When your veterinarian tells you that your furry companion needs a procedure that requires general anesthesia, you naturally have questions and concerns about your pet’s safety. Our Stanton Pet Hospital team understands your worries and wants to reassure you about your pet by explaining the stringent safety measures we take during every anesthetic event, no matter how brief. To prepare yourself for your pet’s upcoming procedure, read the following outline of the steps we take to keep your furry pal safe and comfortable before, during, and after anesthesia.

Step 1: Perform a nose-to-tail exam the day of your pet’s procedure

Your pet’s health can change rapidly, so we perform a thorough physical exam right before we proceed with anesthesia. Your pet may have had a previous appointment a day or week ago, but we always perform a nose-to-tail check the morning of their procedure to obtain their most current vital signs. 

Step 2: Conduct pre-anesthetic testing to evaluate your pet’s health

Before your pet undergoes anesthesia, we will check for various issues that can complicate anesthesia and surgery. Depending on your pet’s age and pre-existing conditions, and the procedure being performed, we may conduct these screening tests:

  • Blood work
  • Urinalysis
  • X-rays
  • Blood pressure testing

These test results will let us know if anemia, inflammation, infection, organ dysfunction, or other abnormalities that must be factored into our anesthesia plan are present.

Step 3: Tailor an anesthetic protocol to your pet’s health status and procedure

With your pet’s test results in hand, we will customize an anesthetic protocol based on their specific health needs. For example, if your pet has kidney disease, we will adjust the rate of their intravenous (IV) fluids and avoid drugs that the kidneys metabolize. Or, if your pet is undergoing a splenectomy, we will prepare for any potential blood pressure issues and ensure the necessary items for a blood transfusion are on hand.

Our anesthetic protocols also include pre-calculated drug doses to be administered in an emergency, so we don’t have to waste time scrambling to perform math equations if a problem arises.

Step 4: Place an intravenous catheter

Drugs take effect most rapidly when administered intravenously, so we place an IV catheter to ensure we have venous access in case of an emergency. Through your pet’s IV catheter, we also administer anesthetic agents, antibiotics, and pain medication, as needed, and we give fluids to bolster blood pressure and help the kidneys flush out anesthetic drugs.

Step 5: Administer a pre-anesthetic cocktail to relax your pet

Once we’ve secured venous access via an IV catheter, we administer a drug “cocktail” to relieve your pet’s pain and anxiety. These medications work together to relax and sedate your pet.

Step 6: Induce anesthesia

After the pre-anesthetic medications have taken effect, we induce full anesthesia by administering IV medication. During this critical time, we monitor your pet closely for adverse reactions and give only as much medication as is needed to induce unconsciousness. By assessing various parameters, we can determine your pet’s response to the anesthetic agent and adjust the dose accordingly.

Step 7: Place an endotracheal tube

Once your pet is fully unconscious, we secure their airway with an endotracheal tube placed down their trachea (i.e., windpipe). One end of the tube is connected to an anesthesia machine that provides a continuous flow of pure oxygen and anesthetic gas, and the other ends before your pet’s airway branches. This tube ensures your pet remains well-oxygenated and unconscious, and prevents potential aspiration of bodily fluids into the lungs.

Step 8: Set up monitoring equipment

Next, we set up monitoring equipment, which cannot be done on an awake pet. When your pet is hooked up to all our monitoring devices, we are able to keep a close eye on their heart rate and rhythm, respiratory rate, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, temperature, blood pressure, and more. These parameters allow us to evaluate your pet’s response to anesthesia and the procedure, and inform us if we need to adjust pain medication, anesthetic gas or oxygen levels, IV fluid rates, or warming aids.

Step 9: Assign a team member to monitor your pet

Our team preps your pet so they spend as little time under anesthesia as possible, but once their procedure is underway, a team member is assigned to focus on nothing but your furry pal’s safety. Our team members participate in lifelong learning opportunities to expand their knowledge and are highly skilled and educated in anesthesia and surgery, so they can readily recognize and address any issues.

Step 10: Regularly evaluate all parameters

Throughout your pet’s procedure, their designated “watchdog” continuously monitors and evaluates all parameters, informing the surgeon of any complications or abnormalities. By constantly assessing your pet’s status, we can immediately pick up on and address problems before they worsen.

Step 11: Monitor your pet throughout recovery

After their procedure, we recover your pet from anesthesia, watching them until they regain consciousness, the same way we monitored them closely under anesthesia. Only when your pet is in full control of their senses do we allow them to leave our care.

Our Stanton Pet Hospital team understands that you may be frightened at the thought of your pet being anesthetized, and you should never hesitate to give us a call to express your concerns and discuss your pet’s upcoming anesthetic procedure.