Dogs and cats routinely need care that requires being under anesthesia; spaying, neutering, and dental procedures are the most common. The use of anesthesia is the only way to give pets this type of crucial care they need.

We understand many pet parents get nervous about having their fur baby under anesthesia. That’s why we use only the safest anesthesia drugs available and the most modern monitoring equipment.

We Go Above and Beyond for Safety

At Animal Hospital at Brier Creek, we also do something special—we designate a skilled vet nurse to monitor your pet’s vital signs under anesthesia during the entire procedure.

Every 5 minutes your pet is under anesthesia, a vet nurse listens to his or her heart and lungs with a stethoscope to check respiratory rate and heart activity. Your pet’s vet nurse also constantly monitors pulse, blood pressure, oxygen level, and other vital signs on our EKG machine.

Our level of attention to anesthesia monitoring is somewhat rare in the vet world. At AHBC, we know constant monitoring is the only way to make anesthesia as safe as possible.

Your pet’s vet nurse is constantly evaluating the depth of anesthesia: to ensure your fur baby is under enough anesthesia not to feel anything—but never so much that safety is compromised.

We know your pet’s unique anesthesia parameters because we constantly monitor your pet.

If your fur baby is ever not breathing deeply enough on his or her own under anesthesia, your vet nurse will administer deep breaths. If blood pressure drops, we immediately adjust the level of anesthesia and/or administer IV fluids or medication.

Anesthesia always carries a certain degree of risk. That’s why we practice the best medicine.

If your fur baby’s vital signs ever create concern, the vet nurse immediately alerts your veterinarian for a consultation. On very rare occasions, we have administered life-saving care to a pet under anesthesia.

Everything we do at Animal Hospital at Brier Creek is for the health, well-being, and safety of your fur baby. Please call us at (919) 544-2226 if you would like to discuss your pet’s anesthetic procedure in more detail.

Your Pet’s Anesthesia File: Updated Every 5 Minutes

Below is an example of our comprehensive anesthesia monitoring chart, with some sample values included.

“Iso” stands for Isoflurane, the gas anesthesia we use that is the safest form available. “HR” stands for heart rate. “RR” stands for respiratory rate. “PO2” stands for oxygen level; “CO2” stands for carbon dioxide level. “BP” stands for blood pressure.

Time	10:35	10:45	10:50	10:55	11:00	11:05	11:10	11:20
Iso	__1.5	__3	__2	__2	__2	__2	__2	__2
Oxygen	__2	__2	__2	__2	__2	__2	__2	__2
HR	__103	__75	__90	__102	__90	__95	__97	__104
RR	__20	__10	__10	__8	__9	__10	__12	__10
PO2	__99	__93	__98	__96	__95	__94	__97	__98
CO2	__	__	__	__	__	__	__	__
BP Sys	__105	__102	__103	__105	__97	__89	__85	__92
BP Dias	__64	__61	__71	__67	__66	__62	__42	__59
BP Mean	__82	__79	__85	__84	__79	__74	__63	__74
Temp	__	__	__	__	__	__	__	__