From:
KittyDoc2@aol.com
Date: 2005-01-15 13:48:39 UTC
Subject: Pre-med for anesthesia
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <9a.1de75066.2f1a7937@aol.com>
Hi-
Although I am usually a "lurker" - I have to say that I virtually always
premedicate an animal for anesthesia. I think most anesthesiologists would agree
this is often better.
Pre-meds have a number of benefits. They significantly reduce the amount of
anesthetic needed to perform a procedure. If the pre-med includes pain
medication, this is much more effective in a surgical situation than giving pain
meds post surgery (once the pain has occurred). Many people do not realize that
isoflurane (the most common gas anesthesia) has NO pain control once it has
worn off! You must give other meds when doing surgery under iso. Next,
pre-meds greatly reduce anxiety in the patient -- especially for those that will be
masked down. Speaking of masking -- I would also like to comment that,
although we do an extensive number of ferret surgeries in my practice, I cannot think
of the last time we masked down any ferret for any procedure. Often, we can
draw bloods and put in IV catheters under the pre-med sedation we give. Then
we give a short acting injectable anesthetic through the catheter, intubate,
and place on gas anesthesia -- exactly the standard of care for our dog and cat
patients. Personally, I do not like to mask any patient -- I just do not feel
like I have control over the dose, or the animals' airway should they stop
breathing.
Just my 2 cents. Ask 20 vets, and you will get 20 anesthetic protocols.
However, just because something has "always" been done a certain way does not
mean it is the best way to do it. Countless research papers have shown the
benefits of premedications in dogs and cats (and humans) - and the physiology of a
ferret isn't all that different. As long as your veterinarian has experience
with the drugs he/she plans to use -- you shouldn't be afraid to premedicate
your ferret for a procedure. Different medications would be used in different
doses depending on the situation -- for example, I use one protocol for a
debilitated sick ferret getting surgery and quite another for a healthy ferret
neuter. A painful surgery would have a different premed than one having a blood
draw or an IV catheter placed. One size doesn't fit all!
My own personal ferret had surgery here about 10 days ago. She was
pre-medicated, had blood, an IV catheter, radiographs, and an ultrasound done - then
was given an IV anesthetic, intubated, given a gas anesthetic -- had an
abdominal exploratory -- and was recovered completely and eating within 4 hours. She
received IV fluids all day because she is in kidney failure. Although usually
a "nervous nelly" - she was as calm as a cucumber, since she was premedicated
and not stressed by her big day here. Premeds are a good thing.
Hope this spurs some discussion, and thought!
-Sandra Kudrak, DVM, DABVP