Blood-gas and acid-base parameters in nontranquilized Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) in the United Arab Emirates.

Arterial and venous blood-gas and acid-base values were established from a herd (n = 19; 14 male, 5 female) of semi-free-ranging Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) in the United Arab Emirates. The animals were restrained with the use of a modified raceway incorporating a commercially available handling crate. Statistically significant differences were found between arterial and venous values for PO2 (p < 0.001), PCO2 (p = 0.0141), SO2 (p < 0.001), pH (p = 0.0494), and glucose (p < 0.0001). The results are similar to those reported for the same species under field anesthetic conditions, and to those reported from other species of wild bovidae, both tranquilized and nontranquilized, established under similar methods of restraint. In addition, Bland and Altman plots suggest adequate levels of clinical agreement between venous and arterial pH but not between arterial and venous PCO2.