Butorphanol and dexmedetomidine (DXM) can produce analgesia in birds. Intranasal (IN) route of drug administration is easier, and free of risks such as pain and tissue damage compared with intravenous, intramuscular or subcutaneous routes in bird species, including wild birds. Although previous studies have demonstrated the use of IN route for producing sedation, no studies are available on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of IN drugs in birds. This study analyzed the pharmacokinetics and sedative-analgesic efficacy of intranasal butorphanol (2 mg/kg), dexmedetomidine (80 µg/kg) and their combination (butorphanol, 2 mg/kg; DXM, 80 µg/kg) in healthy, male, Ross broiler chickens (n = 6/group) aged between 6 and 8 weeks. Maximum plasma concentration (Cmax, p = 0.01), area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time zero to 120 min (AUC0 to 120, p = 0.02) and apparent volume of distribution at steady state (Vss, p = 0.02) of DXM were significantly higher than that of DXM co-administered with butorphanol. The mechanical nociceptive thresholds and the sedation scores of DXM group were significantly higher than the baseline value. Dexmedetomidine (80 µg/kg, IN) was effective in chickens, and the drug absorption was more rapid than that of DXM with butorphanol. However, the duration of action of DXM was short. Lower value of Cmax and nociceptive thresholds showed the nonsignificant efficacy of butorphanol at a dose of 2 mg/kg after IN administration in broiler chickens.
Keywords: analgesia; butorphanol; chicken; dexmedetomidine; intranasal; pharmacokinetics; sedation.