Advances in anesthetic equipment and medications have made surgery much safer for pets of all ages. Many conditions (including disorders of the liver, kidneys, or blood) may affect your pet’s ability to tolerate an anesthetic. Our astounding success rate with anesthetic is due in large part to modern, properly maintenanced equipment, safe and effective anesthetic medications, and constant staff training.
Our success is especially dependent on our ability to anticipate potential problems in order to avoid potential complications. This is done with both our experience and with our ability to perform diagnostics before the procedure. This is called pre-anesthetic testing and it is vital to individualize the type and amount of anesthetic for each patient. Would you say “don’t bother” if you were having a surgery and your anesthetist and surgeon required tests before hand?
Pre-anesthetic testing can identify problems that may not be detected unless blood and urine tests are performed. These tests become even more important as your pets age by allowing us to individualize the type and amount of anesthetic.
What about “special needs” patients?
Patients with heart conditions can safely undergo anesthesia as well! In some cases, a chest x-ray, an EKG, or heart ultrasound will be performed prior to the anesthetic to improve the safety of the procedure. Patients with kidney disease have careful, continuous intravenous fluid administration, and a quick return to eating and drinking at home.
