Comparison of Techniques to Recover Stomach Contents From Penguins.

Abstract

A 20-ml syringe was extended, using a PVC tube attachment of diameter 4 mm internal, 5.5 mm external, rounded at the distal end and inserted 30 cm into the oesophagus and stomach of adult little penguins (Eudyptula minor). Ipecacuanha (6 ml concentrate in 20 ml solution) produced emesis in 21 min on average. Birds with stomach ulcers, or malnourished, occasionally died, so those under 850 g should not be given ipecacuanha. Copper sulphate 1% (0.06M), 20 ml, produced emesis in 8 min. Either of those 2 emetics was suitable for obtaining the stomach contents and there was no need to kill the birds. Treated birds were marked, and not treated again if recaptured. Potassium antimony tartrate had too little margin between the effective and the lethal dose, and there was no response to injections of apomorphine 0.05 mg/kg body mass. Stomach pumps were unsatisfactory and flushing the stomach with water was inconvenient.