Anesthesia in female white-tailed deer using Telazol® and xylazine

Thirty two free-ranging female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were anesthesized with varying Telazol(R) and xylazine HCl combinations in Front Royal (Virginia, USA) between August 1992 and September 1992. All animals were caught in baited box traps, manually restrained, and hand injected with a combination of Telazol and xylazine administered intramuscularly. Deer received mean +/- SE dosages of 2.53 +/- 0.16 mg/kg Telazol and 0.69 +/- 0.05 mg/kg of zylazine. These dosages achieved a rapid and effective anesthetic plane for short-term procedures such as weighing, blood collection, and translocation. Eight of 32 deer (25%) required an intravenous (i.v.) supplement of ketamine HCl (100 mg) to maintain a safe plane of anesthesia. Ketamine supplementation provided an average of 11.8 +/- 2.0 min additional safe handling. Satisfactory reversals were achieved in all deer by administering yohimbine HCl 16 mg i.v. (dose range, 0.22 to 0.48 mg/kg) to all animals.