IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS FOR SUCCESSFUL SURGICAL INTERVENTION

1.1 Patient selection

Surgical patient selection must be based on sound princi­ples of welfare, optimal recovery to normal function and the ability to provide complete patient care, including appropriate wound care, postoperative housing and nutrition.

• prognosis for full recovery

• whether the animal is held in permanent care (e.g. zoo) or is a rescued free-ranging animal destined for release

• suitability for release if free-ranging (e.g. return to normal function and fitness) (see Chapter 4)

• timeframe for recovery, especially if the animal is to be released to the wild

• temperament and tolerance of postoperative care (e.g. whether the animal is habituated to people and con­finement or not)

• capture and restraint requirements, including fre­quency of handling for treatment

• short- and long-term welfare implications for the individual.

1.2 Postoperative care

The postoperative period may include the need for con­finement, ongoing wound care and provision of appropri­ate analgesia and other medications. The following can minimise postoperative complications:

• Restricting activity during the healing period. Many smaller species will tolerate confinement in small enclo­sures. Restricting movement of macropods and wombats is challenging as they are less amenable to confinement. Hospital housing and intensive care of koalas is covered in Chapter 33 and Blanshard and Bodley (2008). Hindlimb fracture repairs in hand-reared macropod PY heal better if confined to a pouch during the postopera­tive period (Vogelnest and Portas 2008).

• Using appropriate holding facilities and staff with species-specific husbandry knowledge. Recovery areas should be quiet with minimal disturbance. Marine mammals requiring housing in water have additional environmental limitations and considerations for wound healing (Table 10.1) (Sweeney 1990; Higgins and Hendrickson 2013).

• Judicious use of sedatives, neuroleptic drugs and anal­gesics facilitates postoperative care and recovery (see Chapter 9 and Appendices 3 and 4).

• Choosing surgical techniques that minimise the requirement for postoperative intervention and reduce recovery time (e.g. fracture repair with a plate, rather than fixation that requires removal).

• Where possible, choosing drug regimens that minimise the need for frequent handling (e.g. oral or long-acting injectable formulations).

• Providing species-appropriate nutritional support to meet convalescent energy requirements (see Chapter 14). The energy density of the diet may need to be increased if intake is reduced. Diets may need to be modified after GI surgery.

1.3 Unique anatomy

Anatomical features of Australian mammals that may complicate surgical access and affect post-surgical heal­ing are detailed in Table 10.1. The anatomy of Australian mammals is described in Vogelnest and Woods (2008) and Vogelnest and Allan (2015).

2.