Our hospital offers a variety of anesthesia services for your pet!
Occasionally, your pet may have a procedure recommended by the doctor which would require him or her to be placed under anesthesia. The term 'anesthesia' indicates the use of medication to block sensation, which typically results in unconsciousness.
Anesthesia can be induced through using a variety of medications, some of which are injectable, while others are simply inhaled. It is generally used for procedures which require the patient to be unconscious, such as surgery, some imaging procedures like radiographs and ultrasounds, and some medical procedures.
Whenever any patient is scheduled for undergo anesthesia, it is important to perform a preoperative blood work panel. This blood test will check several different aspects of your pet's health, to ensure that they are healthy enough to undergo the anesthesia required for the procedure.
Some of the things the blood work panel will test for include:
• A CBC (Complete Blood Count), which will check for any underlying, hidden infections.
• Clotting Times, which will ensure that it is safe to cut into your pet' s body.
• Liver and Kidney functions, since these are the primary organs through which the anesthesia will be processed.
Pets who are to go under anesthesia are typically pre-medicated with an injectable sedative drug. This allows the pet to relax so that full anesthesia can be induced more smoothly and safely. Following this pre-medication, the patient receives an intravenous injection medication to cause the loss of consciousness. Once this is successfully achieved, a tube is placed into the upper airway through which gas anesthesia is administered throughout the procedure to help keep the patient comfortably anesthetized.
While under anesthesia, the patient is monitored in much the same way a human undergoing the same anesthesia would be. This monitoring includes listening to the heart and lungs, visually assessing the reflexes and the use of technical equipment to monitor the pet's blood pressure, level of blood oxygen and temperature. Oftentimes, an ECG machine is also used to monitor patients under anesthesia. Trained technicians assist the veterinarians to ensure that the procedures go smoothly.
If you have any questions or concerns about anesthesia and your pet, feel free to ask one of our doctors or veterinary technicians at your next appointment!
