Use of xylazine hydrochloride-ketamine hydrochloride for immobilization of Indian fox (Vulpes bengalensis) in field situations.

Reports on doses of anesthetic agents for safe and effective immobilization of most wild species occurring in India are very limited. Further, the anesthetic agents available in India for field immobilizations are limited to xylazine hydrochloride and ketamine hydrochloride. A safe and effective dosage of xylazine-ketamine for Indian fox (Vulpes bengalensis) is reported, based on 37 wild Indian fox immobilizations between April 2006 and May 2007. Foxes captured for a radiotelemetry and health monitoring study were immobilized with a mixture of xylazine (2.27 +/- 0.44 mg/kg) and ketamine (13.39 +/- 2.26 mg/kg). Induction and recovery was smooth and uneventful in all foxes. The duration of anesthesia was sufficient for the fitting of radiotransmitters, morphometric measurements, and blood sampling. No life-threatening adverse effects of immobilization were documented for at least 1 mo postimmobilization. The results suggest that field immobilization of Indian foxes with 2 mg/kg xylazine and 13 mg/kg ketamine is effective and safe.