Anaesthesia

Many veterinarian procedures that your pet will experience require a general anesthetic. Such procedures may include desexing and dental work. It is important to realise that all surgical procedures require an anaesthetic and have a small inherent risk associated with them. The anaesthetics currently being used in veterinary medicine are very safe and are also used for human anaesthesia, however, to minimise the risk to your pet there are several precautions that can be taken

Firstly, your pet should undergo a thorough physical examination and a history should be obtained or established.

Secondly, pre-anaesthetic blood tests can be perfomed to test the functioning of internal organs. A history and physical examination can provide your veterinarian with vital information on your animal's health.

Unfortunately our pets are unable to tell us when they are feeling ill. For this reason it is important to use a blood screen to ensure all internal body systems are functioning normally. If abnormalities are detected on the blood test your veterinarian may then change their approach to the anaesthetic in order to minimise the anaesthetic risk. In terms of statistics... the younger the animal, the less useful the tests, i.e. 5% of young animals have a blood irregularity, while in older animals (>10 y.o.), 90% can have irregularities.

Anaesthetic Procedure

Prior to an anaesthetic your animal should be fasted for 12hrs, with no access to food, but continued acess to water. This will minimise the risk of vomiting during, or immediately after, the anaesthetic.

When your pet arrives at the clinic a clinical exam will be performed by a veterinarian to ensure your pet's health and blood may be taken for pre-anaesthetic 'bloods' if requested by the owner. Your pet may be medicated prior to the anaesthetic. This medication will relax your pet and minimise the stress to your animal prior to surgery.

All Creatures Veterinary Center uses a combination of injectable and inhalation anaesthetics. This requires a small tube to be placed into your pet's windpipe and is removed as your pet wakes up from the general anaesthetic. It is important to note that this tube may cause some temporary irritation to the back of the throat. In some animals this may be seen clinically as a mild cough and will resolve without intervention. If it does persist you should contact your veterinarian.

Some animals may appear subdued and lethargic after their surgery due to a delayed recovery from the anaesthetic. This may be due to the differing abilities of animals to break down the anaesthetic. To assist in the recovery of your pet we recommend the following:

1. Pain relief injection is given but follow-on pain relief can allow your pet to recover faster and minimise the stress to your animal. Please advise our staff if you are concerned and interested.

2. Keep your pet inside and warm. This is just as important in summer as it is in winter. Anaesthetics removed the ability to regulate the body temperature. Keeping your pet in the laundry is adequate if it is generally an outdoor animal. If you would prefer we can keep your pet in hospital overnight.

3. Feed a small amount. A 1/4 of the usual amount of a canned or moist food, i.e. cooked or canned meat. Generally dry food is a bit harder for your pet to tolerate after a general anaesthetic. Please feel free to ask our staff what is suitable.

4. Try to keep your pet as quiet as possible. Thye should not be running around, playing or jumping onto objects such as furniture.

5. Ensure your pet does not lick or chew at any wounds, if they do, contact us straight away as we will need to place a head collar to prevent this from occurring.

6. Keep our phone number handy and use it if you are at all concerned. The number is
03 94158288, Voip 03 90188911, mobile 0417654415, or Animal Accident Emergency at the Main Terminal Essendon Airport 09 93790700.

In most cases your pet will be fully recovered from the anaesthetic by the following day. Please contact us if this is not the case, or if you have any concerns in regard to the procedure your animal has undergone.