Prior to all anaesthetics we recommend a pre-anaesthetic blood test.
Current generation anaesthetic drugs are the safest ever produced,
but that does not mean that anaesthetic risk is zero. The risk to
patients depends on several factors including age, presence of
disease, having a full stomach, allergies, stress, amount of body
fat and even breed. Minimising these risk factors is the logical
step before having an anaesthetic.
Patient history and a physical examination will provide us with a
large amount of information but there is information that is
impossible to know without blood tests. This includes information
that detects sub-clinical disease, disease that is at a low level
that cannot be “seen” on the outside. To determine kidney and liver
function, which are important for elimination of anaesthetics and
other drugs from the body.
If the results of the pre-anaesthetic blood tests are normal, then
we can continue with confidence and know that anaesthetic risk has
been minimised. If the results are not within the normal range then
the anaesthetic protocol can be modified to provide extra patient
support during and after anaesthesia. If the results are
considerably abnormal, the procedure can be postponed and treatment
or further testing can be performed.
Minimising the potential risks involved with anaesthesia provides
everyone with peace of mind and safer anaesthetics for your pets.
