Anesthesia and patient monitoring is critical for the most successful outcome for your pet! It is paramount that the best anesthetic protocol always be in place for every procedure and in concert with the health needs of the patient. The advancement in anesthesiolgy over the years gives us not only confidence in the safety but in the ease of recovery.
PATIENT MONITORING
We monitor our patients closely to keep them as safe as possible during procedures that require general anesthesia. A veterinary technician will continually assess your pet’s heart and respiratory rate, blood pressure, and other vital signs to help prevent any anesthetic risk.
Please feel free to ask us about our patient monitoring protocol or any concerns you might have about your pet’s procedure. We’d be happy to discuss these matters in more detail.
A general anesthetic results in the patient sound asleep ( a state of unconsiousness ) and a loss of sensation ( no pain ) throughout the body. A general anesthetic procedures involve several steps beginning with a detailed health evaluation, pre-anesthetic blood profile and the administration of a special combo for sedation preceding the actual anesthetic. In most cases an intravenous injection of an anesthetic renders the animal unconscious while a breathing tube is carefully/accuately placed into the patient’s trachea. A gas anesthetic is delivered in combination with oxygen to our patient through the breathing tube to maintain a safe level of anesthesia for the selected procedure.
Advance anesthetic monitoring and strict protocols ensure optimum care for your pet..
A local anesthetic causes a loss of sensation to a ‘local’ area. Small surgical or diagnostic procedures may require a local anesthetic to perform. A biopsy is a common diagnostic procedure where local anesthetic can be used to control pain. A biopsy involves surgical removal of a small portion of tissue.
TRANQUILIZATION & SEDATION
Tranquilization or sedation is used to calm an animal under various conditions. The animal remains awake or may ‘sleep’ but is easily aroused when stimulated. Pet owners frequently request sedation for their animals during travel, thunderstorms, fireworks, etc. Sedation and tranquilization are not without risk and each animal should be assessed prior to dispensing these medicines.