine undergoing neutering. Ten male rabbits were randomly assigned to two groups (n = 5 per group), where group XK was treated with xylazine (5 mg/kg bwt) and ketamine (30 mg/kg bwt) intramuscularly without atipamezole, and group XKA was treated with xylazine (5 mg/kg bwt), ketamine (30 mg/kg bwt), and atipamezole (0.5mg/kg bwt) intramuscularly. Atipamezole was administered intramuscularly 30 minutes post-injection of the anesthetic combination. Physiological parameters, induction time, duration of anesthesia, recovery time, hematological, and biochemical parameters were measured. In group XKA, heart rate, temperature, and respiration that decreased during anesthesia, reached almost normalcy during recovery, rather than group XK. Significant differences in induction, duration of anesthesia, and recovery periods were observed between the two groups. Group XKA showed a short recovery time compared to Group XK. The duration of anesthesia was longer in group XK in comparison to group XKA. The recovery period was short in group XKA due to the atipamezole. There was no effect of atipamezole on healing. There were no significant differences in hematological parameters between the two groups. Taken all together, we conclude that the atipamezole has a great role in the reduction of recovery time of the rabbit with xylazine-ketamine induced anesthesia without significant adverse effects in clinical and blood parameters during neutering.