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The Use Of Tranq Darts In Conjunction With Veterinary Anesthesia Systems

19 April 2018 by Alexis Montgomery

Tranquilization guns deliver tranquilization darts into an animal to cause it to become calm and/or sleepy. If a veterinarian cannot get close enough to the animal and remain safe, the vet may use the gun and one or two darts to sedate the animal. The question then becomes, is it safe to continue with veterinary anesthesia systems? That depends on the following factors.

The Medical Procedure That the Animal Needs

So, the animal in question does not need major internal surgery, but it does need to remain still enough for the vet to complete the medical procedure. Examples of these procedures sans anesthesia equipment include gelding a horse (removing its testicles), and/or stitching up a bear's paw after the animal injured it. In both cases, and in others, the animal needs to be very quiet and asleep for a very short time. A dart gun with adequate tranquilizer doses in the darts is effective here.

The Size of the Animal

Despite the efficacy of a tranq gun, larger animals are able to shake off this medicine a lot faster than smaller animals. If the larger animal is also a notorious predator, the vet will first sedate the animal with a tranquilizer gun, and then use an anesthesia cone and delivery system to keep the animal knocked out. Additionally, any surgery that requires opening an animal up to correct something internally and which will probably take thirty minutes to an hour or more is definitely cause for the use of veterinary anesthesia systems. 

The Safe-to-Combine Tranquilizers and Anesthesia

There are certain sedatives or tranquilizers that are safe to use with certain animal anesthesia medicines. If you have called on a vet to care for a zoo animal, be sure to inform the vet about which sedative or tranquilizer was delivered to the animal via dart gun. That way, the vet knows which anesthesia is safe to use on the animal for and during surgery.

For the Most Part, the Dart Guns and Anesthesia Systems Are Safe

For the most part, a vet can use a dart gun and an anesthesia system together. There are some anesthesia medications that can also be used as dart gun medication, so that the animal receives a small amount of the anesthesia initially through the dart(s), and then a larger dose during the operation. As long as the vet knows what was initially in the darts, the anesthesia used is perfectly safe to your animals.

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