Treatment of hypoxemia during anesthesia of brown bears (Ursus arctos).

This study assessed whether arterial oxygenation could be increased by treatment with intranasal oxygen supplementation in brown bears (Ursus arctos) with hypoxemia during anesthesia with medetomidine-zolazepam-tiletamine. Arterial blood samples were collected anaerobically from the femoral artery before and during oxygen supplementation. An oxygen flow rate of 2-5 L/min administered intranasally to brown bears weighing 12-120 kg markedly increased arterial oxygenation. Intranasal oxygen supplementation proved to be a simple and efficient method for treatment of hypoxemia in anesthetized bears.