Premedication Strategies in Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) Utilizing Either Intramuscular Midazolam or Midazolam/Butorphanol Compared to Saline Control
Avian anesthesia in translational medicine must account for various species, yet there is limited research specifically on turkeys used in scientific studies. Premedication is commonly used in veterinary medicine to produce smoother anesthetic events for patients and staff. This study assessed premedication of turkeys using intramuscular midazolam (MDZ) or midazolam/butorphanol (MDZ-B) compared with saline control to improve handling/patient behaviors. Female turkeys (n = 35) undergoing a surgical procedure for an orthopedic study were randomly divided into 3 groups (midazolam: 2 mg/kg IM; midazolam: 2 mg/kg IM and butorphanol: 1 mg/kg IM; or saline control: 0.45 mL/kg). Blinded raters qualitatively scored perianesthetic criteria at approximately 10 min post premedication (body position, restraint required, and muscle relaxation), following induction (intubation attempts/ease and apnea), and at recovery (restraint required, tremors, and wing flapping). Relevant time points tracked quantitative data including time of premedication, induction, intubation, inhalant anesthesia end time, and recovery. Premedication with either MDZ or MDZ-B improved perianesthetic parameters such as achieving sternal recumbency, lessening the restraint required, and improving muscle relaxation when compared with saline control. Use of MDZ or MDZ-B significantly decreased the time from premedication to intubation compared with control. The saline control group had significantly faster recoveries than the premedication groups. Choosing an appropriate anesthetic premedication protocol involves considering many factors. Turkeys premedicated with either MDZ or MDZ-B had easier induction leading to improved animal handling and restraint by staff. Due to significantly longer recovery times, MDZ or MDZ-B may increase the periprocedural labor required yet offer a smoother, less traumatic recovery.
Study timeline for each turkey, from arrival to the prep room and premedication through complete recovery. Approximately 10 to 20 min after arrival, turkeys received a single intramuscular injection of MDZ, MDZ-B, or saline control. They were returned to and left undisturbed in their travel kennels for at least 10 min before initiating the first assessment. Assessment of the turkeys on each of 8 qualitative measures (handwriting icon and blue font) occurred at specified points during the perianesthetic periods (i.e., premedication, induction, and recovery); all quantitative data (italics) was obtained during these same periods. The 6 calculated time periods (black bars) are shown relative to their associated perianesthetic periods (color-shaded vertical columns). HR, heart rate; RR, respiratory rate; TK, travel kennel. This figure was created in BioRender. Vemulapalli, T. (2025) https://BioRender.com/m95n189.
Premedication and induction inclusive time ranges (PS-Inh, Induction, and PS-Int) comparing the PMED group (receiving premedication) to the saline control group. The dot above PMED PS-Int represents an outlier in the data.
Inhalant, recovery, and procedural time compared between the PMED group (receiving premedication) to the saline control group. The dots below/above Inhalant Time for both Saline and PMED represent outliers.
Contributor Notes
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