Pets Under Anesthesia
No Need To Be Fearful
What a different world we are living in – just a few weeks ago, our big concerns were for the next snowstorm and making plans for spring break. It is my hope that by the time that this is published that we will all know at least a little more about the “Coronaviragedden,” have stopped panic buying and are continuing to show random acts of kindness to our family, friends and neighbors. We at Park Hill Vet are committed to staying safely open to serve our clients and patients – call, check our website or our Facebook for any updates. Stay healthy! — mkv
It is fully understandable to feel apprehension at the thought of your pet being anesthetized or sedated. Many pet owners are so fearful about anesthesia and sedation that they delay or avoid important treatments for their beloved family members. Delays mean disease continues to progress and we may ultimately have to make a much more difficult decision.
Don’t be afraid – fewer than 1 in 100,000 animals have any issues or problems under anesthesia or sedation, which is about the same as it is for humans. Most problems occur in human and animal patients that have concurrent problems or co-morbidities, which increases risk.
No one should tell you there is no risk. Your veterinarian should discuss any concerns that are individual to your pet and how they will be managed. And, always ask if your pet will have a dedicated, trained team member such as certified veterinary technician monitoring them – not the same person who is also using instruments or the ultrasonic scaler to clean the teeth.
The anesthetic medications available to veterinarians currently are leaps and bounds better than when I started in this field 30-plus years ago. All our products are either short-acting, such as gas anesthetic – meaning they are metabolizing out of the patient as soon as administration is discontinued – or reversible, such as injectable sedation with a reversal agent that is given as soon as sedation is no longer needed.
Why do we anesthetize or sedate our animal patients?
1. It’s obvious for invasive surgery that anesthesia is needed to prevent pain and movement.
2. For dental procedures. No pet will willingly sit with a digital dental x-ray plate in their mouths, particularly when it can be uncomfortable when positioning to get images of some of the teeth. And, no owner wants to be paying in the range of $250 to greater than $6,000 for a damaged dental imaging plate.
3. We also clean subgingivally, or under the gumline, for which humans are sedated also because of discomfort.
4. We can and do take x-rays on awake animals. But for fearful or animals in pain, sedation (especially when obtaining orthopedic images of limbs) offers not only pain relief but allows positioning for perfect images in one shot rather than having to take multiples. This lessens x-ray exposure for both people and pets.
Your veterinarian and his or her supporting team members should always be willing to answer all questions about anesthetic procedures. If the timing is right, they might even give you a tour of the hospital and you can see their people, procedures and processes in action.
Dr. Margot Vahrenwald is the owner of Park Hill Veterinary Medical Center at 2255 Oneida St. For more information, visit www.parkhillvet.com