[PennysMum]

On the topic of anesthesia-- the idea that a vet should use ONLY gas on small animals isn't really accurate. Gas is the safest anesthesia to use to *maintain* the animal, but it really shouldn't be the only thing used. Iso and Sevo both dilate blood vessels. If an animal is ONLY given the gas and no pre-anesthesia injections, they require a much higher level of gas in order to remain under. A higher level of gas causes the blood vessels to dilate more, and that can cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure. Besides that, Sevo and Iso do not block pain-- they only block movement! If the gas is the only thing the dog is on, it can still feel what is happening.

I think a lot of people condemn the use of other anesthetics without good reason-- Sevo and Iso both have the potential to be dangerous if used at high levels, and limiting the amount that it is necessary to use by using other drugs can be very helpful and make the whole procedure safer.