Worried about your pet going under General Anaesthetic? We’ve put together some information to ease your mind!

Pet owners are often very anxious about veterinary procedures that involve anaesthesia, which is completely understandable!  The reality is that most pets will be required to go under a GA at some point in their lives in order to provide important veterinary treatment, from routine desexing to life-saving emergency procedures.

Here at Sugarland, we are an ASAV Accredited Hospital of Excellence, which means all of our GA procedures are closely regulated and audited to ensure they are of the absolute highest standards available in veterinary medicine.

We know knowledge is power, so we have put together some information below about what is involved in your pets GA in the hopes that having a deeper understanding of the procedure will help alleviate your anxieties!

So lets get into it!

The word anaesthesia comes from the Greek meaning “lack of sensation”. Anaesthesia is accomplished by administering drugs that depress nerve function. With general anaesthesia, the patient is made unconscious for a short period. During this unconscious state, there is muscular relaxation and a complete loss of pain sensation.

Can you describe a typical anaesthesia?

All anaesthesia patients are weighed on admission and are given a thorough pre-anaesthetic examination. This includes an examination of the chest, palpation of the abdomen, and assessment of the gums (checking for hydration status and evidence of good circulatory status). The medical history will be reviewed, and additional diagnostics such as blood or urine testing, blood pressure or electrocardiogram (ECG) may be performed prior to administration of any anaesthetic drugs.

In the great majority of cases, a technique called ‘balanced anaesthesia’ is used. With balanced anaesthesia, the patient receives a combination of sedatives and anaesthetic agents that is best suited to their individual needs. The most common combination is a pre-anaesthetic sedative and analgesic combination that is administered by injection, followed by an induction agent that is also administered by injection, and maintenance of the anesthetized state with an anaesthetic gas mixed with oxygen.

In order to ensure accurate delivery of the gas anaesthetic, a breathing tube, called an endotracheal tube, is inserted into the windpipe or trachea. In addition to delivering the gas to the lungs, the endotracheal tube seals off the airway so that the patient does not accidentally aspirate fluids or other foreign material while s/he is unconscious and unable to swallow.

How do you monitor an anesthetised pet?

Anaesthetic monitoring in our veterinary hospital is similar to that found in any human hospital. Below is a list of common methods of monitoring anaesthesia:

The Surgery Nurse is the most important monitor during an anaesthetic procedure. This professional staff member is highly trained to observe and monitor the patient throughout the entire procedure, from induction until recovery. The nurse communicates with the vet to adjust the anaesthetic levels according to the patient’s vital signs and ensures that the patient remains stable throughout the procedure.

The Heart Rate Monitor measures the number of heartbeats per minute. Heart rate must be maintained within a certain range. The depth of anaesthesia and surgical stimulation can both affect heart rate. By monitoring heart rate, increases or decreases can be detected early and anaesthetic adjustments made quickly, resulting in smoother anaesthesia for our patients.

The Blood Pressure Monitor measures the systolic (when the heart contracts or pumps) and occasionally the diastolic (when the heart relaxes or refills) blood pressure. Coupled with other monitoring equipment, this gives detailed information on the cardiovascular status of the patient.

The Core Body Temperature is monitored, especially during a prolonged surgery, by inserting a temperature probe into the oesophagus or rectum. Low or high body temperature can cause dangerous complications. Maintenance of normal body temperature is especially important in small or paediatric patients, and aides in speedy recovery from anaesthesia.

Pulse Oximetry is used to monitor the amount of oxygen in the patient’s blood (Sp02) and the pulse rate. This instrument should always be used in conjunction with other pieces of monitoring equipment.

The End-tidal C02 Monitor is used in conjunction with a pulse oximeter. This device measures the amount of expired C02 and helps determine of the patient is receiving adequate oxygen during anaesthesia.

How long will it take my pet to recover from anaesthesia?

With today’s anaesthetics, many of which are reversible, your pet should be almost completely normal by the time of discharge. Many pets are sleepy or tired for twelve to twenty-four hours after anaesthesia. If your pet appears to be unusually sluggish or you cannot arouse him/her easily, contact the hospital immediately to receive specific advice.

What are the risks of anaesthesia?

There is always risk of an adverse reaction when we use any anaesthetic agent, no matter whether it is for a minor, short-term sedation or for a complete general anaesthesia lasting several hours.It is generally estimated that approximately 1 in 100,000 animals will have some sort of reaction to an anaesthetic agent. These reactions may range from mild swelling at the site of injection or a mild decrease in cardiac output, to a full-blown episode of anaphylactic shock or death. However, many experts put the risk of anaesthetic death as less than the risk of driving to and from the hospital to have the anaesthetic procedure.

Are there things that can be done to minimize the risks?

Pre-surgical physical examination and preoperative blood tests may detect clinical and sub-clinical problems. Certain medical conditions will increase the risk of having an anaesthetic complication. These conditions include heart, liver or kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, anaemia, dehydration, and certain infectious diseases such as heartworm disease.

Blood tests will increase the chance of detecting a hidden problem that could prove to be life threatening, which is why we recommend them for every patient and make them mandatory for all pets aged 7 years and over.

Immediate intravenous access for emergency drug administration is one of the most important factors in the successful treatment of cardiovascular or respiratory failure in either the awake or the anesthetized patient. By placing an intravenous (IV) catheter and line before anaesthesia, your veterinarian can ensure that this lifeline is already in place, should the need arise. Anaesthetics, fluids and emergency drugs can be administered through the IV line. At Sugarland we ensure IV access in every one of our surgical patients.

Intravenous fluids help maintain blood pressure in the anesthetized patient and will replace lost fluids (during surgery, fluids are lost through evaporation from body cavity surfaces, through bleeding, and in any tissues that are being removed). Upon completion of the procedure, intravenous fluid therapy speeds the recovery process by diluting the anaesthetic agents circulating in the blood stream and by enhancing their metabolism and elimination through the liver and kidneys. Patients that receive IV fluid therapy generally wake up faster than those that do not. We also place all our surgical patients on IV fluids here at Sugarland.

Why do I have to sign an anaesthetic consent form?

It is important that you fully understand what will happen to your pet, and that you acknowledge that you understand the risks. Usually, the form will also include consent to perform surgery or other specified diagnostic testing and will provide an estimate of the expected costs of the procedures.

In many areas, the veterinarian is required by their regulatory organization to obtain written consent from the client prior to performing anaesthetic procedures. This form also allows us to act in accordance with your wishes for your pet should an unexpected event happen during a general anaesthetic.

We hope this information has helped take some of the worry out of your pet undergoing a general anaesthetic procedure with us, but if you have any further questions, please never hesitate to approach one of our friendly staff members who will do their best to reassure you with knowledgeable responses.

If at any point in time you have any concerns, questions or queries please call us on 4151 3550.