Demystifying Anesthesia

Understandably, many people have questions concerning anesthesia and the potential risks involved.  We hope the following information will help our clients feel comfortable with entrusting us to care for their pets while under anesthesia.

Is Anesthesia Safe?

Today's modern anesthetics and monitors have made surgery much safer than in the past.  Here at Tassajara Veterinary Clinic, we do a thorough physical exam on your pet before administering anesthetics, primarily to ensure that the heart and lungs are functioning properly and to check for the presence of fever or other illness.  We adjust the amount and type of pre-anesthetic drugs used depending on the age, history and current health of your pet.  Since each type of inhaled anesthetic is metabolized differently we use the highest quality anesthetic on the market today: Sevoflurane.  Sevoflurane or Sevo,is one of the least soluble inhaled anesthetic agents, allowing for very rapid induction and associated recovery times.  While under anesthesia, your pet is constantly monitored by a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) who watches the patient's heart rate, oxygenation, respiration and depth of anesthesia of your pet.

Why Do Blood Work?

Pre-anesthetic blood testing is an important step towards reducing complications while under anesthesia.  Ideally, every pet should have blood testing before surgery to ensure that the liver and kidneys can handle the anesthetic properly.  Even outwardly healthy animals can have serious organ problems that cannot be detected without testing.  If there is a problem, it is much better to address the issue before it results in anesthetic or surgical complications.  If serious problems are detected during the pre-anesthetic exam or in the blood screening, surgery can be cancelled or postponed until the problem is resolved.

We offer two levels of in-house blood testing before surgery, which we will go over with you when you bring your pet in.  The more comprehensive screen is called a General Health Profile (GHP).  This test provides our doctors with an in-depth look at kidney, pancreas and liver values, electrolyte levels, and a blood cell count which helps us to evaluate organ function before anesthesia.  Knowing these values is important, as pre-anesthetics drugs are processed by the kidneys and liver.  In younger pets (under the age of 6 years) a “mini” blood test, called a Pre-Op Profile, can also be an important tool in identifying congenital defects in the kidneys or liver. Although, less extensive than a GHP, “mini” profiles still provide doctors with valuable information to help decide the best care for your pet prior to going under anesthesia.

What Happens The Day Of Surgery?

 In most cases, anesthetic procedures require the patient to be dropped off early in the morning. This allows our doctors time to do the physical exam, run any necessary diagnostics (such as blood work) and to decide on the drugs and dosages to be used.  It is important that anesthetic procedures be done on an empty stomach to reduce the risk of vomiting during and after anesthesia.  For this reason we require pets to be fasted for 8-10 hours prior to being brought in on the day of surgery.  Water can be left down for the pet until the morning of surgery. If the patient is a rabbit or rodent, fasting times do vary, so be sure to check with the doctor before the day of the procedure.  For the most part, anesthetic procedures are performed during lunch hours, allowing patients to rest and be monitored post-operatively before going home later in the afternoon.

Will My Pet Have Stitches?

Depending on the surgery performed your pet will either have dissolvable sutures, staples or skin sutures. Dissolvable stitches will dissolve on their own and therefore will not need to be removed. Some surgeries, such as ovario-hysterectomies (spay) or tumor removals, will have stitches or staples.  Whichever type of closure is used, you will need to keep an eye on the incision for swelling, heat or discharge.  Most dogs and cats do not lick excessively or chew at incisions, but this is an occasional problem you will also need to watch for.  If there are skin sutures or staples, they will typically be removed 10-14 days after surgery.  You will also need to limit your pet's activity level for a time and no baths are allowed until the sutures or staples are removed.

Will My Pet Be In Pain?

Pain medications may be prescribed depending on the procedure performed and the individual pet.  Procedures that are more invasive require more pain control than other superficial surgeries such as minor lacerations.  Be aware that pets may not display the same signs of pain as their human companions and more so, some animals do not show any outward signs of pain at all.  Symptoms of pain to look out for include trembling, hiding, withdrawing from family, or refusing to eat.  For dogs, we may recommend an oral anti-inflamatory the day after surgery and several days after to lessen the risk of discomfort and swelling.  We use newer medications, which are less likely to cause stomach upset and can be given even the morning of surgery.  Because cats do not tolerate standard pain medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen or Tylenol, we are limited in what we can give them.  Recent advances in pain medications have allowed for better pain control in cats than ever before. For both dogs and cats, we typically administer a pain control medication in our patient’s pre-anesthetic injection.  After surgery, pain medication is given on a case-by-case basis.

What Other Decisions Do I Need To Make?

While your pet is under anesthesia, it is the ideal time to perform other minor procedures, such as dentistry, ear cleaning, or implanting an identification microchip.  If you would like an estimate for these extra services, please call ahead of time.  This is especially important if the person dropping the pet off for surgery is not the primary decision maker for the pet's care.

When you bring your pet in for surgery, please allow 5 to 10 minutes of time to fill out paperwork and make decisions on the blood testing and other options available.  When you pick up your pet after surgery you can also plan to spend about 10 minutes going over your pet's individual home care needs and possible medications.

We will call you the night before your pet’s scheduled surgery to confirm the appointment and to answer any last-minute questions you might have.  In the meantime, please don't hesitate to call us with any questions about your pet's health or surgery.