ANESTHETICS FOR GENERAL-ANESTHESIA IN GROWING PIGS

A comparison was made between different anaesthetics for general anaes thesia in growing pigs, with focus on minor surgery under field condit ions and for experiments in clinical research. Healthy crossbreed pigs (HampshirexYorkshirexSwedish Landrace) weighing 20-45 kg were used. T he anaesthetics combinations compared were 1) azaperone plus metomidat e (AM), 2) Zoletil(R) (zolazepam + tiletamine) plus xylazine (ZX), and 3) Zoletil(R) plus xylazine plus ketamine (ZXK). Parameters measured were: heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and depth of analgesia (pin-prick). Minor surgery was per formed to te st the reliability of the ''pin-prick'' tests. It was clearly shown th at AM produces anaesthesia with good cardiovascular stability and is a drug combination that is suitable for minor surgery. ZX also produces a good anaesthesia characterized by reliable and rapid induction. Goo d cardiovascular function is maintained, and the laryngeal relaxation makes intubation possible. These characteristics are very useful in a laboratory environment, as easy handling to avoid stress is necessary for research. Although it is difficult to evaluate the quality of anal gesia from this study, it is concluded that ZX did not provide a super ior anasthesia and analgesia compared to AM in crossbreed pigs. Howeve r, these drugs are too expensive for regular use in ambulatory practic e. The effects of ZXK resemble those of ZX, but the ZXK-drug combinati on has no anaesthetic advantages and is more laborious to work with.