Anesthesia is a major concern to pet owners. The best possible outcome can be obtained by selecting the proper patient, anesthetic, and monitoring protocol.
 General anesthesia is necessary for oral assessment because:
 Sixty percent of dental disease occurs below the gum line. In order to do a proper cleaning the pet should be immobilized for the procedure.
Often there is calculus and bacteria-laden plaque on the teeth to be cleaned. An endotracheal tube placed in the trachea keeps debris out of the lungs.
Some dental procedures are painful. Anesthesia will ensure the patient will not feel pain.
During anesthesia one trained person should be dedicated to monitoring and recording vital parameters, including body temperature, heart rate and rhythm, respiration, oxygen saturation via pulse oximetry, blood pressure, and end-tidal carbon dioxide levels. Intravenous fluid therapy is essential for circulatory maintenance. Customize the type and rate of fluids administered according to the patient's needs. Prevention of hypothermia is essential because the patient may become wet and dental procedures can be lengthy. Provide safe immobilization of the head.
If oral surgery is planned, institution of intraoral local anesthesia is warranted in conjunction with general anesthesia to decrease the amount of general anesthetic needed and to reduce the amount of systemic pain medication required postoperatively. Local anesthetic blocks can last up to 8 hrs.13-15
Physical Examination
Blood Tests
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Anesthetized patient with Abaxis Vet Scan and HM II in background
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Preanesthetic blood results in an asymptomatic four-year-old dog presented
for evaluation and teeth cleaning. Further testing showed that the dog had
end-stage renal failure due to glomerulonephritis.
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Electrocardiograph
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Preanesthetic screening (Bas Vetronics)
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Urinalysis - Early Renal Disease (ERD) Testing
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Positive ERD test
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Urine Creatinine Ratio in Cases Where Proteinuria is Present
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