Anesthesia For Greys

[Busderpuddle]

I am taking Ruby in to the vet tomorrow to discuss her anxiety and gum bleeding issues. I have always heard that there is something special about anesthesia for Greys and am wondering if someone can tell me what to ask for during a dental ?. Is it that they need less, or is it a different kind ? Anything else I should ask about the dental before I schedule it ?

I know there are major concerns, I just don't know what they are.

Thank you,

Karen

[Busderpuddle]

I am taking Ruby in to the vet tomorrow to discuss her anxiety and gum bleeding issues. I have always heard that there is something special about anesthesia for Greys and am wondering if someone can tell me what to ask for during a dental ?. Is it that they need less, or is it a different kind ? Anything else I should ask about the dental before I schedule it ?

I know there are major concerns, I just don't know what they are.

Thank you,

Karen

[kronckew]

Greyhound medical packet <-linky to pdf file. it's a good idea to d/l and print this, a pdf reader like adobe's is required.

 

 

 

Greyhound Anesthesia.

Some veterinarians and some Greyhound rescue groups make specific recommendations
in regards to a “Greyhound anesthetic protocol” because they believe a specific drug is safer than
another. In my opinion, any drug is only safe if the person using it is comfortable with it. A
number of anesthetics are suitable to be used in Greyhounds and depending on which your
veterinarian is most familiar with will dictate which would be the safest. No specific protocol
will be cited in this packet; however, some general guidelines will be listed to help reduce the risk
associated with anesthesia.


1. Never use thiobarbiturate anesthetics in Greyhounds. Never never never! Oh yeah and did I
say never? Some specialists believe that a one time only dose of a thiobarbituate in a Greyhound
is acceptable; however, there are many other safer options!
2. Premedications: these medications provide sedation, analgesia (pain relieving properties) and
allow a lower dose of an anesthetic to be used. The most commonly used premedications include
sedatives (Acepromazine, Medetomidine), opioids (Torbugesic, Butorphonal, Buprenorphine,
Morphine, etc.) and anti-cholinergics (atropine and glycopyrollate). The anti-cholinergics
provide cardiovascular support. These medications may be used in various combinations.
Caution should be used when dosing Greyhounds with the premedication Acepromazine as they
can be more sensitive to their effects and typically require lower dosing.
3. Induction agents: Telazol, Propofol and Ketamine/Valium are all perfectly appropriate
anesthetics for Greyhounds. I would recommend using whichever your veterinarian is most
familiar with… just remember no thiobarbiturates (Thiopenthol).
4. Gas anesthesia: Isoflurane and Sevoflurane are both perfectly acceptable and there is no
significant clinical difference between the two in their use in general practice.
5. Intravenous catheters: it is always a good idea to have an intravenous catheter placed for
surgery. This gives the surgeon instant venous access in case of an emergency and allows your
Greyhound to receive fluids during surgery which help in maintaining normal blood flow and
blood pressure.
6. Presurgical bloodwork: it is always a good idea to have presurgical bloodwork done. The
bloodwork allows for a quick check of liver and kidney functions among other things which may
influence which anesthetics are used or if surgery should even be performed. The bloodwork
should ideally be drawn within four weeks of the anesthetic event.
7. Temperatures: ask to have your Greyhound’s temperature monitored periodically during and
after surgery. In rare instances, Greyhounds have been known to have a reaction to an anesthetic
or muscle fasciculations which allowed their body temperatures to climb in excess of 106
degrees. Monitoring of the patient allows for quick recognition and treatment of this problem.
8. Drug Metabolism: Greyhounds have lower concentrations of the drug metabolizing enzyme
hepatic cytochrome P-450 (CYP) in the liver, which can cause an erratic metabolism of certain
medications. This is of importance with anesthesia as a patient taking a medication that is
metabolized by CYP enzymes may take longer to recover from it. For example, a Greyhound
receiving the antibiotic Chloramphenicol may take hours instead of minutes to recover from the
anesthetic Propofol.

 

 

see also section 18.:

 

18. Greyhounds are a breed which have been noted to develop malignant hyperthermia
(MH). This condition is a type of reaction to anesthesia in which the Greyhound will
spike a very high temperature (>106) in response to exposure to the anesthesia. This
condition is very rare and as your Greyhound most likely arrived to you already spayed
or neutered, this is unlikely to be a concern. MH is a genetic condition which should
result in the same reaction to inhalant anesthesia every time. Therefore if a dog has had a
previous anesthesia without incident, MH should not be a factor. Some Greyhounds can
spike very high temperatures in recovery from muscle fasciculations but this is not MH.
MH is most commonly a reaction to gas anesthesia and is over-diagnosed in the breed (if
your dog recovers from a high temperature without treatment with a drug called
Dantrolene, it was most likely not MH).
http://www.animalmedicalcentreofmedina.com/files/vet/21/cc3e64e1.pdf

Edited May 12, 2015 by kronckew

[Hubcitypam]

When I started the 501 c 3 chapter in West Texas 15 years ago I went looking for vets to work with on reduced spay/neuter and referrals. Being fairly new and reading tons of stuff on the internet I was drilling these poor prospective vets within an inch of their lives about anesthesia protocol.

 

Finally a large small/animal vet stopped me in my interrogation and ever so politely said "'Ma'am - if There is a vet that doesn't know about anesthesia protocols for sight hounds they must have been living under a rock for the last ten years."...and that was 15 years ago. I think most vets have a clue.

Do have blood work done.

Edited May 12, 2015 by Hubcitypam

[macoduck]

From Dr Stack's site: http://www.greythealth.com/anesthesia.html She also has info on lab results.

[tbhounds]

In Ruby's case I wouldn't anesthetize her until she assessed first by a neuro.

[GeorgeofNE]

Yup, what Hubcitypam said.

 

If your vet isn't aware of the differences in sighthounds at this point, you REALLY need a new vet.

[Busderpuddle]

Thank you for the info. We are on our way to the vet.

[tbhounds]

Thank you for the info. We are on our way to the vet.

Keep us posted :-)