At Whangaparaoa Veterinary Centre most patients receive a preanaesthetic injection which includes pain relief and sedation. They then receive an intravenous anaesthetic to induce anaesthesia. This is safe and offers a fast and smooth recovery. Once asleep they are intubated (insertion of a tube into the windpipe). This allows careful control of safe anaesthetic depth with a gas called isoflurane.

A qualified Veterinary Nurse is constantly monitoring the patient. This is aided by advanced monitoring equipment that can give us feedback on critical vital signs such as core temperature, respiration rate, heart rate, ECG pattern, oxygen levels in the blood. With this technology we can pick up changes before they become serious.

Our clinic strongly believes in quality pain relief for our pets. As a result all our patients receive pain relief before and after surgery. Pain relief medication may also need to be given at home. Good pain relief means a quicker recovery.

Before putting pets under anaesthesia their current state of health is important. We routinely perform a physical exam but this doesn't always provide the full picture. We highly recommend a preanaesthetic blood profile be run on pets prior to anaesthesia to maximize safety. This is particularly important if your pet hasn't had a blood test for some time, is older than seven or "not it's normal self".

The surgeon may be alerted to such things as dehydration, anaemia, infection, diabetes or liver or kidney disease that could complicate the procedure. If a problem is detected the safest regime can be used or the procedure delayed.

This blood test can also be a useful baseline to compare future health changes.

Intravenous catheterisation and fluid therapy is included in the cost of many of our anaesthetic procedures. This allows us to have quick available access to the circulation in case of an unforeseen emergency. The fluids will help provide support to the circulatory system, prevent dehydration and aid quicker recovery from anaesthesia. 

During an anaesthetic, to maximise the opportunity, you may wish to have other procedures done such as microchipping, dental descale and polish, lump removal, ear clean etc so please consider this opportunity before arriving at the clinic.

It is important to remember that there is always a risk of surgical and anaesthetic complications with any procedure as there is with humans. At Whangaparaoa Veterinary Centre we are proud of our record in this regard and like to take all precautions to ensure the best outcome for your pet.