Intravenous lidocaine administered in the dorsal occipital sinus was ineffective for euthanasia of Asian box turtles (Cuora spp).

Pentobarbital, not lidocaine, is effective for euthanasia in Asian box turtles; higher doses than current guidelines are recommended.

This blinded, randomized study evaluated the efficacy of intravenous lidocaine versus pentobarbital for euthanasia in Asian box turtles (Cuora spp), with all animals pre-sedated using alfaxalone. Fifteen turtles were assigned to receive either lidocaine (20 mg/kg, n=8) or pentobarbital (200 mg/kg, n=7) via the dorsal occipital sinus, a venipuncture site accessed by ventral flexion of the head with needle insertion ventral to the supraoccipital crest. Supplemental doses were administered at 30, 60, and 90 minutes if heartbeat persisted, with pentobarbital administered to all animals at 90 minutes regardless of treatment group. The dorsal occipital sinus proved reliably accessible for high-volume injections. Lidocaine failed to produce permanent cardiac arrest in all treated turtles; although transient cessation of heartbeat was observed, spontaneous cardiac activity returned in every case, necessitating pentobarbital rescue at 90 minutes. In contrast, pentobarbital produced permanent loss of detectable heartbeat in 5 of 7 turtles, demonstrating significantly greater reliability. Notably, 2 of 7 pentobarbital-treated turtles also required supplemental dosing, suggesting that the currently published dose guidelines of 200 mg/kg may be insufficient for consistent rapid euthanasia in chelonians. The authors conclude that lidocaine is inappropriate as a sole euthanasia agent in this species, and recommend higher pentobarbital doses than current guidelines to ensure reliable cardiac arrest in reptiles.

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