We perform a variety of techniques tailored to your pet’s needs to facilitate the procedures and maximize comfort and safety. Our section provides sedation, general and local anesthesia, and pain management for all species of animals.

The services we provide

• procedural sedation, and standing surgery for horses
• general anesthesia for diagnostic and surgical procedures
• acute pain management for the peri-operative period
• ultrasound guided regional anesthesia, and epidural anesthesia
• blood component therapy
• abbreviated perioperative echocardiography exams

What to expect when your pet is anesthetized?

If your pet is going to be anesthetized, you can help by carefully following any instructions given by your veterinarian and hospital staff before bringing your pet to the hospital. 

The preparation

Before anesthesia, we will review your pet's record and provide a thorough physical examination to detect any conditions that may need to be optimized for the procedures. You will be asked about any known allergies to medications, serious illness, or previous problems with anesthesia. We may ask you to alter your pet’s medication in preparation for anesthesia, so it is important that you let your primary veterinarian know of any medication your pet might be taken. We will also ask you not to feed your pet the morning of the procedure, before coming to the hospital.

The procedure

Your pet will be either completely anesthetized (general anesthesia) and may also receive a local block. If appropriate, we can perform the procedure under sedation (called procedural sedation), which is often combined with a local anesthetic technique. Anesthesia will be supervised and overseen by a Board-Certified Specialist in Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia. During the procedure, the anesthesia team will use equipment to monitor your pet’s vital signs. 

Recovery

When the procedure is finished, your pet will be moved to a recovery room for monitoring. We may prescribe analgesics for the postoperative period. Your pet many have several areas that have been clipped of hair to allow us to place catheters, attach monitoring devices, or carry out epidural injections or nerve blocks. There may also be small patches of dried adhesive used to fix the catheters in place. The hair will grow back slowly and the adhesive will rub off on its own.

Questions

If you have any questions regarding anesthesia for your pet, please contact our hospitals and ask for a callback:

• Companion Animal Hospital: 607.253.3060
• Equine and Nemo Farm Animal Hospital: 607.253.3100