What happens to my pet after its admitted?
What does having a general anaesthetic involve?
How safe is a general anaesthetic?
What happens if there is a problem?
What happens at the end of the procedure?

What happens to my pet after its admitted?

If your pet is having an operation, they first receive a physical examination and when appropriate, have a blood test taken to check their organs are functioning well and their blood cell counts are normal. If all is well, a “pre-med” is administered; this is a combination of drugs that make a general anaesthetic safer, but also have a sedative effect. They are then settled on a bed, in their own kennel, whilst the drugs take effect, which takes about 10 minutes.

What does having a general anaesthetic involve?

A nurse holds the pet, whilst gently reassuring them. The vet clips some hair on the top of the forearm, and places a catheter or a needle in a vein, through which an anaesthetic called propofol or alfaxalone is injected. This takes effect almost immediately, inducing a deep sleep. An endotracheal tube is then inserted into the windpipe, through which oxygen and an anaesthetic gas called sevoflurane is delivered. Equipment to montitor vital signs is attached, and the nurse constantly monitors and assesses the patient's wellbeing, recording heart rate, breathing rate and a number of other vital signs, every five minutes.

How safe is a general anaesthetic?

Modern day general anaesthesia is very, very safe. The growth in expertise, understanding and new anaesthetic drugs has reduced the risk of complications to a tiny level.

The keypoints are:

The anaesthetic drugs we use, sevoflurane, propoflo and alfaxalone are the safest general anaesthetic drugs available in veterinary medicine; indeed there is a high chance that you would receive exactly the same drugs if you were anaesthetised.

We employ highly experienced, qualified veterinary nurses specifically trained in anaesthesia.

We use sophisticated, anaesthetic monitoring equipment, but even more importantly, an anaesthetic nurse monitors the patient constantly. That means she is actively listening to the heart beat and respirations, checking the patients colour and signs that reflect the depth of anaesthesia; every 5 minutes she records the key data on a chart.

An “IV Drip” helps to maintain blood pressure, ensuring that major organs, particularly the kidneys, receive a good blood supply during the anaesthetic. It also corrects any dehydration, compensates for any blood loss during the operation and provides immediate access for injecting drugs. We feel the benefits are so important that we routinely set up an iv drip on all animals having major surgery (including bitch spays), older animals (generally, over seven years old) and those with health problems.
 

At every step, your pet is treated gently with constant reassurance. There are always a minimum of two people involved in their care.

What happens if there is a problem?

Once the warning signs of a problem are detected, appropriate measures are implemented to stabilise the patient. This might be changes to the anaesthetic drug, active ventilation to increase oxygen delivery, administration of drugs or increasing the rate of iv fluid administration. Early detection of a problem enables a simple solution to be implemented, preventing a crisis. Interestingly, dogs and cats have a far lower risk of heart attacks and thrombo-emboli (clots), compared to humans.

What happens at the end of the procedure?

The monitoring process continues. Once the patient is awake enough to have the endotracheal tube removed, they are moved back to a heated kennel, snuggled up in blankets and watched by one of three "ward nurses", until they are fully conscious and able to stand up. They ensure that any medication required is administered and are especially alert to the need for any extra pain relief.