We take pride in the level of safety and comfort experienced by our patients who undergo surgery or other general anesthetic procedures at our hospital. Advances in anesthetic drug safety and patient monitoring capabilities have made such procedures safer than ever for pets. Regardless, the use and administration of anesthesia is not without risk. The function of pre-anesthetic testing and intravenous fluids is to lower those risks, and we therefore recommend them for all of our surgery patients.
Intravenous Fluids: When IV fluids are administered, a catheter is inserted in a vein and an IV fluid pump continually administers the correct amount of fluids to the patient via the catheter. IV fluids given during surgery and general anesthesia help keep your pet’s blood pressure in a safe range, support vital organ function and allow for the rapid administration of drugs should an emergency develop.
Pre-anesthetic Blood and Heart Testing: We will give your pet a physical examination before we administer general anesthesia. However, disorders of the blood, liver and kidneys cannot be detected without blood testing, and many disorders of the heart cannot be detected unless an electrocardiogram (ECG) is performed. The health of these organs is directly related to how well a pet copes with anesthesia; therefore, abnormalities in any of these areas may greatly increase anesthetic risk. Pre-anesthetic blood tests and a heart electrocardiogram (ECG) can help us determine your pet’s individual risk factors as well as the proper anesthetic protocol for your pet.
We will be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding the services recommended above.
