Part of being an involved pet owner, means being aware of current dog and cat health issues, and ADVOCATING for your pet.
Here is a specific example;
AAHA has released new anesthesia guidelines for dogs and cats- for in my opinion, some veterinarians need their anesthesia protocols to be improved.
Medicine changes and progresses.
But is this being implemented in your veterinary practice?
Anesthesia-related complications are responsible for a significant number of liability insurance claims, AAHA notes, with most anesthetic-associated deaths occurring during the first three hours of recovery. In fact, 47 percent of canine anesthesia deaths and 60 percent of feline anesthesia deaths occur during the postoperative period, the guidelines note.
Recovery guidelines are outlined specifically, and veterinary staff should be trained to recognize post-anesthesia complications.
The full guidelines are available at http://www.aahanet.org/Library/Anesthesia_Guidelines.aspx.
My suggestions are to ASK your veterinarian what they are going to use on your dog or cat for anesthesia, and HOW are they monitoring, especially AFTER the procedure.
Be involved.
