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Originally Posted by dwerten  because sadly it is cheap  and when owners hear high prices for procedures they balk at it like $600-1200 for dental they think that is crazy but if you do all the safety steps that is how much it costs ;( |
anesthetic - veterinary clinic in vancouver, bc - holistic, homeopathic and traditional care for animals
...These drugs act extremely quickly and within a few seconds, they take effect so that your pet will be unconscious.
Gas anesthetics are administered through a tube known as an endotracheal tube which is placed after the pet is unconscious. There are three main gas anesthetics used in veterinary medicine all of which have the ability to induce an unconscious state and as well they confer some analgesia. Halothane is still used and is the oldest of the commonly used gas anesthetics. It is very safe though but it does take longer to bring about unconsciousness than the newer gas anesthetics. Potential side effects are malignant hperthermia, which occurs rarely, which is a condition in which the body develops an extremely high fever and can result in death. It is metabolized by the liver and can cause liver toxicity. It may also induce heart rhythm abnormalities.
Isoflorane is a newer analog of halothane and is generally less toxic overall. It has a much more rapid onset of action and exits the body much quicker. It can be used safely with preexisting liver or kidney disease and has much less of a deleterious effect on the heart muscle.
Sevoflurane is a newer anesthetic which is similar to isoflurane though it is even more rapidly exited from the body. It is taken up much quicker as well which should be cautioned on allowing too much anesthetic for the patient. The advantage is that it is so quickly taken up by the body, that a few quick puffs with a face mask may be all you need to put a pet under anesthetic, which means you may not need other medications for the "induction" phase because you can induce very rapidly with inhaled Sevoflurane.
It is very important that prior to having a general anesthetic, that you have your pet fully examined by your veterinarian. It is during a physical examination that certain conditions may be obvious to your veterinarian, which may potentially increase the risks associated with an anesthetic. Certain precautionary diagnostics should be done prior to this procedure such as blood testing as well as x-rays and often an electrocardiogram. I encourage my clients to ask questions regarding the anesthetic and how they are cared for and monitored while they are under anesthetic. There are all sorts of standards across the veterinary field as to monitoring a patient under anesthetic. Some may monitor the blood pressure, while others monitor the heart rate and breathing rate as well as the oxygen levels in the blood during the procedure. Still others may have a continuous electrocardiogram at all times during the anesthetic. You should speak with your veterinarian regarding these monitoring practices...