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Surgery Guidance

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SanneM edited this page May 6, 2016 · 5 revisions

Bird Selection

Birds come from the aviary, and cages are designated with bird availability information. Many racks belong to specific lab members to hold their birds. Always consult the one responsible for the cage/rack before taking or moving birds.

Entering the aviary: To enter the aviary, one should wear foot coverings (found just inside the door) to minimize the risk of disease spread.

Catching a bird: A bird can be caught directly in the big cage on the shelf, or the cage can be moved on to a cart and a separator lowered to isolate one bird, simplifying the catching process. It also helps if you take out perches and seed dispensers (the hooks will break off if you push down on it). The bird name, found by looking at the bands on the ankles of the bird, should be crossed off the corresponding cage and written down for your records. Bird names are a combination of the color bands and the number written on the bands, and always start with the left leg. For example, “LNO83RLG” stands for “Left Neon Orange #83 Right Light Green.”

Transporting the bird: The bird should be placed in a cage, and the cage should be covered, either with a bag or cloth. This minimizes stress for the bird and avoids the potential for spreading allergens or disease.

General steps for all surgery procedures:

All these are mandatory according to our IACUC protocol.

  1. The animal is anesthetized with 1%-2% isofluorane in oxygen (induced at 4%) using the Tec 7 Ohmeda anesthesia machines owned by the laboratory. Induction by nose cone and manual restraint.) The Tec 7 anesthesia machine is designed to be maintenance free, and no recurring factory calibration is needed, according to the manufacturer, and according to prior experience of the PI with this instrument. Body temperature is maintained with an electronic heating pad that maintains a fixed 37 degree temperature. Depth of anesthesia will be monitored using toe pinch reflexes and adjusted accordingly.

  2. 0.5-1.0mg/kg IM injection of Meloxicam for post-surgical analgesia. (This injection takes place once, 20-30 minutes before surgery). After surgery, Meloxicam is only given orally (0.5 mg/kg, volume 1 mL).

  3. Feathers are plucked. The scalp is cleansed with betadine (3 times) and the animal is placed in a stereotaxic device. Our surgical procedures involve sterile instruments and a sterile working field.

  4. Bupivicaine (4 mg/kg in sterile saline) injected SC (volume 0.1-0.2 mL), and an incision is made through the scalp along the midline (~1 cm). The skin is retracted and the surface of the skull is exposed. If the survival surgery involves the implant of an optical window or electrode microdrive, several small holes (100 microns) are made in the outer bone leaflet ~5mm anterior to lambda to facilitate adhesion of the dental acrylic. (These holes do not penetrate the inner leaflet of the skull.)

At this point there are variations in the surgery, which are described in detail in the IACUC protocol 14-029 for each relevant experiment. Please make sure that you follow the IACUC protocol to the letter. If you think you need to do things differently, please request an amendment to the protocol first.

At the end of your surgery: 5) The margins of the scalp are sealed together using vetbond/Loctite 454 and treated with Terramycin (antibiotic ointment).

  1. Following surgery the anesthesia is terminated, the animal is removed from the stereotaxic device and kept on the heating pad restrained in your hand to recover. It is recommended to supply oxygen via the nose cone while the bird recovers. After he wakes up, place it in a clean cage and give soft food with meloxicam and water. Around 30 minutes later when he has full motor control again, give the rest of the cage implements too (seed, grit, perch, cuttle bone).

  2. We perform a single 0.5-1.0mg/kg IM injection of Meloxicam during surgery, followed by the same dose of honey flavored oral Meloxicam (.5mg/kg) q12 hours for 3 days post operatively. Animals are monitored 3-5 times daily during the recovery days.

Post Surgery Care

After surgery has been completed, birds should be placed in a cage with a surgery card on the cage. Surgery cards and magnetic holders are generally found on the cart in the small operating room. They should be signed off twice daily with your initials (not check marks). The cage should contain seed, soft food with oral meloxicam (anti-inflammatory pain killer), water, a perch, grit, cuttle bone in a holder with the porous side accessible to the bird), and a clean underpad on the bottom.

Soft food is found in a large trash can in the cold room down the hall. A porcelain container should be filled to about a third. The food should be mixed with a little room temperature water and 1mL of oral meloxicam. If you are making this for the first time, have somebody check the consistency. Birds won't eat it if it is too wet.

It is your responsibility to check on the bird at least twice a day for three days (including the day of the surgery), replacing the soft food twice per day (adding meloxicam each time) and ensuring other supplies are fully stocked, also if this falls in the weekend.

See "Bird Care" for further tips on how to feed and take care of the birds

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