Parotidectomia em bovino sob anestesia geral associada a bloqueios locorregionais: relato de caso

Abstract

In ruminants, saliva is essential for rumination and maintenance of ruminal pH; therefore, salivary gland disorders such as mucocele and sialocele can significantly impact animal health and often require surgical treatment. In refractory cases, removal of the affected gland under general anesthesia becomes necessary; however, its use in cattle is limited due to costs and risks associated with prolonged recumbency, thus, locoregional techniques combined with physical restraint are preferred, as they reduce costs and anesthetic risks. This study aims to report a case involving a female Girolando bovine, approximately two years old and weighing 345 kg, which underwent a parotidectomy procedure using multimodal anesthesia at the Veterinary University Hospital of the Federal University of Paraíba, Campus II, in the city of Areia, Paraíba, Brazil. The anesthetic protocol included an initial preanesthetic medication (PAM) with 1% butorphanol at a dose of 0.03 mg/kg and 1% acepromazine at a dose of 0.03 mg/kg administered intravenously. After transportation, a second PAM was performed using dexmedetomidine at a dose of 3 μg/kg administered intravenously; intravenous induction with ketamine and midazolam, maintenance with isoflurane, and continuous ketamine infusion, in addition to blockade of the greater auricular and auriculotemporal nerves using levobupivacaine. General anesthesia lasted three hours and seven minutes, and the animal was extubated 10 minutes after the end of the procedure. Anesthetic recovery was considered rapid and satisfactory, with the animal standing on the first attempt 44 minutes after the end of anesthesia. The animal remained unconscious throughout the procedure, with adequate analgesia and stable physiological parameters, demonstrating that the multimodal strategy allowed a reduction in inhalant anesthetic concentrations and proved to be effective, safe, and feasible in cattle undergoing more complex surgical procedures.