Don’t Take Your Dog To The Vet Until You Know About This

The Dangers of Anesthesia

Every day, hundreds of dogs go under for routine procedures – dental cleanings, spays, neuters – without owners ever giving it a second thought. But, there are risks with anesthesia that can cause complications including death. Being aware of the dangers, learning the precautions you can take and weighing whether the procedure is worth the risk can help you avoid a tragedy.

What Are The Dangers?

There are many side-affects and risks associated with anesthesia that can occur before, during, and after the medical procedure takes place.

• Seizures. These can happen because some of the pre-medications and anesthetics lower the brain’s threshold for seizures.
• Cease Respiration. Some dogs will stop breathing altogether for short periods of time
• Difficulty Waking Up. These are dogs that are “too deep” and have trouble “coming around” after the procedure.
• Death. Death can happen any time before, during, or after a procedure. It can be caused by a variety of complications or sometimes for a reason unknown. Some of the known reasons are blood clots, blood pressure, intestinal parasites, abnormal heart development, drop in body temperature and/or blood pressure, and improper tracheal tube placement by the vet or technician.

(List Provided by Cathy Alinovi, DVM  and Brent Lotz, Certified Veterinary Assistant)

Who is At Risk

While any dog could potentially have a complication from anesthesia that was in no way foreseeable by you or your vet, there are certain dogs that are more at risk than others.

Age. Very young dogs can have a hard time with anesthesia because their bodies are not fully developed. In these cases, they can have respiratory problems that end up costing the dog’s life. This is why docking and cropping is done without anesthesia. At a few weeks of age, the pet would die if it was put under. It is also one of the reasons why you have to wait to get your dog altered.

As dogs get older, many have a harder time coming out of anesthesia due to slower body processes. “The most difficult patients are those whose recovery takes days to occur,” Dr. Alinovi explains. “These tend to be older patients, and in spite of having performed pre-anesthetic bloodwork, they just have a hard time coming around. Many of these patients do well with several days of fluid therapy, high-quality food, and massage. These are the patients who get a note in the file that they are sensitive to anesthetics.”

Breeds. There are certain breeds of dogs that genetically have a harder time handling anesthesia and therefore have a higher mortality rate when undergoing simple procedures like dental cleanings.

• Collie breeds, including Rough/smooth collies and Shetland sheepdogs are at risk.
•  Breeds with longer palates, like basset hounds, can have a harder time waking up because the airway gets restricted or blocked from the soft palater.
• Brachycephali dogs are also at greater risk because of their inherent breathing problems due to their nose shape.

Pre-exsisting Conditions. If your dog already has medical conditions, they could be at higher risk when going under. Some of the conditions that are a concern are:

• Heart Problems
• Respiratory problems
• Blood clots
• Cancer
• Autoimmune diseases

How To Assess Risk

While there is no way to know for sure how your dog will handle anesthesia (regardless of whether it his first time or tenth time), your vet can do some things to assess the risk beforehand. Make sure they are taking into account the above mentioned risk factors – age, breed, medical conditions – and making an educated decision about whether the procedure is worth the risk. For example, if you have a 12 year old Shetland sheepdog with heart problems, it may not be worth putting her under for a routine dental cleaning. Only your vet can help you make the right decision.

They should also preform a pre-anesthetic blood panel with exam. This panel checks liver and kidney function and white and red blood cell counts, along with other screenings to help ascertain your dog’s risk. You should always have this done prior to a surgery since your dog’s body changes with age. Just because they were fine two years ago does not mean they will be now.

About the Author

Based in Tustin, Calif., animal lover Kristina N. Lotz is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) and works as a full time trainer. She also owns her own custom pet products company, A Fairytail House, where she makes personalized collars, leashes, beds, keepsake pillows and blankets, and anything else your imagine can think up. In her spare time, she trains and competes in herding, agility, obedience, rally, and conformation with her Shetland Sheepdogs.