
Why should I ask for an Anesthesiologist?
There are no safe anesthetic protocols, there are no perfectly safe drugs, there are only safe anesthetists.
There are many factors that affect a patient’s anesthetic risk. Though they can go hand in hand, anesthetic risk and surgical risk are not the same. Complicated surgeries can certainly increase anesthetic risk but even a patient undergoing a very straight forward and elective procedure can be at a higher risk if he/she has an underlying anatomic malformation of vital organ groups, underlying disease processes, is very thin or overweight or is very young or very old.
Board Certified Anesthesiologists (also known as a Diplomats of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia, DACVAA) have completed an undergraduate degree, obtained their doctorate in veterinary medicine, fulfilled at least one year of Internship and three additional years of anesthesia and pain management specific training. This additional training is focused on pharmacology, anatomy and physiology differences in small and large domestic, small exotic and wildlife species, disease processes, pain management and all areas of anesthesia, making them the most qualified team of professionals to manage your pet during anesthesia.

Benefits of a Veterinary Anesthesiologist
Though routine anesthesia is generally considered safe, occasionally even routine procedures can have unanticipated complications; those risks can be increased in patients with underlying medical conditions.
Anesthesiologists are trained to be able to provide individualized protocols to minimize these risks and are also trained to recognize complications early on and allow for rapid intervention and stabilization of the patient. This enables the practitioner doing the procedure to focus solely on successfully completing the procedure, instead of also having to direct someone else how to manage this potentially unstable patient and in the quickest but safest fashion possible. This teamwork results in the best possible patient care and outcome for the pet.
When asked to directly monitor an anesthetic patient, our anesthesiologist will first do a thorough physical exam, review any medical history including any concurrent diseases or medications a patient is taking. We will then discuss with the primary doctor what procedure will be done and then make an appropriate and individualized anesthetic plan for the patient to include the best pain management protocol for that patient. Our Anesthesiologist will monitor the patient closing during the procedure, using both hands on assessment as well as full anesthetic monitoring equipment and ensure the recovery of the patient is as smooth and safe as is possible.