[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by airplane

I agree that age is a factor that needs to be considered when it comes to anesthesia. There does exist many vets that say age is not a disease and be willing to put many old dogs under anesthesia, but the reality is that the research shows that old age is one of the big factors that is predictive of death under anesthesia. Small body size is another big factor as well that will completely skew the 1/2000 odds that many vets will tell you when you ask about statistical odds of death under anesthesia. Death under anesthesia seems to happen very often. Go to a dog show and chat with people about it, and you’ll be shocked how many people have lost a dog under anesthesia or knows people who have.

With that being said though, my Bijou was 16 1/2 years old when he was put under anesthesia to have one of his eyes removed because it had an ulcer that was really bad. He was staying with my mom and she has carpeting which I believe he rubbed his eye on. He always had a tendency to rub his head down on the floor really hard because his ears were often bothering him and were always difficult to get well and maintain wellness even with medicine and care. My mother casually said to me there’s puss coming out of his eye. I was very upset with her and expect her not to be so clueless. But anyways, I’m getting off topic. The point was he did great under anesthesia at his old age and he coped well with just his one eye. The dementia he developed later on though he did not cope well with.

It’s great to get opinions from a vet, and even multiple vets. But at the same time realize that everyone likes their vet and has probably built up trust with them over the years, but that often changes once they screw up. My previous vet didn’t recognize anaphylaxis when it happened right in front of her eyes and I had a necropsy done that probably wasn’t needed because, later as I found out, there were many clues that completely pointed towards and said anaphylactic shock killed my dog Maezie when she went in for a dental. That incident completely ruined my relationship with my vet and it’s unforgivable to me.

It’s a tough decision to make, and of course we all want to make the best decisions for our dogs. But just be aware of the true odds of risk which are very different when looking at an older and small/toy sized breed like a yorkie. It’s tough to weigh the benefits to the risks. But I have heard of many dogs that had cataracts removed and it seemed to really improve their quality of life. I think you have to look at so many things and just try to make the best informed decision you can.

I have to disagree with you and from a medical stand point. Sure as a vet assistant I didn’t go through as many classes as a vet but I did learn a whole lot about anesthesia. It is extremely safe and it is rare that a dog dies when the proper protocols are followed. In many many cases I have heard where the dog did not make it, it was because proper protocol was not followed and in a lot of cases it was because there was an underlying health issue that would have shown up in blood work but blood work was not done. With small dogs to keep their temp up it is proper protocol to use a heated operating table and many will either use a heated pad in recovery or wrap their patients up in a blanket. My issue with the age is not that anesthesia isn’t safe it’s that senior dogs heal much slower and have a higher risk of infection. Being in a weird environment can also be very stressful. Callie at 12 and a half was put under for a dental and it was not the anesthesia that scared me it was the fact that her liver numbers are higher due to Cushings so it could be harder for her to filter out the anesthesia as well as say a healthy dog. I have had the opportunity to shadow my vet and that built my trust even further. Every protocol was followed even through to the last surgery. I get losing a dog under anesthesia has got to be difficult but that doesn’t change the fact that anesthesia is perfectly safe.