Antagonism of xylazine hydrochloride-ketamine hydrochloride immobilization in guineafowl (Numida meleagris) by yohimbine hydrochloride.

The mean time to arousal (MTA), the mean time to sternal recumbency (MTSR) and the mean time to walking (MTW) were measured in 10 adult guineafowl (Numida meleagris) immobilized with a combination of xylazine hydrochloride (1 mg/kg) and ketamine hydrochloride (25 mg/kg). Yohimbine hydrochloride, given intravenously (1 mg/kg) at 40 min after the injection of the xylazine-ketamine, significantly shortened the MTA, the MTSR and the MTW compared to saline controls. Increasing the dosage of yohimbine to 2.5 mg/kg did not shorten recovery when compared to the lower dosage. No adverse effects were noted at either dosage of yohimbine. Yohimbine appeared to be a safe and effective antagonist of xylazine-ketamine immobilization in guineafowl and may prove useful in other avian species to produce more rapid recovery from xylazine-ketamine immobilization, xylazine sedation or xylazine overdosage.