For some procedures, your pet will need to be administered general anesthesia so that he or she will be unconscious and not feel pain. Many pet owners worry about their pets being administered general anesthesia.
Modern anesthesia in general is much safer than in the past. To better assess your pet’s risk for anesthesia a physical examination and blood work is done ahead of time. This helps to identify any underlying health issues that might necessitate medical treatment prior to surgery, a change in anesthetic protocol, or preclude surgery. In addition, each patient’s anesthesia is calculated based on his/her body weight, age, and medical condition. All patients receive intravenous fluids throughout their procedure and have their vital signs monitored until he/she is fully recovered from anesthesia.
We begin most general anesthetic procedures by administering a sedative to help the pet relax and decrease any anxiety and pain. We then administer an intravenous drug to provide complete anesthesia and place an endotracheal tube (breathing tube) into the patient’s trachea (windpipe). Anesthesia is maintained with a combination of anesthetic gas delivered with 100% oxygen through the endotracheal tube.
Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns about your pet receiving general anesthesia or about the procedure for which your pet is scheduled.