At The Met Vet, we have worked hard to find the safest procedures for your pet when faced with the need for surgery. Many people do not realize that anesthetic drugs change all the time and that what was available 8 to 10 years ago is not what is used today. We have all heard of people whose pet did not do well under anesthesia. We have taken a few steps to ensure that we do not have that happen to our patients.
At The Met Vet, all patients undergoing anesthesia are carefully screened for evidence of a medical problem that would complicate the anesthesia. This is done by pre-surgical physical examinations and blood work, when indicated, to evaluate the function of the liver, kidneys and blood electrolyte balance. If any of these tests reveals a problem then we may alter our anesthesia to prevent any further damage. We sometimes even postpone the surgical procedure in order to improve the patient's health prior to performing a surgery that will endanger your pet's life.
All of our surgical patients that receive prolonged anesthesia (more than 5-10 minutes) have a catheter placed directly in their vein in order to give fluids before or during the procedure. This helps prevent dehydration since all patients are restricted from food and water several hours before surgery. The intravenous fluids also help maintain blood pressure and prevent damage to the internal organs.
The anesthetic gas that we use is called Isoflurane. This is an extremely safe product in that the vapors are simply exhaled and removed from the body. The liver and kidneys have very little work to do in clearing this drug from the body. This means that your pet wakes up quickly and has less potential for
complications after the anesthesia.
In addition to our efforts to select the safest procedure possible for our patients that must be anesthetized, we also have one staff member assigned to personally monitor the depth of anesthesia, heart rate, respiration rate, and body temperature . The purchase of electronic monitoring equipment is in our near future which will improve even more the safety of anesthesia and surgery at The Met Vet.
These standards are not only for the complicated surgeries. They are for the simple procedures as well. Our concern, as always, is for the health of your pet; therefore, we suggest that you inquire carefully about the anesthetic procedures of any veterinary practice you consider.
Send comments or questions for Dr. Hugh Washington to
metvet@hiwaay.net
