Brazil is the third country with the greatest bird biodiversity in the world and has the largest number of new species described in the last decade. Unfortunately, ineffective means of inspection associated with a fragile economy places it as the third country that most traffics animals of the native fauna, moving approximately 2 million specimens of birds per year, with macaws (Ara spp.) being one of the most illegally trafficked species. These numerous crimes against wild fauna contribute to a growing need for transportation and clinical and/or surgical handling of macaws by biologists and veterinarians involved in the preservation of the species, to make this work possible, chemical restraint becomes a necessary tool in the most diverse conditions, since stressful situations can cause damage to physical and mental health, and may even result in the death of the animals. However, there are still few reports and anesthetic protocols available in the literature for Ara spp. With the aim of expanding knowledge for adequate chemical restraint of parrots, a literature review was carried out on macaws of the specie A. macao and a description of the known effects of the main anesthetic agents used in the chemical restraint of birds was carried out. Furthermore, the present study aimed to evaluate the effects of S(+) ketamine associated with dexmedetomidine and butorphanol on the physiological parameters, quality of sedation and anesthetic recovery of scarlet macaws (Ara macao). Eight captive specimens from Marabá Zoobotanic Foundation (Fundação Zoobotânica de Marabá) were used. Heart rate, respiratory rate, saturation of peripheral oxygen (SpO2), body temperature, and non-invasive blood pressure were evaluated 5 min after drug administration (M0) and every 10 min thereafter (M1‒M5), with a total of 55 min of analysis of anesthetic effects. Glycemia was measured 5 min after drug administration and every 30 min thereafter. Anesthetic induction and recovery times were also determined. Among the parameters evaluated in this study, both heart rate and body temperature significantly decreased throughout the anesthetic period, with the lowest levels at 55 min after drug administration (M5). In contrast, respiratory rate did not significantly differ, and all animals remained stable, with a rate close to a mean of 20 ± 8 cpm. Throughout the anesthetic period, SpO2 was 92 ± 5%, with no significant difference. The birds remained under spontaneous ventilation and without oxygen supplementation. Systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressures remained stable, with no significant differences in any of these measurements. At M0 and M3, the glycemia decreased slightly, albeit with no significant difference justifying an adverse effect or even hypoglycemia. The anesthetic induction time, from M0 to decubitus, was 2.4 ± 0.7 min. The anesthetic recovery time, from M0 to effortless bipedal position and adequate phalangeal flexion, was 99.3 ± 32.4 min. The sedation was assessed as intense, and the anesthetic recovery was rated excellent in 62.5% and good in 37.5% of the animals.
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