Anesthesia and Analgesia in Birds

Surgical intervention and painful conditions often apply to avian patients that are presented to veterinary hospitals. Therefore, anesthesia and analgesia are an important part of the daily routine associated with avian veterinary practice. These procedures differ from mammal medicine primarily because of different physiologic composition and different anatomical structures, which are described when relevant to anesthetic management. This article describes the most common anesthetic and analgesic procedures for birds and provides recommendations for veterinarians who treat these species. Moreover, there are detailed descriptions of preanesthetic and postanesthetic patient care and how to monitor anesthetized birds. Advantages and disadvantages of the different anesthetic techniques and analgesic protocols are also reviewed. If one treats birds in a veterinary hospital, it is important to have inhalation anesthesia equipment readily available so that it can be used when needed.