Anaesthetic management of a cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) for caesarean section

Abstract

After delivering a single stillborn cub, a 4-year-old, semi-feral, captive cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) presented at full-term pregnancy with either suspension of labour or uterine inertia and a caesarean section was performed. The cheetah was sedated with 0.0357 mg/kg medetomidine intramuscularly, followed by intravenous induction with propofol to effect and maintenance on isoflurane inhalational anaesthesia. Each cub was administered a total of 0.15 mg atipamezole intramuscularly, in 0.05 mg increments, after delivery. The anaesthetic management of the cheetah focused on selecting anaesthetic drugs that would minimise neonatal drug exposure and ultimately maximise the chances of neonatal viability. Additionally, the drugs administered had to also provide sufficient sedation to ensure personnel safety. Finally, the anaesthesia of the cheetah had to be considered in context of the physiological changes that occur during pregnancy.