Anesthetic and analgesic management of Svalbard rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea) undergoing experimental stereotaxic neurosurgery.

BACKGROUND: Stereotaxic neurosurgery in animal models has become a prominent experimental technique in many areas of science and research. These approaches, however, require advanced surgical skills, meticulous anesthetic protocols, and thorough analgesic management to ensure scientific accuracy and animal welfare. The specialized anatomy and physiology of birds, combined with high interspecies variability, make the use of anesthetics, analgesics, and other medications particularly challenging, especially in the absence of well-established guidelines. Here, we present an anesthetic-analgesic protocol developed for stereotaxic neurosurgery for neuronal tracer injection in Svalbard rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea). RESULTS: 6 Svalbard rock ptarmigan underwent stereotaxic neurosurgery and a multimodal anesthetic-analgesic approach was developed, including isoflurane (inhalation, induced with 3-5%, maintained with 1-3%), bupivacaine (2 mg/kg s.c. during anaesthesia, preoperatively), buprenorphine (0.05 mg/kg i.m. during anaesthesia, both preoperatively and postoperatively), and meloxicam (0.4 mg/kg i.m. during anaesthesia, postoperatively, followed by 0.4 mg/kg p.o. q24h until euthanasia on day 7). Birds were monitored during surgery for vital signs. Post-mortem analysis was performed to confirm neuronal tracer placement. The multimodal anesthetic-analgesic protocol was effective, with minimal signs of postoperative pain based on regular observations using a customized pain-assessment chart. Vital parameters remained largely within expected ranges, with minor deviations in respiratory rate and temperature. Injections missed the hypothalamic target by 0.5-2 mm, typically landing in the septal region due to interindividual anatomical variation. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the feasibility of stereotaxic neurosurgery in Svalbard rock ptarmigan by employing rigorous perioperative monitoring and a carefully tailored anesthetic-analgesic regimen. These results provide valuable guidance for future experimental procedures, improving both animal welfare and the reliability of neurosurgical research techniques in avian species.