At Shadowridge Veterinary Hospital, we dedicate ourselves to providing the safest anesthesia possible for every pet. We use state of the art equipment and the safest protocols available to ensure patient safety.
All clients are concerned about the risks of anesthesia. And while there can be no guarantees whenever a pet is anesthetized, we promise to do everything possible to minimize the risks associated with anesthesia. We are very proud of our track record and are more than willing to discuss the anesthesia experience with you in detail for your particular pet and help alleviate any dears you may have.
There is an old saying in veterinary medicine, “there are no safe anesthetics, just safe anesthesiologists.” Any drug or anesthetic given in the wrong dose or to the wrong pet can have bad consequences. We pride ourselves in tailoring every anesthetic event to the medical needs of each pet.
How are we different than other veterinary hospitals?
- We examine every pet immediately before we anesthetize them to make sure they are healthy
- We run blood work on every pet before we anesthetize them to make sure there are no medical problems that would interfere with the medications being administered. We cancel or change protocols depending on the results of these tests.
- We place an IV catheter in every pet to make sure that we have emergency access to administer drugs in case there are any problems. At other hospitals, this is an optional item for an additional cost. And at other hospitals, they do not even have IV catheters or the trained staff available to place them.
- We administer IV Fluids to your pet during the anesthesia to make sure that the blood pressure is maintained in a normal range since the anesthesia drugs will want to lower it.
- We monitor mulitple parameters using advanced monitors to give us an early warning if something isn’t right. In addition to the technology, we have trained nurses that watch closely over each patient and double check their vital signs and depth of anesthesia. These trained paraprofessional staff keep a watchful eye over each patient and help the veterinarian provide for an uneventful anesthetic experience.
- We intubate your pet, which means we place a tube into their airway to protect and maintain it during anesthesia. This procedure prevents aspiration or choking during anesthesia which is a leading cause of death in many high volume low cost clinics that cut corners and do not intubate.
- We maintain your pet on Isoflurane gas anesthesia and keep them as light as possible in order to perform the procedure necessary on them.
- We use state of the art monitors to continuously monitor your pet under anesthesia:
- ECG monitoring
- Blood Pressure Monitoring
- End Tidal CO2
- Pulse Oximetry
- Temperature monitor
We are proud to be one of only a few hospitals in North San Diego County to use an End Tidal CO2 monitor on all our anesthetic cases. This monitor provides the most accurate asessment of a patient’s ventilation during anesthesia and is the best early warning system for knowing if a patient is gettng too deep under anesthesia.
We understand that your biggest fear about surgical or dental procedures is the fear of the anesthesia. Believe us, that is our biggest fear as well. We do not minimize it or act cavalier about it. We only perform a small number of procedures each day so that every patient gets the time adn attention they deserve. If you are looking to cut corners and save costs on anesthesia, then you need to take your pet to another hospital. If you are looking to provide your pet with the safest anesthesia possible in today’s world, then you have found the right place.