My English Bulldog needs X-rays. Is anesthesia safe? Should I get blood tests?

I am so sorry to hear about your dog. It is always devastating when we lose a patient after anesthesia. Unfortunately it is something that happens on rare occasion, even to the very best veterinarians. Often there may have been an underlying heart condition that we could not have detected. If you want to know more you can request that they send your dog's remains to the university vet school for a necropsy. As far as whether or not the anesthesia was necessary I will say that we do often need anesthesia for x-ray of skeletal structure because it can be very difficult to position a dog properly when they are awake for this type of x-ray. If the dog has an injury it can also be dangerous to try to take the x-ray while they are awake if they are fighting/thrashing around while we try to take the x-ray as they could cause more injury to the area. Since I do not know your dog/the situation/the history of his condition I cannot comment on the necessity of anesthesia, but only tell you that it is commonly used. I am very sorry for your loss.

I recommend to discuss your concerns with your veterinarian. In general, pets should have their heart rate, their breathing rate, temperature and their blood pressure monitored at all times. Oscar should also have blood work ran before the procedure and make sure he has IV fluids as well. These are the best things you can provide to help ensure a safe procedure (though keep in mind there is always some risk, just like humans). I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If it is possible, I would recommend having the x-rays done without sedation and depending on how the x-rays look and how her blood work looks, consider removal of the mass under anesthesia. She is not too old for anesthesia but the risk of anesthetic complications rises with age. As long as her heart, lungs and blood work are normal, she should be fine under anesthesia. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I personally don't think age is a major risk factor for anesthesia. Most of the problems or deaths under anesthesia are unpredictable and can happen to any age. Doing blood work and checking for any underlying issues like a heart murmur before surgery is great. Anesthesia is monitored closely by the veterinary nurses: blood pressure, oxygen levels, EKG, animals are intubated and are on oxygen and on IV fluids. There are health risks to leaving diseased teeth in the mouth as well. Overall if Angel is a healthy senior I think she will do fine! Good luck!

This sounds like a good recommendation from your vet. The goal will be to keep your dog under anesthesia for the shortest possible time using anesthesia drugs that are gentle to the kidneys and liver. 24hrs of IV fluids after anesthesia can help his body to eliminate the anesthesia more quickly and support the circulation to his internal organs.

It really depends on the exact blood work that is being done. If it is just a routine CBC and Chemistry profile then he probably doesn't need to be fasted. If the blood-work is being done the same day as the procedure then he should be fasted because of the procedure. You should probably call your vet for specific instructions. I am sure it is worrisome to put your dog under anesthesia but the benefits of cleaning the teeth and extracting the diseased teeth outweighs the risks of the anesthesia. As long as he is healthy, the risk is minimal.

I always recommend lab work. If there is a heart murmur then I recommend either an echo or at minimum chest x-rays. IV fluid therapy, and usually propofol anesthesia induction (but several induction medications are available for geriatric dogs). Of course close monitoring of vitals, an efficient procedure and keeping them nice and warm. We do a lot of geriatric procedures at our practice and very few complication rates. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.