CASE REPORT article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Anesthesiology and Animal Pain Management
Case Report: Anesthesia for Cloacal Prolapse Fixation Surgery in an Argentine Black and White Tegu (Salvator merianae)
Ying Liu 1,2
Ludi Zhu 2
Ming Yan 1
Ruilong Wang 1
Jia Liu 1
Mingchao Zhao 1
Chongwei Hu 3
Jianhua Xiao 1
1. Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
2. Mondy Animal Hospital, Fuzhou, China
3. Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
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Abstract
Cloacal prolapse is a common surgical condition in captive lizards and frequently requires general anesthesia. Anesthetic management in reptiles is challenging because of their ectothermic physiology, intermittent breathing patterns, and high sensitivity to anesthetic‑induced respiratory depression. This report describes the anesthetic management of a juvenile Argentine black and white tegu (Salvator merianae) under surgical reduction of cloacal prolapse. Anesthesia was induced using a multimodal protocol including butorphanol, tiletamine‑zolazepam, dexmedetomidine, and maintained with isoflurane. Marked respiratory depression occurred after induction, necessitating controlled mechanical ventilation throughout the procedure. Ventilatory support and active thermal management were applied to maintain physiologic stability. This case support the importance of mechanical ventilation, temperature control, and multimodal analgesia in anesthetic management of large lizard species.
Summary
Keywords
Anesthesia, Cloacal prolapse, Lizards, mechanical ventilation, Reptiles
Received
17 December 2025
Accepted
18 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Liu, Zhu, Yan, Wang, Liu, Zhao, Hu and Xiao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Chongwei Hu; Jianhua Xiao
Disclaimer
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