Laparoscopic-Assisted Cryptorchidectomy in an Adult Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)

Abstract

A successful laparoscopic-assisted cryptorchidectomy is reported in a novel species, the reindeer (Rangifer tarandus). The procedure was performed in an 8-year-old adult positioned in dorsolateral oblique recumbency, with an open approach midline subumbilical placement of the primary 10 mm optical port and carbon dioxide insufflation at 12 mmHg. Three 5 mm instrument ports were inserted under visualization in the left caudal abdomen as the retained testicle was localized to the internal inguinal ring. A 5 mm flexible organ retractor was used to assist in localizing the retained testicle. This procedure provided a less invasive alternative to open laparotomy. The authors are unaware of any published reports of laparoscopy in reindeer, or of laparoscopic assisted cryptorchidectomy in deer species.

Anaesthetic management in adult reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) undergoing exploratory laparotomy for jejuno‐jejunal intussusception surgery resection

“…Different anaesthetic protocols have been described to ensure adequate restraint and safety of these wild species and veterinary healthcare personnel involved. 5,6,11,21,22,30 In addition to different anaesthetic agents, the use of hyaluronidase, a hydrolysing enzyme that depolymerises the hyaluronic acid and increases tissue permeability, in combination with analgesic and sedative agents have been described. The use of hyaluronidase in free and wild ruminants has shown to reduce immobilisation time, time to recumbency and to facilitate patient management.…”

“…In addition, ambient temperature at the moment of general anaesthesia and surgical intervention was characteristic of winter conditions, which has been associated with lower dose requirements compared to higher ambient temperature conditions. 7,8 Moreover, butorphanol was chosen among other opioid drugs due to its short duration of action and mild sedative and analgesic effects, 13,14,[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][31][32][33] which allowed the animal to become recumbent and to prepare the surgical area without deep sedation nor cardiovascular depression. Several publications have shown that deer can be prone to hypoxaemia, especially when sedated with α2-adrenoreceptor agonists 5,22,34,35 ; for that reason, pre-oxygenation was maintained during the duration of the pre-operative period.…”

“…[15][16][17][18] Nevertheless, while these drug combinations have been reported more often during field anaesthesia, procedures that require longer anaesthesia duration demand a constant control of anaesthetic plane, which can be accomplished with inhalant anaesthetic agents. [19][20][21][22] To the authors' knowledge, the selection of the anaesthetic protocol of wild ungulates undergoing invasive procedures, such as an abdominal surgery, is poorly described in the literature. For this reason, here we report the anaesthetic management in a reindeer with jejuno-jejunal intussusception undergoing exploratory laparotomy and jejuno-jejuno anastomosis.…”

“…The addition of hyaluronidase to different anaesthetic protocols has also been described in wildlife species to facilitate capture 15–18 . Nevertheless, while these drug combinations have been reported more often during field anaesthesia, procedures that require longer anaesthesia duration demand a constant control of anaesthetic plane, which can be accomplished with inhalant anaesthetic agents 19–22 …”

Wintertime pharmacokinetics of intravenously and orally administered meloxicam in semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus)

“…However, no studies have been published concerning the pharmacokinetics of NSAIDs in reindeer. Only a few case reports describe the use of meloxicam in small numbers of animals (Pizzi et al 2011;Gonzalez-Alonso-Alegre et al 2013;Monticelli et al 2017). The pharmacokinetic parameters of meloxicam vary significantly between dosing routes and even between ruminant species (Shukla et al 2007;Coetzee et al 2009;Ingvast-Larsson et al 2011;Kreuder et al 2012;Stock et al 2013;Karademir et al 2016;Woodland et al 2019;Hempstead et al 2020).…”