Anesthetic Protocol

Your Pet will Undergo General Anesthesia.

We give this information sheet to all pet owners
before their pet is given a general anesthesia.

To make the procedure safer we also recommend
intravenous fluids and a pre-anesthetic blood profile.

At Cranbrook Veterinary Hospital we take special care to insure stress free, comfortable and safe anesthesia for your pet. In order to achieve these goals, we provide the following for all animals undergoing general anesthesia.

Pre-anesthetic exam:

Every animal receives a complete physical exam prior to anesthesia with special attention to the heart and respiratory systems. Having a complete picture of your pet’s health insures the safest possible anesthesia and reduces complications.

In addition to the physical exam, we recommend a blood profile prior to anesthesia and intravenous fluids given during the procedure.

Testing your pet’s blood prior to anesthesia may indicate abnormalities that are not evident during a physical exam.

Fluids given intravenously allow for safer anesthesia. Fluids help maintain blood pressure and blood flow to the kidneys which may be reduced under general anesthesia. Also, fluids help maintain hydration during surgery and allow for intravenous access for drug administration if required.

Sedation:

We realize that being in the hospital can be a stressful time for your pet. We give sedation to all pets undergoing anesthesia. Sedation relaxes the patient and lowers the amount of general anesthetic required making the overall procedure safer.

Patient monitoring during anesthesia:

We use very safe anesthetics. During surgery there is a veterinary technician in the operating room monitoring the patient and helping the doctor as the need arises. As well, we use respiratory, heart and blood pressure monitoring equipment which tells us how our patients are doing while under anesthetic and gives us early warning of potential problems.

Hospitalization with warmed blankets on recovery:

Anesthesia lowers body temperature. Following surgery, pets are placed in clean cages with warmed blankets with extra heat supplied. Your pet is monitored before, during and after surgery by our hospital staff and doctors.

Analgesic injections (pain-relief injections):

All pets undergoing anesthesia in our hospital are given analgesic injections. Animals who receive pain relief recover much faster than those who do not. Management of your pet’s pain also reduces stress and improves comfort. In recent years, medical research indicates the importance of pain management for our pets.

Client Lounge:

To help reduce stress to both you and your pet, we offer a comfortable client lounge where you can visit with your pet while in the hospital.