These days, veterinary teams do more than ever to optimize anesthesia safety for pets.
Ahead of time, veterinarians examine pets and order blood tests, especially those assessing the liver and kidneys, which break down and remove anesthetics from the body. Then, they use all this medical information to develop an individualized anesthetic protocol.
When it’s time for the procedure, an intravenous catheter is placed to administer a sedative and fluids. After about 20 minutes, the pet is anesthetized and an airway breathing tube is placed for delivery of anesthetic and oxygen. During anesthesia, veterinary technicians monitor the pet’s breathing, heart activity, blood pressure and oxygen levels.
Pets usually recover within a half-hour, and veterinary technicians monitor them for several hours afterward.