Anaesthesia for sighthounds

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JudyN
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Anaesthesia for sighthounds

Post by JudyN »

http://www.gpa-mn.org/greyhound-anesthe ... tocol.html

I've finally got round to printing off an article about anaesthesia for sighthounds (specifically greyhounds, but I think the same guidelines apply for all sighthounds). I want to have a copy in my dog-walking bag and in the car, just in case. Thought it might be useful for other people, too.

Nettle, could you check it out and see if it looks correct to you, please? It could be out of date, and it's also a US site so they may use different drugs and/or different brands.
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Nettle
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Re: Anaesthesia for sighthounds

Post by Nettle »

Everything checks out with what my vet says except BIG EXCEPT for the ACP, which the practice does not use or recommend for sighthounds. However I am not a vet. so am just passing info on.

Keeping them warm during anaesthesia is very important.
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JudyN
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Re: Anaesthesia for sighthounds

Post by JudyN »

Thank you - I'll update my copies accordingly (after a bit more poking around on the internet).

ETA: More thoughts on ACP here: http://www.petmd.com/blogs/fullyvetted/ ... n-ace-6937 (this site refers to it as 'ace').
Giant breed dogs and sighthounds can experience extremely deep sedation and prolonged recovery times (indeed, I once saw a greyhound sleep like the dead for two days after half the normal dose was administered intramuscularly)
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mansbestfriend
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Re: Anaesthesia for sighthounds

Post by mansbestfriend »

Interesting. This info is good to know and to possibly keep on hand. Cheers.
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Nettle
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Re: Anaesthesia for sighthounds

Post by Nettle »

Thanks for the link, JudyN. As someone whose dog died under anaesthetic because the arrogant ignorant vet wouldn't listen to me or my own vet (who was good enough to phone through information as he was away at the time) I cannot stress enough to owners of susceptible dogs to be very firm about this risk (I thought I had been, but he killed my dog through his own refusal to listen).

I had another sighthound take four days to come round from anaesthesia. Many vets will assure you that modern anaesthetics carry little risk, but to any type of sighthound they are still very risky indeed.
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JudyN
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Re: Anaesthesia for sighthounds

Post by JudyN »

I showed my vet this article this morning and mentioned the other views on ACP and while agreeing with most of it, disagreed in a couple of areas: in his opinion, a very small amount of ACP is safe and reduces the amount of anaesthesia drugs needed. He's also seen some very strange reactions to ketamine so isn't a fan of that. But he said there wasn't a perfect solution, there's pros & cons with any drug.

He also said that the treatments of choice have to be administered in a way that Jasper probably wouldn't allow. I didn't enquire further as we were supposed to be focusing on Jasper's foot - maybe this involves breathing them through a face mask or having them injected into a vein.

He may be right, he may be wrong, of course, but I'm happy that he is well aware that you have to tread carefully with sighthounds.

I've said it before, but I'm so sorry about the loss of your dog, Nettle.
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Re: Anaesthesia for sighthounds

Post by Nettle »

Thanks JudyN. Sometimes I think I have closure, sometimes not.
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