ANESTHESIA
Three steps to making anesthesia

safer for your pet!

Any procedure involving anesthesia does have a certain amount of risk associated with it. Making anesthesia as safe as possible involves a multi-step plan.

STEP 1:
Assessing the health of the patient prior to anesthesia. A history is collected from the owner and an examination is performed by the doctor. We recommend drawing a blood sample before anesthesia to check organ function and the overall internal health to assure the patient will be a good anesthesia candidate, and that appropriate anesthetic medications are chosen.  Every client is asked to consent to these blood tests during check-in.

STEP 2:
Providing supportive fluid therapy before, during and after anesthesia. Fluid therapy can be given by the subcutaneous or intravenous routes. For many procedures we place an intravenous catheter for administering intravenous fluid therapy. This assures proper hydration, helps maintain good blood pressure during anesthesia, and allows rapid venous access if drugs need to be given during the procedure. Administering fluids also makes it easier for certain medications to be excreted, and patients to recover more quickly. For some elective procedures intravenous catheter placement and fluid therapy will be discussed on check in.

Fluid therapy allows for rehydration, maintaining blood pressure & administering IV medication to patient.

STEP 3:
Close monitoring of all patients both during and following anesthesia. Our veterinary nurses will closely monitor your pet during anesthesia using electronics that measure your pets heart rate and blood oxygenation during the procedure.

Patients are provided with a heat source both during and following anesthesia to prevent hypothermia. Medication to control pain is administered.

Our nurses will remain with your pet to ensure a safe and comfortable recovery as well.

Monitoring includes temperature, pulse, respiration, EKG, Sp02 and blood pressure.

< EKG monitor

blood pressure cuff	temperature & respiration