Wenger S
Anesthesia and Analgesia in Rabbits and Rodents.

J Exot Pet Med, 21(1): 7-16, 2012
ISSN: 1557-5063 Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine (PubMed)

Abstract
Rabbits and rodents are popular pets and are often presented to veterinarians for evaluation and medicaltreatment. Anesthesia in exotic pets is required for many diagnostic and surgical procedures and is associatedwith a higher perioperative risk in rabbits and rodents when compared with dogs and cats. Inhalationanesthetic agents are commonly used as the sole source of anesthesia in small rodents, whereas injectableagents in combination with inhalation anesthesia are often used for rabbits and larger rodents. Analgesia is animportant component of exotic pet medicine. Although it may be difficult to recognize signs of pain incompanion exotic mammals, adequate pain management should always be provided. Opioid and nonsteroidalantiinflammatory drugs are the analgesic medications of choice, but others should be considered (e.g.,local anesthetic agents). This article provides an update of the current literature regarding anesthesia andanalgesia in rabbits and rodents.