Total intravenous anaesthesia with alfaxalone in two grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) undergoing enucleation

Two young grey seals, from a seal rescue organisation, were presented to the University College Dublin Veterinary Hospital for unilateral eye enucleation. After premedication (pethidine–midazolam–atropine combination given intramuscularly), induction was performed with alfaxalone, and anaesthesia was maintained with alfaxalone total intravenous anaesthesia. During recovery, one of the seals developed severe bradycardia, apnoea and cardiac arrest resulting in death. The other recovered uneventfully after a short period of respiratory distress. Both seals had a suspected infectious pneumonia based on preoperative thoracic radiographs. This case report details the anaesthetic protocols used, the challenges presented to the anaesthetist by this species, and suggests that some complications could be potentially mitigated by more judicious use of anticholinergic agents.