A wide variety of drugs traditionally used for local analgesia
in mammals have been successfully used in
amphibians. A topical xylocaine spray (10% solution)
has been successfully used in large frog aquaculture
systems (Garcia Aguilar, Palcios Martinez, and Ross,
1999). The commercially available product, Orajel,
Figure 16.6. Vaporized isoflurane is being bubbled into a water bath
to anesthetize an axolotl. This technique is effective but associated with
slow induction times. A closed container can help reduce induction
times and minimize exposure to isoflurane gas.
INJECTABLE ANESTHETIC DRUGS
A variety of injectable anesthetic agents, including ketamine,
tiletamine/zolazepam, tricaine, and various barbiturates
have been used in amphibians. In general
these agents are less reliable than the inhalant and topical
anesthetic agents. They are also associated with large
species variability in effect and have been known to produce
significantly higher mortality rates.