How Vets Make Pet Anesthesia As Safe As Possible
Many veterinary surgeries and procedures are performed under anesthesia. With anesthesia, there are always some risks. However, as a pet owner, you can rest assured that veterinarians take several key steps to reduce the risks and make anesthesia as safe as possible for your furry companion. Here are those key steps.
Health Screenings
Whenever possible, a vet will screen your pet's overall health before they administer animal anesthesia. They will listen to their heart, take their blood pressure, monitor their breathing, and so forth. If this exam reveals anything worrisome, the vet may delay the anesthesia, try to use a local anesthetic instead, or adjust the dose of anesthesia to reduce the risk. The only time this sort of screening is not done is when a pet is in emergency surgery and needs to be operated on immediately. For example, a vet will generally anesthetize a pet who has been badly injured in a car crash without going through the screening procedures since in this case, surgery is absolutely needed to save the pet's life.
Bloodwork
If your pet needs to go in for a planned procedure, such as a dental extraction or joint surgery, the vet will usually have you bring them in a few weeks prior for basic blood work. During this blood work, levels of various nutrients, white blood cells, red blood cells, and certain liver enzymes will be measured. If there is anything unusual that might make anesthesia too risky, the vet likely will suggest other options. Or, they may want to administer some treatment or supplement to improve your pet's health prior to the anesthetic.
Specific Dosing
A lot of medications given to pets are not dosed very specifically. For instance, dogs are generally all given the same dose of antihistamines for allergies, regardless of their size. With anesthesia, things are done differently. Your vet will carefully weigh your dog, consider their age, and consider their breed when determining how much anesthetic to administer. They will also pay close attention to how the dog reacts to the anesthesia and adjust the dose, as needed. This ensures your dog does not get too much, resulting in side effects, and also that they don't get too little, allowing the pain to perpetuate.
Vets go out of their way to make anesthesia as safe as possible for your animals. If you have questions about these steps, ask your vet.
Do you absolutely adore animals? Perhaps, you frequently welcome abandoned dogs or cats into your home that you find in the streets. When you rescue an animal, be sure to schedule an appointment with a veterinarian as quickly as possible. This professional can run some tests on your new pet to make sure he or she doesn’t have a disease or other type of medical condition. A veterinarian can also recommend any vaccinations or medications your cat or dog may need. Your veterinarian can spay or neuter your new pet if you would like him or her to. On this blog, I hope you will discover how a veterinarian can protect both you and the abandoned animal you’ve brought into your home. Enjoy!