Page 192 - BSAVA Guide to Pain Management in Small Animal Practice

7 | Pain in other exotic pets

VetBooks.ir CASE EXAMPLE 2 CONTINUED oesophagostomy tube to facilitate ongoing

medication at home will be required (Figure
provide some additional analgesia. Ketamine
at 1 mg kg intramuscularly can be 7.4 . If such a tube is in place then oral
therapy with both meloxicam . mg kg
used alongside, although it should be once daily for days and tramadol 1 mg
remembered that higher doses can elongate kg once every 4 days are possible, with oral
anaesthetic recovery times. tramadol being more e ective than
Once cleaned, open wounds should be parenteral use (Baker et al., 11 .
dressed and stabili ed where possible igure The wounds are likely to require a large
7.4 . opical hydrocolloid gels can be used amount of postoperative management and
and covered with foam style dressings many clinicians will consider the tortoise
designed to stimulate granulation and returning for frequent consultations to
facilitate debridement of the wound. These facilitate wound care and parenteral
can be held in place using conforming antibiotics and analgesia. Shell damage takes
bandage igure 7.41 . time to heal fully and, until a granulation bed
Postoperatively, the tortoise should be is formed igure 7.4 typically 1 16 weeks
kept warm under an even temperature until after the original insult , infection is still
ambulatory. Analgesia should be continued possible. Hibernation will also reduce wound
during hospitali ation. healing and tortoises that usually hibernate
Treatment at home can be problematic should be prevented from doing so until the
for owners as providing medication orally is wound has completely healed.
very di cult and they may lack the
con dence to provide parenteral medication.
In these cases, placement of an

Placement of an oesophagostomy

Skin de cits may re uire suturing as in feeding tube will facilitate long-term
other species. administration of medication at home.
© Jenna Richardson © Jenna Richardson

ounds often need to be dressed and It can take 1 16 weeks for a wound to
stabili ed post surgery. 3 heal completely.
© Jenna Richardson © Jenna Richardson

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