# Anesthesia



## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

What harm does anesthesia do to a canine? Does it damage the liver, kidneys, heart, brain? Or is it just the risk of them not waking up from it? I've always known there is a risk, but I've never really thought about the damage, if any, that it does.


----------



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Isoflurane is the most common inhalation anesthesia used in vet practices. Its a good choice because slim to none of if is absorbed and metabolized by the body, so it rarely has effects on the body. I did some digging and couldn't find much on the "damage" it does to the body. Dogs (and cats) that have issues with their major organ systems are obviously at greater risk than those without, which is why its SO important to do blood work before anesthetizing any animal. 

The drugs that can do damage are usually the induction drugs like ketamine, telazol and acepromazine. The choice of drug should be considered fully by a vet before to make sure the risks are as slim as possible. 

I will ask my vet when I go to work with her on Wednesday...


----------



## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

This is posted on my breeder's website under the "information" section:

"Special Note: The Bordeaux is very sensitive to anesthesia. A 'normal dose' can be lethal. Take extra special care in choosing a veterinarian who is familiar with the breed."

Glad to know this, as I had no idea this could be an issue...


----------



## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

DaneMama said:


> Isoflurane is the most common inhalation anesthesia used in vet practices. Its a good choice because slim to none of if is absorbed and metabolized by the body, so it rarely has effects on the body. I did some digging and couldn't find much on the "damage" it does to the body. Dogs (and cats) that have issues with their major organ systems are obviously at greater risk than those without, which is why its SO important to do blood work before anesthetizing any animal.
> 
> The drugs that can do damage are usually the induction drugs like ketamine, telazol and acepromazine. The choice of drug should be considered fully by a vet before to make sure the risks are as slim as possible.
> 
> I will ask my vet when I go to work with her on Wednesday...


At my work we have both Iso and Sevo, but use Sevo only for every patient. So if Iso is absorbed by the body, what about Sevo? This is what Aspen had for his MCT sx.


----------



## KittyKat (Feb 11, 2011)

NewYorkDogue said:


> This is posted on my breeder's website under the "information" section:
> 
> "Special Note: The Bordeaux is very sensitive to anesthesia. A 'normal dose' can be lethal. Take extra special care in choosing a veterinarian who is familiar with the breed."
> 
> Glad to know this, as I had no idea this could be an issue...


Sighthounds also need to have precautions.  They can't have normal anesthesia.


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

i think anethesia is the most dangerous part of an operations for humans, also. I'm not sure it does any permanent damage if the dog makes it through the operation, but there's always a risk.

My dog before Rebel once didn't come out of anesthesia for four hours - he was fine afterward, but I think he pretty much almost died.


----------



## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

xellil said:


> i think anethesia is the most dangerous part of an operations for humans, also. I'm not sure it does any permanent damage if the dog makes it through the operation, but there's always a risk.
> 
> My dog before Rebel once didn't come out of anesthesia for four hours - he was fine afterward, but I think he pretty much almost died.


I need to ask the doctor how long it took Aspen to come out of it.

It just scares the crap out of me. Healthy dogs have died because of a reaction. No previous health problems. And the sx was only a canine castration. The night before Aspen went in for sx, I was so nervous I couldn't sleep and he knew I was nervous because he had canon butt.


----------



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I don't have any experience with sevo.

Yes, there are risks with anesthesia....but there are greater risks for things if you don't use anesthesia to fix or prevent them from happening. 

In my four years experience, I've seen two animals die from anesthesia reactions. One was a geriatric golden retriever who got pregnant and her owners thought it would be a good idea to let her come to term. The only was a tiny four pound kitten that came in for a declaw...had a bad reaction with ketamine. We probably put 3-5 patients under anesthesia per day for various things. The risks are low if all the necessary precautions are taken before, during and after anesthesia. 

Worrying about something so much isnt going to do any good...if anything it'll stress your animal out more than necessary before going under.


----------



## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

DaneMama said:


> Worrying about something so much isnt going to do any good...if anything it'll stress your animal out more than necessary before going under.


I understand...I just can't help it.


----------



## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

I don't know a whole ton about the potential long term damage, if there even is any. I'm always really hesitant to put my dogs under for something that is not necessary. That said, I don't let it stop me from getting things done that need to be- like a spay/neuter, or life-saving operation.

Having a Boxer, I will not allow ace to be used on Annie, period. 



> In the Boxer, it tends to cause a problem called first degree heart block, a potentially serious arrhythmia of the heart. It also causes a profound hypotension (severe lowering of the blood pressure) in many Boxers that receive the drug. Recently, on the Veterinary Information Network, a computer network for practicing veterinarians, an announcement was placed in the cardiology section entitled "Acepromazine and Boxers." This described several adverse reactions to the drug in a very short time span at a veterinary teaching hospital. All the adverse reactions were in Boxers. The reactions included collapse, respiratory arrest, and profound bradycardia (slow heart rate, less than 60 beats per minute). The announcement suggested that Acepromazine should not be used in dogs of the Boxer breed because of a breed related sensitivity to the drug.


More can be red: American Boxer Club: Warning on Acepromazine

Acepromazine and Boxers - References


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

That's what I really like about raw food. I always hated having my dogs put under for something so simple as a teeth cleaning.


----------



## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

As Linsey said NO ACE in boxers, PERIOD! I found out that Cornish Rex's are sensative to Ketamine and if the cat has Cerebral Hypoplasia you should not use Ketamine in them. Sighthounds can be super sensitive. The vet I work for uses Sevo on every patient over 6 years old, as it is eliminated more rapidly. Here is a pretty cool thing I found on anesthesia: Veterinary Anesthesia ANY time you use anesthesia there are risks. The vet I work for uses a combination so we don't have the hard 'wakeups' etc. Which is pretty neat. We always recommend doing bloodwork on patients to check liver/kidney values but even then there could be problems. We had a cat that didn't wake up for nearly 8-12 hours when it should have been awake after about 1 at the LONGEST. We discovered upon bloodwork AFTER the fact as the owner didn't want to pay for it, that the cat had congenital kidney problems. Another cool article I found on dealing with mastiffs/giant breeds etc: Sensitivity to Anesthesia

It's interesting you posted this as I am going under anesthesia on Thursday for surgery on my toe and am researching what I need to do before/afterwards to minimize the effects of the anesthesia.


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

The last time Rebel had to have some procedure I don't remember, the vet gave him something that was lighter and reversible. So he came out of the back room as alert as when he went in and she said it was that twilight sleep thing, kind of like people when they get a colonoscopy.

I guess you can't do that for everything though


----------

