Management of neuroanaesthesia in a ewe undergoing craniotomy for coenurosis cyst removal

Coenurosis is a parasitic disease affecting the central nervous system of small ruminants. This case describes the anaesthetic management of a ewe undergoing craniotomy for associated-brain cyst removal. As small ruminants are food-producing animals, there is limited access to veterinary medicinal products, and choosing an appropriate anaesthetic protocol is challenging. After premedication with detomidine (0.03 mg/kg intramuscularly) and butorphanol (0.1 mg/kg intravenously), anaesthesia was induced with lidocaine (1 mg/kg) and ketamine (2 mg/kg intravenously), and maintained with isoflurane in oxygen, using controlled mechanical ventilation. The animal was placed in sternal recumbency, with the head slightly elevated. A lidocaine incisional infiltration was performed, and dexamethasone (0.06 mg/kg intravenously) was administered. Vital parameters remained stable throughout anaesthesia, but moderate agitation was noticed at recovery, treated with butorphanol (0.05 mg/kg intravenously). While the ewe showed clinical improvement initially, its neurological status deteriorated in the following days, leading to euthanasia. Postmortem examination revealed intracranial haematoma.