Poultry anesthesia is not a trivial matter

Tina Websell's vet thinks birds should be anesthetized prior to
removal of a deformed toe, but the two vets I have spoken to say avian
anesthesia is far too risky for this procedure and they absolutely
would NOT use anesthetic other than a topical ointment if available.
Below is an excerpt from professional literature that presents the
issues and problems quite succinctly, and I think it is an interesting
read for those who may have to consider this issue at some point.

Charlie

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Isoflurane is the anesthetic of choice for most avian anesthetic
procedures. However, inhalation anesthesia is not always
available in field situations involving wild birds, although small
portable inhalation anesthesia units are available. Certain
surgical procedures, such as tracheal resection, may warrant the use
of injectable anesthesia regardless of whether or not an
anesthesia machine is available... Injectable anesthetics used in
birds include barbiturates, chloral hydrate, alpha chloralose,
phenothiazines, dissociatives, alpha-adrenergic agonists,
alphaxalone/alphadolone and propofol. Some of these anesthetics, such
as barbiturates, chloral hydrate, alpha chloralose and
alphaxalone/alphadolone, are no longer recommended and will not be
discussed here

The greatest disadvantage of injectable anesthetics is individual and
species variation relative to drug dose and response to a
specific drug... Pharmacokinetic studies of antimicrobial drugs in
different species of birds have shown that kinetics vary significantly
between species and even between birds of the same
order such as cockatiels and Amazon parrots (both Psittaformes).
Therefore data collected on an injectable anesthetic using a
pigeon may not be directly transferable to another species of bird...

It is important that the overall clinical condition of the bird be
considered during selection of an anesthetic protocol. Precise
body weight in grams is essential for accurate dosing. When using
injectable anesthetics for birds it is difficult to maintain a
surgical plane of anesthesia. The risk of cardiopulmonary depression
is high and warrants careful monitoring during an
anesthetic procedure.

http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:fSPtWq02bnoJ:www.ivis.org/advances/Anesthesia_Gleed/paul/ivis.pdf+veterinary+%22local+anesthetic%22+poultry&hl=en
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