One of my Bostons had a dental appointment last week and vomited during surgery. Thankfully, the breathing tube and balloon at the base of it prevented aspiration¤ and she just had irritation to her nasal passage. After a lengthy discussion with the doctor, I learned that it is not all that uncommon for this to happen. He informed me that most times the tube and balloon do their job but there are cases where dogs aspirate. We also discussed the fact that many people do not fast dogs as requested and that this puts the dogs at a much higher risk of vomiting and aspiration. My girl was lucky. Doctors ask us to fast¤ our dog prior to surgery to reduce the risk of vomiting during surgery. It is important for people to realize that fasting can prevent things like this. I withheld food as directed by the doctor and my girl still vomited. But in many cases, fasting can prevent vomiting. Any surgery, even a routine dental carries risk of complications and I have witnessed this first hand. Getting a phone call during surgery informing me of vomiting was so scary. It took a while before the doctor was confident that there had been no aspiration. My girl was at the hospital longer than normally required for monitoring and it was an anxious wait for me. I have had Bostons all my life and many fosters have come through and this was the first time I have had experience with vomiting during surgery. I thought it might be great to remind people of the importance of fasting before surgery and that any surgery, no matter how minor carries a risk. “Puddy is seven years old, she was fasted and still vomited during surgery. It's so scary. Imagine how bad it might have been if I had not fasted her prior to her surgery.”Written by: Susan Patty Padro
BOSTON TERRIER NETWORK ADDS:
Another area that we would not normally be aware of is that a dog’s ability to control its body temperature may be affected during the recovery period. For the first few days after general anesthesia, it is recommended to keep your pet in a warm, though not overly hot room.
Several vets also point out that: “Obese animals often have delayed recoveries. Most general anesthetics are very fat soluble so the greater the amount of body fat and the longer the animal is anesthetized the greater amount of anesthetic agent that will be absorbed into body fat.”
Terms used and other ideas and sources:
*Aspiration [as″pĭ-ra´shun]
Inhalation of some foreign material; aspiration of vomitus, blood, or mucus may occur when a person is unconscious or under the effects of a general anesthetic, and can be avoided by keeping the head turned to the side and removing all such foreign material from the air passages.
Since your dog relies on you for help, it’s important for you to find out all you can about the type of anesthesia that will be administered, the risks involved, and the success rate of the surgery that needs to be performed. ¹
Dr. Rachael Carpenter, a clinical assistant professor in anesthesia and pain management at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital, explains that before a dog’s surgery, owners should take time to sit down with their veterinarian and ask questions about the procedure and the steps that will be taken to ensure the pet’s safety while under anesthesia. "It is important that the owner trusts the veterinarian and is comfortable with the procedure about to be performed," says Dr. Carpenter. Your veterinarian should be able to answer questions about how your dog’s vital signs will be monitored while under anesthesia and who will be responsible for monitoring your dog. Dr. Carpenter advises that if your dog is not feeling well it would be wise to postpone elective procedures until the animal is healthier. Even something as simple as a runny nose or a cough can increase the risk of complications under anesthesia as well as a longer post-surgical recovery time .²
¤Fasting for several hours prior to anesthesia, as directed by your veterinarian, is important to reduce your dog’s risk. If your dog has not fasted prior to anesthesia, she could vomit and possibly aspirate food or fluid into her lungs, even with intubation (tube to keep the airway open). This could potentially result in a condition called aspiration pneumonia, which can be life-threatening. Make sure your veterinarian knows your dog’s complete history before the anesthetic event. Her vaccine history, lifestyle, and any medications she takes all influence how she may respond to anesthesia. Your veterinarian may recommend a presurgical examination and diagnostic tests that help identify any underlying conditions that should be addressed before your dog undergoes anesthesia. ³
Follow the doctor's instructions about eating. The night before surgery, your doctor will probably tell you that you shouldn't eat anything after midnight. This is one of the most important instructions to follow. Why? If you go under anesthesia with food in your stomach, you may vomit up some of this food and breathe it in. This can lead not only to aspiration pneumonia but then potentially make it impossible to get oxygen into your lungs during the anesthesia procedure -- and without oxygen, systems within your body fail and you can die. If you do eat after midnight, inform the surgical staff immediately; your surgery may need to be postponed or cancelled. Also, at least a week before surgery, you should stop your herbal medicines and any vitamins mentioned by your doctor; some of these can interact with anesthesia medicines.
While most dog breeds do well with anesthesia, brachycephalic dogs face a greater risk of complications. The term brachycephalic is Greek for "short head" and refers to dogs whose faces appear pushed in, such as bulldogs and pugs. Their unusual facial appearance can causes a number of changes to the dogs’ airways, a condition known as brachycephalic airway syndrome, which can lead to problems when they are anesthetized. According to Dr. Patty Khuly, more than half of dog deaths related to anesthesia actually occur post-surgery. In fact, she points out that the risks to brachycephalic breeds are greater during recovery than at other times in the process. Often the problem is caused by premature *extubation - the removal of the tube that kept the dog's airways open. With dogs that have brachycephalic airway syndrome, removing the tube too early can cause an obstruction and if the dog is not being properly monitored during recovery, he can die from a lack of oxygen. Instead, extubation should not be done until the dog is conscious and alert. 4
If you would like to learn more you might want to read these resources:
³ http://www.pethealthnetwork.com
4 http://dogcare.dailypuppy.com