Clinical Evaluation over Intranasal Administration of Acepromazine and Diazepam in Pigeons (Columba livia domestica)

Safe and effective sedation methods are as much momentous for small birds as for other animals not only for surgical procedures but also for safe handling and diagnostic and clinical procedures such as radiography, wound dressing, blood collection, and fracture repair procedures. This study intended to conduct a clinical evaluation of sedation efficacy in the intranasal administration of acepromazine in Pigeons. Thirty healthy adult domesticated Pigeons of both sexes, weighing ۳۱۱.۳۳ ± ۲۴.۴۶ grams were used in this study. They were randomly segregated into three groups (n = ۱۰/group). Acepromazine ۰.۵ mg/kg, Acepromazine ۱ mg/kg, and diazepam ۵ mg/kg were administered intranasally respectively in these three groups; using a micropipette. The onset time and duration of sedation time were measured and recorded. Also, heart rate and blood oxygen saturation before drug administration and after sedation time were measured and recorded. There was no statistically significant difference in heart rate and blood oxygen saturation between groups (p ˃ ۰.۰۵), but this study showed that intranasal drug administration could provide fast and reliable sedation in Pigeons, and also intranasal diazepam administration made the fast onset of sedation but acepromazine administration (at the dose of ۱ mg/kg) can provide long and adequate sedation (p < ۰.۰۵). So, for long-time diagnostic therapeutic procedures utilization of acepromazine is recommended.

Keywords:

Acepromazine , Diazepam , Intranasal , Pigeon , Sedation