For some procedures, your pet will need to be administered general anesthesia so that he or she will be unconscious. Many pet owners worry about their pets being administered general anesthesia. We can assure you that modern anesthesia is generally quite safe; to further lower any risk, we perform a physical examination and may run blood work ahead of time to catch any underlying health issues. In addition, we create an anesthetic protocol tailored to your pet and closely monitor vital signs during the procedure to ensure the safety of our patients.
We begin most general anesthetic procedures by administering an injectable sedative to help the pet relax and decrease any anxiety and pain. We then administer an intravenous drug to provide complete anesthesia and place a breathing tube into the patient’s trachea (windpipe). To maintain the state of unconsciousness, we deliver a gas anesthetic in combination with oxygen through the breathing tube. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns about your pet receiving general anesthesia or about the procedure for which your pet is scheduled.
