Some veterinary procedures need to be performed with your pet under anaesthesia (for example: dentistry, surgery and some diagnostic imaging). 

Most healthy pets - even senior pets - don't have any problems with anaesthesia. Most of us are anxious about going under anaesthesia ourselves, so it is understandable to be anxious about your pet being anesthetised. 

Rest assured that anaesthesia has come a long way, is safer than ever and that we do everything within our ability to ensure a smooth anaesthetic and recovery. 

Prior to the anaesthetic, we ask you to starve your pet cat or dog from 8pm the night before, but allow free access to water until the morning. This is to ensure they cannot vomit under the anaesthetic which if unconscious, risks them inhaling their vomit. DO NOT starve rabbits - they are allowed to eat right up to their surgery to ensure continued intestinal motility plus rabbits are physically unable to vomit. 

On admission to hospital, the Veterinary nurse will ask you some questions to ensure the patient is starved and check what medications they are on if any. She will then ask you to sign a consent form giving us permission to perform the anaesthetic and procedure. 

The Veterinary Surgeon will perform a thorough physical examination on your pet, review your pets medical history and discuss any risk factors. We may advise a PRE-ANAESTHETIC BLOOD TEST especially in more senior patients, ones with medical concerns or if we anticipate a long surgery. The blood test checks the liver and kidney parameters, protein and glucose levels and red and white blood cells. It gives us an overview of your pets health that we cannot see or feel on physical examination and allows us to assess anaesthetic risks better. 

Prior to receiving the anaesthetic, your pet will be given a pre-med containing a sedative to reduce his or her stress and a pain killer. 

An intravenous catheter is placed in a fore-limb to allow administration of fluids and medications. 

The anaesthetic is usally administered into the vein and once asleep, an endo-tracheal tube is placed in the pets windpipe and connected to an anaesthetic machine providing oxygen and anaesthetic gas. 

We measure the patient’s oxygen level using a pulse oximeter, their heart rate, breathing blood pressure throughout and have intravenous fluids running and adjust according to the patient’s blood pressure. A temperature probe is placed into the oesophagus (food pipe) to continuously monitor body temperature whilst your pet is kept toasty warm with blankets, socks and hot water bottles. We have a nurse continuously monitoring and recording heart and respiratory rates. Should they be needed, we have medications on hand to support your pet’s circulation and blood pressure and of course all pets get more pain relief before they wake up. 

Once the procedure is done and it's time for your pet to wake up, your pet will be placed in one of our treatment room kennels and kept warm and cosy with a nurse sitting with them and closely monitoring until they are fully conscious. This ensures that help is quickly on hand if they are not recovering normally. 

Once properly awake and able to stand, we'll offer your pet some food and water and arrange a time they can go home.